How to Create a Runbook Automation Activity Template
Updated: May 13, 2016
Applies To: System Center 2012 SP1 - Service Manager, System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager, System Center 2012 - Service Manager
After you import runbooks into System Center 2012 – Service Manager using the Orchestrator connector from System Center 2012 - Orchestrator, you can create a runbook automation activity template to map parameters in Orchestrator to corresponding parameters in Service Manager.
As an example, you can implement a new request offering using an Orchestrator runbook to automate it. Then, you can go to the Runbooks view in the Library workspace, select a runbook, and create a runbook automation activity template. You can go to the templates view and verify that the template is created. You can then add the Orchestrator activity template to a service request template and create the request offering. You then can then map the runbook template to a different runbook with the same inputs and outputs if you find that you need to fix a problem or improve the process.
Important
If you have extended root classes such as service request or release record, then you can map runbook activity parameter to extended properties only if the runbook activity template and service request templates are saved in same management pack where the definition extension is located.
To create a runbook automation activity template
In the Service Manager console, click Library.
In the Library pane, click Runbooks.
In the Runbooks view, select a runbook.
In the Tasks pane, under <RunbookName>, click Create Runbook Automation Activity Template to open the Create Template dialog box.
In the Name box, type a name for the template.
Optionally, in the Description box, type a description for the template.
If necessary, select an unsealed management pack to save the template to, and then click OK. You will use this management pack later to retrieve the runbook automation activity template from another work item template, such as a service request template.
In the Runbook Activity Template: <TemplateName> form, on the General tab, type information for Title, Description, Area, Stage, Assigned To, and Designer.
Ensure that Is Ready for Automation is selected.
Select the Runbook tab, and then under Parameter Mapping, note that the parameters from the runbook are mapped to generic properties—for example, Parameter1, Parameter2, and so on—of the runbook activity class. The Type column specifies whether the parameters are inputs or outputs. You can also type default values for each parameter using Edit Mapping.
For any parameter, click Edit Mapping.
Expand Object, and then click Id. This ID value will be used by the Orchestrator runbook to find the particular runbook activity that is being executed. Click Close.
Click OK to close the form and create the template.