Hierarchies |
Hierarchies are arrangements of records in a
tree-like structure. Hierarchies create ordered relationships between records and make it
easier to locate specific information. For example, a disk-based filing system composed of
folders or subdirectories is a hierarchy. Hierarchies include one or more root nodes and branches. A root node is the base level of a hierarchy. Branches are subsets of root nodes or other branches. You use hierarchies in Tivoli Service Desk to maintain locations, organizations, asset categories, and connections. For information on maintaining a specific type of hierarchy, see one of the following: |
Standard hierarchy maintenance |
You may need to change a hierarchy to reflect changes that occur within your company. You can perform the maintenance functions described in this help topic in any hierarchy. |
Asset maintenance in hierarchies |
In some hierarchy windows, you can maintain the assets associated with items in the hierarchy. See Maintaining Assets in Hierarchies. |
Find Item dialog box |
You use the Find Item dialog box to locate an item that is present in the database but does not appear in a hierarchy. You can then paste this item into the appropriate place in the hierarchy. For more information, see Finding and pasting an item in a hierarchy. |
Navigating a hierarchy |
You navigate a hierarchy to locate specific
information. Start at the root level and select branches of the hierarchy until you locate
the information you want. To locate specific information:
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Selecting an item in a hierarchy |
Selecting an item in a hierarchy means to locate
the item and click on it. If you want to edit or view the information for the item,
double-click on it.
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Viewing an item in a hierarchy |
View detailed information about a selected item
in a hierarchy by selecting it. To view an item in a hierarchy:
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Cutting and pasting an item in a hierarchy |
Move items within a hierarchy by cutting an item
and pasting it under a different parent item or at the root level of the hierarchy. Cut
removes an item and its children from the hierarchy. Paste restores the item and its
children in a different location in the hierarchy. For example, if a company reorganization means that offices in part of the Northern region are now under the supervision of the Central region, you can reflect this change by cutting the appropriate offices from the Northern region and pasting them under the Central region in the hierarchy. To cut and paste an item:
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Copying an item in a hierarchy |
When you add items to a hierarchy, there may be
times when you realize that the items you are adding are identical, or very similar, to
items that already exist in the hierarchy under a different parent. Copying an item enables you to create a duplicate of a selected item and to paste it to another place in the hierarchy. When you copy an item, all the values associated with that item are copied. Then you need only to modify the values for the new item to reflect any differences between the two items. Note: A copied item is not linked to the item from which it is copied. Changes you make to a copied item do not affect the original item. To create linked items, see Linking items in a hierarchy. To copy an item:
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Linking items in a hierarchy |
Linking creates an item that has more than one
parent. When you link an item you create a virtual copy and paste the copy under a
different parent or at the root level, creating a link between the parents. Linking an
item affects both the item and its children. For example, suppose you have an asset category called Monitor that you want to use as a child under both the Workstation and Server categories. You can add Monitor under the Workstation category, then link Monitor to the Server category. Monitor would then appear under both Workstation and Server in the category hierarchy. Note: Linked items appear separately in the hierarchy, but any change you make to a linked item is reflected in all the items to which it is linked. To link an item:
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Deleting an item in a hierarchy |
Deleting an item removes the selected item and
its children from the database and the hierarchy. For example, if a company closes a branch office, you can delete the branch office from the location hierarchy. If there are any child locations, such as departments or rooms, associated with this branch office, you delete them too when you delete the parent location. Note: Referential integrity constraints prevent you from deleting items associated with assets. Caution: A deleted item cannot be pasted back into the hierarchy. For information on cutting and pasting, see Cutting and pasting an item in a hierarchy.
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Finding and pasting an item in a hierarchy |
Your database can contain items that were
previously cut from a hierarchy, but not deleted from the database. It might also contain
items that were added through the Batch Update utility or the CSV File Migration utility.
Although these items do not appear in the hierarchy, you can paste them into their
appropriate position in a hierarchy. For more information about these utilities, see the Tivoli
Asset Management Utilities Guide. For example, if you use the Batch Update utility to import your organizations from a phone list, database, or spreadsheet, the organizations exist in the database, but are not visible in the hierarchy in the Organizations dialog box. You can paste these organizations into Organization Hierarchy. To find and paste an item into a hierarchy:
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Finding and viewing an item in a hierarchy |
Use the Find command to search for an item in a
hierarchy or to display a list of items with similar names. Once you have found the item,
you can view information about it. To find and view an item in a hierarchy:
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Printing hierarchy information |
You print hierarchical views or details of a
selected branch in the hierarchy. To print hierarchy information:
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