Map a Business Object to Multiple External Connections

Multiple external connections can be mapped to the same Business Object. Doing so allows users to import data into the Business Object from both external connection sources.

You can map a Business Object to multiple external connections through the Business Object Properties page. You can also create and configure external connections via the External Connections Manager.

Create Multiple External Connections with the External Connection Wizard

To map a Business Object to multiple external connections:

In the CSM Administrator main window, select the Blueprints category and select Create a New Blueprint or Open an Existing Blueprint.
Select a Business Object that has already been mapped to one or more instances of external data (example: another user has mapped the Problem Business Object to two external databases).
Select Map to External Data. The External Data Wizard opens.
Select Next.
Select Import Data. The Linking Data feature is disabled; multiple database connections can only be established when importing data directly into CSM. Linking Data is also only available when mapping External Data to a new Business Object.
Select Next.
From the Data Source page, select the Ellipses button to open the External Connection Manager.
Select an additional external connection from the Data Source menu (example: Employee_Info_1 and Employee_Info_2).
Select Next.
Select the External Table to Map page, select a table name from the external database to map the Business Object to (example: EmployeeName).
Select Next.
In the Fields to Map page, select Add. The Map Field from External Table picker opens.
Select Existing Field or Create a New Field to determine what Business Object field the imported data is added to.
Select OK to close the Map Field from External Table picker.
Repeat for all desired fields.
Select Next.
From the Unique Key and Timestamp Fields page, select a Unique Key Field. CSM uses the Unique Key and the Last Modified field to determine whether or not data needs to be updated during imports.
(Optional) Select a Last Modified value (example: ActualEndDate). CSM uses the Last Modified field to determine if the Unique Key data needs updating. Leaving this field blank means CSM always updates previously imported data from the selected database. If selecting a Last Modified Date/Time value, it is recommended to add SQL indexes to these fields after configuring the External Data Import (Business Object Editor > Business Object Properites > Databases > Add Index button > Select Last Modified Date/Time values ). Doing so ensures optimal import performance.
Select Next. The Summary page opens.
Select Finish. The Business Object Properties page opens, view and edit external connections mapped to the selected Business Object if desired.

Edit External Connections from the Business Object Properties Page

A Business Object's external connections can be edited through the Business Object Properties page. You can also create new external connections for a Business Object that has already been mapped to external connections.

To map a Business Object to multiple external connections:

Select a Business Object from the Blueprint Object Manager. The Business Object must be an existing Business Object that is already mapped to external data.
Select Edit Business Object. The Edit Business Object page opens.
Select the Business Object Properties button. The Business Object Properties page opens.
Select the External Data category. If this category is not visible, then the Business Object has not been mapped to external data. To map a Business Object to external data, see Map an Existing Business Object to Import External Data. After selecting the External Data category, the External Data summary page opens, detailing the external connections that have been mapped to the selected Business Object.
Select an external connection from the Mapped External Connections menu. Summary information displays in the External Data summary page.
From the summary page, you can:
- Select Add to create an additional external connection.
- Remove the mapping to external connections from the Business Object.
- Add, edit, or remove mapped fields.
- Update the field that holds the book unique ID.
- Update the field that holds the last modified date/time.
- Edit the number of records to import at a time. The default batch size is 1,000, which should be appropriate in most cases. Importing large batches may cause load balancer timeouts, so if you are experiencing either of these problems, try lowering the number of records imported at a time. The minimum batch size is 1 and there is no upper limit.
  Note: This setting only applies if you are using a 3-tier connection.
After editing the external connections, select OK to close the Business Object Properties page.
Save or publish the Blueprint.