Working with Custom Entities

18 Working with Custom Entities

Oracle Communications Unified Inventory Management (UIM) includes two entity types that you can use when the default set of entities do not your meet your needs and when you do not want to extend UIM by defining entirely new entities:

Custom Network Address entities represent network addresses required by your inventory that are not represented by default in UIM. See "Working with Custom Network Addresses" for more information.
Custom Object entities represent resources that do not fit into one of the predefined entity types in UIM. See "Working with Custom Objects" for more information.

Working with Custom Network Addresses

Custom Network Address entities represent network addresses required by your inventory that are not represented by default in UIM. For example, your inventory may include Custom Network Address entities for ASNs (Autonomous System Numbers), VPN IDs, or IP addresses (if implemented prior to UIM natively supporting IP addresses).

You can include Custom Network Address entities in conditions, involvements, inventory groups, business interactions, and reservations. They can include hierarchies, and you can associate places with them. See "Working with Inventory Entities" and "Working with Roles" for more information.

You can assign or reference custom network addresses to site-type places, services, and pipe termination points.

See the following topics for more information about working with custom network addresses:

Custom Network Address - New Page

You use the Custom Network Address - New page to create new custom network addresses.

Note:

The fields that appear on this page are determined by the specification used to create the entity. The specification is created in Design Studio. The fields in the following table are common to most specifications of this type.

Field	Description
Specification	Select a Custom Network Address specification. You can represent your custom network addresses in UIM without creating specifications in Design Studio; however, using specifications allows you to capture custom information about a custom network address. If you do not use a specification to define the new custom network address, you must manually enter a value in the ID field.
ID	If the entity specification requires a manually entered ID, enter a unique ID for the entity. Most entity specifications are defined in Design Studio so that IDs are generated automatically. The ID field for these specifications contains the text AUTOGENERATE.
Name	Enter a name for the custom network address.
Description	Enter a description of the custom network address.
Inventory Status	Displays the stage in the life cycle of the custom network address. This field is read only. See UIM Concepts for more information about inventory statuses.
Assignment Status	Displays the stage in the life cycle of a specific assignment of the custom network address to another entity. This field is read only. See UIM Concepts for more information about assignment statuses.

Related Topics

Creating Entities

Searching for Entities

Custom Network Address Summary Page

Custom Network Address - Information Page

You use the Custom Network Address - Information page to edit the information that appears in the Summary page Information section. Some data elements, such as the ID, cannot be changed after the entity is created.

Note:

Field	Description
Specification	Displays the specification used to define the custom network address. This field is read only.
ID	Displays the ID generated or entered when the entity was created. This field is read only.
Name	Edit the name for the custom network address.
Description	Edit the description of the custom network address.
Inventory Status	Displays the stage in the life cycle of the custom network address. This field is read only. See UIM Concepts for more information about inventory statuses.
Arrangement	(Visible only in data cooperation scenarios.) The cooperation model for the entity as defined by the parties or systems exchanging entity data.
Entity Name	(Visible only in data cooperation scenarios.) The name of the entity in the context specified in the Other System field.
Entity ID	(Visible only in data cooperation scenarios.) The identifier of the entity. This identifier is unique in the context specified in the Other System field.
Other System	(Visible only in data cooperation scenarios.) The external system or domain that is participating in the data cooperation.
Assignment Status	Displays the stage in the life cycle of a specific assignment of the custom network address to another entity. This field is read only. See UIM Concepts for more information about assignment statuses.

Related Topics

Creating Entities

Searching for Entities

Custom Network Address Summary Page

You use the Custom Network Address Summary page to define the content for a Custom Network Address entity. The page is arranged into tabs, each of which is used for a different purpose:

See the following topics for more information about summary pages:

See "Entity Summary Page" for information about Summary page fields that are common among all entities.

Related Topics

Searching for Entities

General Information Tab

You use the General Information tab to view basic information about the custom network address and to view and maintain the custom network address hierarchy.

Section	Description
Custom Network Address Information	Displays basic information about the entity, most of which was defined when you created the entity. Click Edit to change this information. Some data elements, such as the ID, cannot be changed after the entity is created. See "Creating Entities" and "Custom Network Address - New Page" for more information. Click Other System to view fields related to systems with which UIM is cooperating. These fields are visible by default when populated and hidden by default when not populated.
Custom Network Address Hierarchy	Displays the entities included in the custom network address hierarchy. Right-click on the custom network address and select Add Child to associate a child custom network address.

Section

Description

Custom Network Address Information

Displays basic information about the entity, most of which was defined when you created the entity. Click Edit to change this information. Some data elements, such as the ID, cannot be changed after the entity is created. See "Creating Entities" and "Custom Network Address - New Page" for more information.

Click Other System to view fields related to systems with which UIM is cooperating. These fields are visible by default when populated and hidden by default when not populated.

Custom Network Address Hierarchy

Displays the entities included in the custom network address hierarchy. Right-click on the custom network address and select Add Child to associate a child custom network address.

