Admin

Configure the APM Connect Administration Center

This topic describes how to configure the APM Connect Administration Center.

About This Task

Depending on whether you are using the EAM Adapters or the Data Loaders, configuring the APM Connect Administration Center requires defining parameters for some or all of the following components: Commandline, Job conductor, Monitoring, and Log4j.

Procedure

  1. If you are not already in the APM Connect Administration Center, access it via http://localhost:8080/apmconnect/.
  2. If prompted, log in to the APM Connect Administration Center.
  3. In the Menu pane, in the Settings section, select the Configuration tab.

    The Configuration pane appears.

  4. Select the Job conductor (7 Parameters) group to expand the workspace.
  5. Using the following table as a guide, enter the recommended parameters.
    Note: You can accept the default values of parameters not listed in the table. Make sure that the folders already exist.
    ParameterDescriptionRecommended or Default Value
    Generated jobs folderThe path to the folder with the Job execution archives. C:\APMConnect\Logs\generated_jobs
    Tasks logs folderThe path to the folder with the Job execution logs.C:\APMConnect\Logs\execution_logs
  6. Select the Servers group to expand the workspace.
  7. In the workspace, select Add, and then select Add Server.
  8. In the Execution server section, configure the server.
    1. Enter the name of the administrator host in the Label:, Description:, and Host: boxes.
    2. Select the Meridium Runtime check box.
    3. Select Save.
      The server configuration is saved.
    4. Select the server you just added to verify the configuration.
      All of the server indicators should be green.
  9. Select the Monitoring (2 Parameters) group to expand the workspace.
    Note: Configuring this parameter is optional.
  10. Select the Log4j (4 Parameters) group to expand the workspace.
  11. Using the following table as a guide, enter the necessary parameters.
    ParameterDescriptionRecommended or Default Value
    Technical file appenderThe path to the technical log file of the APM Connect Administration Center. C:/APMConnect/Utilities/Tomcat/logs/technical.log
    Technical log threshold The level of logs you want to append. WARN
    Business log file path The path to the business log file of the APM Connect Administration Center.C:/APMConnect/Utilities/Tomcat/logs/business.log
    Technical logstash appenderThe host and port corresponding to the Logstash instance.localhost:8050

Results

The APM Connect Administration Center parameters are configured.

APM Connect Connection Records

The APM Connect workspace stores information about connections used by APM Connect. Specifically, it manages the connection between Predix Essentials and APM Connect components. This topic provides an alphabetical list and description of the fields that exist in the APM Connect workspace. The information in the table reflects the baseline state and behavior of these fields.

General Setting

Field

Data Type

Description

Behavior and Usage
Application ServerStringThe name of your Predix Essentials server. Enter the name of your Predix Essentials Server to establish your connection to your APM Connect Server.
Connection StringStringThe URL indicating the APM Connect server host and port used to connect Predix Essentials and the APM Connect sever.

This field is required.

The connection string is a combination of the APM Connect Connection parameters APM_CONNECT_HOST and APM_CONNECT_PORT as defined in the context file.

For example, if the host was apmconnect and the port was 8040, the connection string would be http://apmconnect:8040/.

Note: This string is used by the file SAP_ConnectorService.jar.
Integration ServerStringThe location of the server where the Integration Service is installed.This field is required.
Maximum Concurrent DL and EAM JobsNumericThe number of Data Loading jobs or EAM jobs that can run at the same time.This field is required. The default value is 1. This means that only one job can run at a time. The maximum value allowed is 5. When the number of concurrent jobs is low, data ingestion into Predix Essentials is faster and the system is less likely to become overloaded.
Note: Two Data Loaders of the same type are not allowed to run at the same time. For example, if you initiated two Taxonomy data loads at the same time, the second job would not begin loading until the first is complete regardless of the value in the field.
PasswordStringThe password for the APM Connect network.This field is required only if you are using network authentication.
Password

