How to create a custom Service Request Area and get meaningful values of that in Excel reports (part 1)

Many IT professionals working with Microsoft System Center 2012 Service Manager have to extend the default Service Manager classes. The one of the most common cases is adding a new property with the type of Enumerator (List) and an appropriate outrigger for Data Warehouse. The extending of the existing classes is quite simple and straightforward. However, it is easy to run into a problem if you use the custom list (enumerator) and want to see it in the OLAP cubes.

For example, if you need to customize the default Service Request Area list completely, you have to create your own list for Service Request Area list. You cannot edit default values of Service Request Area because they are defined in a sealed management pack and you cannot delete it without destroying the whole system. It is a well-known issue and there is a free solution on the TechNet gallery that consists of several management packs with such a custom enumerator for Service Request Area.
The files presented here are very similar to those on TechNet. The only exception is an additional file that defines an outrigger for Data Warehouse.
Management packs:

1. Navus.ServiceRequestAreaCustom.Library – a management pack that extends Service Request class with a new custom enumerator;
2. NAVUS.ServiceRequest.FormAddon – a management pack that adds a new list picker control for the new custom enumerator and hides a default one.
3. Navus.ServiceRequestAreaCustom.Extension – an unsealed management pack that contains the values of the new enumerator.
4. Navus.customSRarea.outrigger.MP – a management pack that defines an outrigger for Data Warehouse

To deploy the management pack, open the Service Manager console, import all the management packs, run MPSyncJob and extend the schema for Service Manager Service Catalog Library Cube.

After the console’s restart you will be able to use a new Area in the form of Service Request.
After running all ETL jobs and processing OLAP cubes that happens one per day by default (you could manually push if you don’t like to wait), you will see values in Excel reports linked to Service Manager OLAP cubes.
But you will see values as GUIDs. That is a real pain. To find out how to overcome the issue read our next post.

Please vote on MS connect to fix this bug

https://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/feedback/details/1449118

Custom SR list.zip

TO BE CONTINUED…