Associated Resources Tab

You use the Associated Resources tab to view information about the parent custom network address, network nodes, and custom involvements of the custom network address.

Section	Description
Parent Custom Network Address	Displays any associations with a parent custom network address. See "Adding Parent Entities" for information about creating new associations.
Network Nodes	Displays any networks with which a custom network address is associated. The association occurs when you select a custom network address to be represented by a node or element in a network. The same entity can be represented by nodes in different networks. For each network association, you can see the network name, ID, network description, node name, and node description. Click the ID to view the Network Summary page.
Custom Involvements	Displays any custom associations defined for the custom network address with entities that are not otherwise associated. See "Working with Custom Involvements" for more information.

Section

Description

Parent Custom Network Address

Displays any associations with a parent custom network address. See "Adding Parent Entities" for information about creating new associations.

Network Nodes

Displays any networks with which a custom network address is associated. The association occurs when you select a custom network address to be represented by a node or element in a network.

The same entity can be represented by nodes in different networks. For each network association, you can see the network name, ID, network description, node name, and node description. Click the ID to view the Network Summary page.

Custom Involvements

Displays any custom associations defined for the custom network address with entities that are not otherwise associated. See "Working with Custom Involvements" for more information.

Consumers Tab

You use the Consumers tab to view information about assignments and business interactions of the custom network address.

Section	Description
Assignments	List the configurations and design versions to which the custom network address has been assigned. For each assignment, you can see the entity to which the assignment has been made, that entity's type, and the start and end dates.
Business Interactions	Displays any business interactions with which the custom network address is associated. See "Working with Business Interactions" for more information.

Section

Description

Assignments

List the configurations and design versions to which the custom network address has been assigned. For each assignment, you can see the entity to which the assignment has been made, that entity's type, and the start and end dates.

Business Interactions

Displays any business interactions with which the custom network address is associated.

See "Working with Business Interactions" for more information.

Groups and Infrastructure Tab

You use the Groups and Infrastructure tab to view information about the inventory groups, parties, and places associated with the custom network address.

Section	Description
Inventory Groups	Displays any inventory groups to which the custom network address is associated. You use inventory groups to organize entities for a particular purpose. The fields that appear in the Inventory Group section are common among multiple entities. See "Entity Summary Page" for more information. See "Adding an Entity to an Inventory Group from the Entity Summary Page" for information about associating entities with an inventory group.
Parties	Displays any parties that are associated with the custom network address. You can associate parties to custom network addresses to identify related individuals or organizations. If the parties have roles assigned to them, you can specify the role that is relevant to the association. The fields that appear in the Parties section are common among multiple entities. See "Entity Summary Page" for more information. See "Associating Parties to Entities" and "Deleting Party Associations from Entities" for information about managing party associations.
Places	Displays any places that are associated with the custom network address. The fields that appear in the Places section are common among multiple entities. See "Entity Summary Page" for more information. See "Associating Places to Entities" for information about creating new place associations.

Section

Description

Inventory Groups

Displays any inventory groups to which the custom network address is associated. You use inventory groups to organize entities for a particular purpose.

The fields that appear in the Inventory Group section are common among multiple entities. See "Entity Summary Page" for more information. See "Adding an Entity to an Inventory Group from the Entity Summary Page" for information about associating entities with an inventory group.

Parties

Displays any parties that are associated with the custom network address. You can associate parties to custom network addresses to identify related individuals or organizations. If the parties have roles assigned to them, you can specify the role that is relevant to the association.

The fields that appear in the Parties section are common among multiple entities. See "Entity Summary Page" for more information. See "Associating Parties to Entities" and "Deleting Party Associations from Entities" for information about managing party associations.

Places

Displays any places that are associated with the custom network address.

The fields that appear in the Places section are common among multiple entities. See "Entity Summary Page" for more information. See "Associating Places to Entities" for information about creating new place associations.

Working with Custom Objects

Custom Object entities represent items that do not fit into one of the predefined entity types in UIM. For example, your inventory may include quality of service (QoS) standards or static routes.

You can include Custom Object entities in conditions, involvements, inventory groups, business interactions, and reservations. You can assign or reference them in configuration items. They can include hierarchies, and you can associate places with them. Custom Object entities can be associated to network nodes and edges. The Custom Object Summary page lists the networks with which the custom object is associated.

See the following topics for more information about working with custom objects:

Custom Object - New Page

You use the Custom Object - New page to create new custom objects.

Note:

Field	Description
Specification	Select a Custom Object specification. You can represent your custom objects in UIM without creating specifications in Design Studio; however, using specifications allows you to capture custom information about the objects. If you do not use a specification to define the new custom object, you must manually enter a value in the ID field.
ID	If the entity specification requires a manually entered ID, enter a unique ID for the entity. Most entity specifications are defined in Design Studio so that IDs are generated automatically. The ID field for these specifications contains the text AUTOGENERATE.
Name	Enter a name for the custom object.
Description	Enter a description of the custom object.
Inventory Status	Displays the stage in the life cycle of the custom object. This field is read only. See UIM Concepts for more information about inventory statuses.
Assignment Status	Displays the stage in the life cycle of a specific assignment of the custom object to another entity. This field is read only. See UIM Concepts for more information about assignment statuses.