String

The password of the proxy server.This field is required only if you are using proxy server authentication.
Port StringThe port number of the PostgreSQL server.The default value is 5432. This value must match the value specified for the IR_PORT parameter in the context file.
Proxy ServerStringThe location of the proxy server.This field is required only if you are using proxy server authentication.
Timeout (ms)NumericThe time in milliseconds before the connection between the APM Connect server and Predix Essentials will timeout.The default value is 100,000 ms, and is populated automatically.
Use AuthenticationBooleanIndicates whether or not authorization will be used.If the check box is selected, authentication will be used, and you must enter the network user name and password.
Use Proxy ServerBooleanIndicates the whether or not to use a proxy server.If the check box is selected, the proxy server will be used.
Use Proxy Server AuthenticationBooleanIndicates whether or not authentication will be used to the proxy server.If the check box is selected, authentication will be used for the proxy server.
UsernameStringThe user name for the APM Connect network.This field is required only if you are using network authentication.
UsernameStringThe user name for the proxy server.This field is required only if you are using proxy server authentication.

Data Loader Settings

FieldData TypeDescriptionBehavior and Usage
Base File PathStringThe path to the file server.

This field is required.

An example of a valid server path is \\hostserver\share\subfolder. If an invalid server path is entered, an error message will appear.



Database NameStringThe database name of the Data Loader staging (IR) database.None.
Host NameStringThe host name of the Data Loaders staging (IR) database.None.
Logging LevelStringDetermines the logging level for the data loader logs.

The following logging levels can be selected:

  • Debug: The default logging level, and the highest level of logging. Selecting debug will return the most details and is helpful when trying to debug the application.
  • Info: Returns information message indicating the progress of the application, and is the second highest level of logging.
  • Warn: Returns warnings detected during the loading process.
  • Error: The lowest level of logging returning errors only.
Notes:
  • Logging levels are hierarchical. For example, if you select Info, you will see all warnings and errors. If you select Error, you will only see errors.
  • If you are loading a large amount of data, you should use logging level Warn or Error to improve performance, unless debugging a problem.
PasswordStringThe Data Loader staging database (IR) password.None.
PasswordStringThe password of the file server.None.
Use File Path AuthenticationBooleanIndicates whether or not to use authentication when accessing the file server.If selected, authentication will be used for the file path.
UserNameStringThe Data Loader staging database (IR) user name.None.
UsernameStringThe user name of the file server.None.

EAM Settings

FieldData TypeDescriptionBehavior and Usage
Work Order Generation Schedule BooleanStores the scheduling mechanism for transferring work orders to SAP.To determine the schedule, you must schedule work orders.

Set User Permissions

To begin using the APM Connect Administration Center to run data extractions, or Jobs, you must first give the admin user all the user roles.

Before You Begin

A user must be authorized for a project before they can view or change sections associated with a project.

Procedure

  1. In the Menu pane, in the Settings section, select the Users tab.
  2. Select the user that you want to be the administrator.

    The Data section is activated.

  3. In the Data section, next to the Role: box, select .
  4. In the Role Selection window, select each check box to assign the user all roles, or select the box of the role(s) you want to assign the user, based on the following table:
    Important: To access the Job Conductor, you must designate at least one user the role of Operation Manager.
    RoleRead Permissions by ModuleWrite Permissions by Module
    AdministratorNone.License, Configuration, Users, Projects, Rights Management, Backup, Notifications, Software Updates
    Operations ManagerProjects, EBS Publisher, Service Activity Monitoring, Authorization, Service Registry, Studio, Repository Browser Configuration, Lock, Notifications, Servers, Job Conductor, ESB Conductor, Execution Plan, Monitoring Audit BRMS (Drools), Service Locator
    DesignerConfiguration, Projects, Servers, Job Conductor, EBS Conductor, EBS Conductor, EBS Publisher, Execution Plan, MonitoringExecution Plan, Audit, BRMS (Drools), Service Locator
    ViewerServers, Job Conductor, Execution Plan, Audit, Studio, RepositoryNone.
  5. Select Validate, and then select Save.
  6. Select .

Results

The user permissions are set.

