Modeling Overview

Applies To: System Center 2012 - Service Manager

[This topic is pre-release documentation and is subject to change in future releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

At the core of a solution, is the model. The model describes the types of data, the structure of that data, and the relationships between the data.

Classes

Management pack classes enables you to structure data into logical groups. Classes contain properties that represent specific types of data. Classes can be designed as new units of information or they can be created as extensions to other classes that are defined in either the same management pack or in a different management pack that has been defined as public.

Enumerations

Enumerations in a management pack are represented by enumeration values. Enumerations are identifiers that can be structured in a hierarchy. Enumerations can be created new or appended to existing enumerations that are defined in the current management pack or any other management pack that has been defined as public.

Presentation components that are defined by the Service Manager console use predefined data types contained in core management packs. These enumerations control actions such as hiding console components and enabling core actions on specific object types.

Relationships

Relationships provide a way to relate one management pack class instance to another. You can create relationships between classes that are defined in the same or separate management packs. To design a relationship, you will specify the source and target types, and the type of relationship. The system uses the enterprise management objects (EMO) of the source and target types to create the relationship.

Any relationship, whether created by you or by another management pack, uses a base relationship to specify the type of relationship. The System.Library management pack provides four types of base relationship:

• Reference
  The simplest form of a relationship, the reference relationship associates one object instance with another.

  Management Pack Class: System.Reference

• Containment
  The containment relationship includes the reference relationship. The following rule applies:

  1. The security restrictions of the source are passed to the target. The target can be used in other relationships.

• Membership
  The membership relationship includes the containment relationship. The following rule applies:

  1. The lifetime of the target is tied to the source. For example, if the source is deleted, the target is deleted also. However, the lifetime of the source is not tied to the lifetime of the target.

• Hosting
  The hosting relationship includes the membership relationship. The following rules apply:

  1. The source of the relationship must be non-abstract.

  2. The target partially shares the identity of its parent class and cannot exist without it.

  3. The target can only belong to a single hosted relationship.

  4. The relationship is automatically created when the object is committed.