Related Topics

Creating Entities

Custom Object Summary Page

Working with Custom Objects

Custom Object - Information Page

You use the Custom Object - Information page to edit the information that appears in the Summary page Information section. Some data elements, such as the ID, cannot be changed after the entity is created.

Note:

Field	Description
Specification	Displays the specification used to define the custom object. This field is read only.
ID	Displays the ID generated or entered when the entity was created. This field is read only.
Name	Edit the name for the custom object.
Description	Edit the description of the custom object.
Inventory Status	Displays the stage in the life cycle of the custom object. This field is read only. See UIM Concepts for more information about inventory statuses.
Assignment Status	Displays the stage in the life cycle of a specific assignment of the custom object to another entity. This field is read only. See UIM Concepts for more information about assignment statuses.
Arrangement	(Visible only in data cooperation scenarios.) The cooperation model for the entity as defined by the parties or systems exchanging entity data.
Entity Name	(Visible only in data cooperation scenarios.) The name of the entity in the context specified in the Other System field.
Entity ID	(Visible only in data cooperation scenarios.) The identifier of the entity. This identifier is unique in the context specified in the Other System field.
Other System	(Visible only in data cooperation scenarios.) The external system or domain that is participating in the data cooperation.

Related Topics

Creating Entities

Custom Object Summary Page

Working with Custom Objects

Custom Object Summary Page

You use the Custom Object Summary page to define the content for a Custom Object entity. The page is arranged into tabs, each of which is used for a different purpose:

See the following topics for more information about summary pages:

See "Entity Summary Page" for information about Summary page fields that are common among all entities.

Related Topics

Working with Custom Objects

General Information Tab

You use the General Information tab to view basic information about the custom object and to view and maintain the custom object hierarchy.

Section	Description
Custom Object Information	Displays basic information about the entity, most of which was defined when you created the entity. Click Edit to change this information. Some data elements, such as the ID, cannot be changed after the entity is created. See "Creating Entities" and "Custom Object - New Page" for more information. Click Other System to view fields related to systems with which UIM is cooperating. These fields are visible by default when populated and hidden by default when not populated.
Custom Object Hierarchy	Displays the entities included in the custom object hierarchy. Right-click on the custom object and select Add Child to associate a child custom object.

Section

Description

Custom Object Information

Click Other System to view fields related to systems with which UIM is cooperating. These fields are visible by default when populated and hidden by default when not populated.

Custom Object Hierarchy

Displays the entities included in the custom object hierarchy. Right-click on the custom object and select Add Child to associate a child custom object.

Associated Resources Tab

You use the Associated Resources tab to view information about the parent custom object, network nodes, network edges, and custom involvements of the custom object.

Subtab	Description
Parent Custom Object	Displays any associations with a parent custom object. See "Adding Parent Entities" for information about creating new associations.
Network Nodes	Displays any network nodes with which a custom object is associated. The association occurs when you select a custom object to be represented by a node or element in a network. The same entity can be represented by nodes in different networks. For each network association, you can see the network name, network description, node name, and node description. Click the ID to view the Network Summary page.
Network Edges	Displays any network edges with which a custom object is associated. The association occurs when you select a custom object to be represented by an edge in a network. The same entity can be represented by edges in different networks. For each network association, you can see the network name, network description, edge name, and edge description. Click the ID to view the Network Summary page.
Custom Involvements	Displays any custom associations defined for the custom object with entities that are not otherwise associated. See "Working with Custom Involvements" for more information.

Consumers Tab

You use the Consumers tab to view any business interactions with which the custom object is associated. See "Working with Business Interactions" for more information.

Groups and Infrastructure Tab

You use the Groups and Infrastructure tab to view information about the inventory groups, places, roles, and parties associated with the custom object.

Subtab	Description
Inventory Groups	Displays any inventory groups to which the custom object is associated. You use inventory groups to organize entities for a particular purpose. The fields that appear in the Inventory Groups section are common among multiple entities. See "Entity Summary Page" for more information. See "Adding an Entity to an Inventory Group from the Entity Summary Page" for information about associating entities with an inventory group.
Places	Displays any Place entities that are associated with the custom object. The fields that appear in the Places section are common among multiple entities. See "Entity Summary Page" for more information. See "Associating Places to Entities" for information about creating new place associations.
Roles	Displays any roles that are associated with the custom object. You can associate roles with entities to define the functions they perform in your inventory. An entity can have multiple roles simultaneously, and its roles can change over time. See "Working with Roles" for more information.
Parties	Displays any parties that are associated with the custom object. You can associate parties to custom objects to identify related individuals or organizations. If the parties have roles assigned to them, you can specify the role that is relevant to the association. The fields that appear in the Parties section are common among multiple entities. See "Entity Summary Page" for more information. See "Associating Parties to Entities" and "Deleting Party Associations from Entities" for information about managing party associations.