Authorize Users for Projects

Before a user can begin work on a specific project, that user must be authorized to work on that project. Each project can have multiple users with differing roles. Users can also be authorized for multiple projects. This topic explains how to authorize a user for a project.

Procedure

  1. In the Menu pane, in the Settings section, select Project authorizations.

    The Project Authorizations workspace appears displaying the Project section which lists all the projects to which you can add users and the User Authorizations for the Project: <name> section which lists all users that can be added to the project.

  2. From the Project list, select the project to which you want to add a user.
  3. To give a user read permissions only, in the Right column in the row for that user, select the button.
  4. To give a user read and write permissions, in the Right column in the row for that user, select the button.
    Tip: The icons in the Right column will be appear in a lighter color if the user is not authorized for a specific action, and be colored if the user has the required permissions.

    The user is now authorized for the project.

Configure Logging

APM Connect uses log4j version 1.2 to log events and provides a default configuration for logging events. These steps describe how to modify this default configuration.

Procedure

  1. On the APM Connect Server, navigate to the folder C:\APMConnect\Config.
  2. Open the file log4j.properties in an application that you can use to modify a text file (for example, Notepad).
  3. Modify the log4j.rootLogger statement to select the correct severity level and appender. Consider the following example of a modified statement:
    log4j.rootLogger=ERROR, fileout

    ...where the first value is the severity level and the second value is the appender to use. You can enter any of the following values as the severity level:

    • TRACE
    • DEBUG
    • INFO
    • WARN
    • ERROR
    • FATAL
    • OFF
    Note: The TRACE level is not advised when using APM Connect. Use DEBUG only when actively researching an issue as the log files can be large and cause performance issues. The ERROR level is the recommended level for normal operation.

    The severity level that you configure controls the messages written to the log. Each severity causes the system to filter messages above that type in the preceding list.

    Note: The appender value must be either fileout or consoleout.
    Important: To collect the most complete information, do not change the conversion pattern on any appender you use.
  4. Modify the log4j.logger.org.apache.cd statement to log the Web Service request and response messages. The format is similar to that previously shown for log4j.rootlogger.
  5. Modify the log4j.logger.org.apache.activemq statement to enable the logging levels for ActiveMQ messages. The format is similar to to that previously shown for log4j.rootlogger.
  6. If you use the console appender, uncomment all statements containing consoleout and comment the statements containing fileout. Consider the following example:
    # consoleout is set to be a ConsoleAppender.
    log4j.appender.consoleout=org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender
    log4j.appender.consoleout.Threshold=DEBUG
    log4j.appender.consoleout.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
    log4j.appender.consoleout.layout.ConversionPattern=[%-5p][%d{dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss}][%t][%c][%M] %x - %m%n
    #fileout uses fileAppender
    #log4j.appender.fileout=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
    #log4j.appender.fileout.Threshold=debug
    #log4j.appender.fileout.MaxFileSize=1MB
    #log4j.appender.fileout.MaxBackupIndex=2
    #log4j.appender.fileout.File=${LOG}/${LOG_FILE}
    #log4j.appender.fileout.Append=true
    #log4j.appender.fileout.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
    #log4j.appender.fileout.layout.ConversionPattern=[%-5p][%d{dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss}][%t][%c][%M] %x - %m%n
  7. If you use the file rolling appender:
    1. Modify the log4j.appender.fileout.MaxFileSize value to the appropriate size for your installation.
    2. Modify the log4j.appender.fileout.MaxBackupIndex value to the number of log files you want to keep.
  8. Save the file.

    Event logging has been configured.

Configure Source System Custom Field Mappings or Default Values

There may be times when you need to either map values from Predix Essentials to your source system or add a default value for a field in your source system from Predix Essentials. This topic describes how to achieve this goal.

Before You Begin

To successfully perform this task, you must have the following:

  • Administrative rights to the APM Connect database from which you are retrieving the field values or setting the default values.
  • A database tool, such as DBeaver or DBVisualizer.

About This Task

There are times when you need to have information that is stored in Predix Essentials displayed in your source system database. To achieve this goal, you need to modify tables used by Predix Essentials to send data to your source system.

The following procedure describes how to either configure a mapping between Predix Essentials and your source system or to set a default in your source system from Predix Essentials.

The following image is an example of the southbound_mapping_control table as displayed by a database tool.



Note: This feature is not available for creating work orders.

Procedure

  1. Using a database tool, navigate to the Predix Essentials database you want to configure.
  2. In the database navigation, in the Tables folder, select southbound_mapping_control.
  3. Navigate to the target_field_name and target_field_map_name column you want to configure.
  4. Configure the field mapping or default value for your source system.
    Item to configureHow to configure
    Field mapping

    In the apm_field_name column, enter the name of the Predix Essentials field that contains the value to apply in the source system, and then set the value in the mapping_enabled column to true

    For example, if you want to set the source system value of REPORTEDBY in map table REPORTEDBY_NOTIFHEADER from the Predix Essentials field CurrentUserID, the table would resemble the following when you complete your update.

    Important: If, after configuring the mapping, you see a blank value for the field, make sure the value you entered in the apm_field_name column is correct.
    Default valueIn the target_field_default column, enter the value you want to be the default in your source system and set the value in the mapping_enabled column to false.

Results

Your source system mappings or default values are configured.

Deploy Data Loaders or Adapters

After configuring APM Connect, you must deploy the adapters or data loaders you need.

The process for deploying and configuring the data loaders and the various adapters are described in the sections devoted to the APM Connect data loaders or the other adapters.

About APM Connect EAM Logs

The APM Connect EAM log contains detailed information about the jobs, such as error messages, warnings, and general information on the records that were loaded. The log files for the EAM jobs are available for download in the APM Connect EAM Jobs page. This page also provides information about the status of the EAM jobs that were either scheduled or manually run through the APM Connect Administration Center.

Access APM Connect EAM Jobs

Procedure

In the module navigation menu, select Admin > Operations Manager > APM Connect EAM Jobs.

The APM Connect EAM Jobs page appears, displaying the list of APM Connect EAM jobs that are running or complete. For more information on the columns available in this page, refer to the Field Descriptions of the Schedule Logs Page topic.

Cancel an EAM Job

About This Task

There are occasions when you may want to stop a data load job. For example, in the case of an inadvertent manual job run with incorrect filters or in the case that the job became unresponsive and should be canceled from the user interface. You can cancel the jobs from the APM Connect EAM Jobs page in Predix Essentials.

Procedure

  1. In the module navigation menu, select Admin > Operations Manager > APM Connect EAM Jobs.

    The APM Connect EAM Jobs page appears, displaying the list of APM Connect EAM jobs that are running or complete.

  2. Identify the EAM job record that is an active status that you want to cancel.
  3. In the Status and Log column of the job record that you want to cancel, select .
    The job is cancelled and the status of the job is changed to Cancelled by User.
    Note: If you cancel a job, any changes that are already done are not removed. Therefore, you may need to manually modify records to update or remove unnecessary data.

EAM Job Log Statuses

The Status and Log column in the APM Connect EAM Jobs page displays the status of the various EAM jobs that are scheduled in the Predix Essentials system. The following table contains the list of available statuses with description.

StatusDescription
Cancelled by UserThe data import job was cancelled successfully.
Note: When a job is cancelled, the data imported prior to cancelling is not removed.
CompleteThe data has been imported successfully into Predix Essentials.
Note: if the icon appears with the Complete status, the data was imported with warnings. You can download the log file to view the detailed warning messages.
Configuring DataloaderThe data import job is configuring the user roles and arranging the data processing for most efficient execution flow.
Data Synchronization in ProgressThe data import job is synchronizing the loaded data and relationships across the Data Source.
Dataloader EnqueuedThe maximum number of data load jobs, as defined in the APM Connect Connection Records, has been exceeded, or there is a job of the same type running. The data import will begin after the other jobs are complete.
ErrorsThe data import is complete but encountered one or more errors. You can download the log file to view detailed error messages.
In ProgressThe data import job is loading data into the Predix Essentials Data Source.
Job CancellingThe data import job is in the process of being canceled. This occurs after you select .
Staging CompleteThe data import job was prepared successfully.
Staging FailureThe data import job failed during preparation.
Staging In ProgressThe data import job is being prepared on the APM Connect Server.
WaitingInitial state when a job is created. The data import job is queued for pre-processing on the APM Connect Server.

Field Descriptions of the Schedule Logs Page

The following table provides you list of fields that are available in the APM Connect EAM Jobs page.

FieldData TypeDescriptionBehavior and Usage
Job IDHyperlinkThe Job ID of the Integration Log Record. You can select the hyperlink to view the details of the specific Interface Log Record in a new tab.
Job DescriptionTextThe Description of the APM Connect Job related to the record.Populated automatically based on the job that was scheduled.
Status and LogN/AProvides status of the Interface job and a link to download the Integration Log File.

The status is a Red or Green icon indicating the status, success or failure of the job.

You can select the Download () button to download the Integration Log file for the scheduled tasks that are completed and are in Successful or Failed state.

Note: This log contains detailed information about the job such as error messages, warnings concerning the data load, and general information about the records that were loaded.
Date/TimeDateThe time at which the Integration job was completed.Populated automatically based on the time when the job was completed.
UserTextThe user name of the person or System User who initiated the job in Predix Essentials. Populated automatically based on the job.
Note: The log screen is set to refresh at an interval. If you want to view the log records from older records, it is recommended to query the Interface log family [MI_INFCLOG].

Delete a Job

When upgrading in a cloud environment or an adapter, you have to delete the old adapter job before installing the new job.

Procedure

  1. Access the APM Connect Administration Center.
  2. In the Menu pane, in the Conductor section, select Job Conductor.

    The Job Conductor workspace appears.

  3. In the Job Conductor workspace, select the job you want to delete, and then, at the top of the workspace, select .

Results

The job is deleted.

Access the APM Connect Page

Procedure

In the module navigation menu, select Admin > Operations Manager > Connections., and then select APM Connect.

The APM Connect workspace appears.

Establish Connection from Predix Essentials

About This Task

To load data into Predix Essentials using the APM Connect Data Loaders or the EAM Adapters. You must establish the connection between your APM Connect component and Predix Essentials.

Procedure

  1. Access the APM Connect page.

    The APM Connect Configuration workspace appears.

  2. In the APM Connect Configuration workspace, configure the parameters on the APM Connect Connection record in the following sections.
    • General Settings: Established the connection between the APM Connect server and Predix Essentials.
      Important: The General Settings section must be configured if you are using either the Data Loaders or the EAM adapters.
    • Data Loaders Settings: Stores the staging database parameters and the remote file server settings.
    • EAM Settings : Used to schedule work orders, which determine how frequently work orders will be transferred to your SAP.
      Note: These settings are only required for the SAP adapters.
  3. Select Save.

Results

The connection between APM Connect and Predix Essentials is established.

Determine Logging Level

Procedure

  1. Access the APM Connect page, and then select Data Loaders settings.

    The Data Loaders Settings workspace appears.

  2. In the Logging Level box, use the drop-down to select one of the following logging levels:
    • Debug: The default logging level, and the highest level of logging. Selecting debug will return the most details and is helpful when trying to debug the application.
    • Info: Returns information message indicating the progress of the application, and is the second highest level of logging.
    • Warn: Returns warnings detected during the loading process.
    • Error: The lowest level of logging returning errors only.
    Notes:
    • Logging levels are hierarchical. For example, if you select Info, you will see all warnings and errors. If you select Error, you will only see errors.
    • If you are loading a large amount of data, you should use logging level Warn or Error to improve performance, unless debugging a problem.
  3. Select Save.

    The record is saved.

Results

Once the record is saved, subsequent data loads will return log files with the logging level you determined. The logging level will only apply to future data loads. Meaning if you change the level from Error to Warn historic log files will not be updated with more details. It will only apply to new data loads.