DDE server

Integration with external Windows applications is achieved using the DDE server functionality of
the HP Service Manager 32-bit Windows client.
Applications that implement the Microsoft Windows DDE server permit external applications to get
and set data, as well as execute commands. Typical use of get and set is to inspect and change data
that is part of a document. For example, Excel allows the contents of spreadsheet cells to be read
and written. Use the DDE execute facility to issue commands such as File > Save. There is little
standardization between DDE server applications either in capabilities offered or the formatting of
the commands sent over the DDE link.
DDE clients contact DDE servers using an application and topic name. The application name must
be unique on the machine and the topic is typically the name of a document or the Actions topic.
Implementationsystem events
System events permit HP Service Manager to react to events on client platforms external to the HP
Service Manager system. System events are an arbitrary set of events that are sent to and from
either RAD or the RTE. They are used to start new RAD applications.
DDE server implementation provides the DDE execute facility. HP Service Managers DDE service
name is "HP_Service_Manager" and the topic name is "Actions". The DDE execute facility
initiates HP Service Manager system events.
For example, the CTI implementation creates a system event to start a RAD application when the
phone rings to handle the call. RAD programs written to extract the system event parameters and
act upon them handle system events. With the DDE server functionality, an external application
such as Excel, Access, or Delphi, connects to HP Service Managerusing application HP Service
Manager and topic Actions to trigger system events.
Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE)
Create DDE client support in a Service Manager RAD (Rapid Application Development) application.
DDE support in Service Manager works two ways: create a DDE script to call against Service
Manager from a Windows application or create a script using the DDE script panel to make a DDE call
within Service Manager. The difference is which application originates the call. For example,
a Service Manager client in a Windows environment can push information to Microsoft Excel or
Excel can pull from Service Manager.
Note: Prior to version 9.30, Service Manager used client-side DDE to export data to Excel. As of
version 9.30, the Export to Excel functionality has been redesigned so that theService
Manager server process exports the data as a CSV (comma separated file) on the server side and
transports the file to the client side. The Service Manager client saves the file on the client system
and launches Microsoft Excel to display the content of the file. With this redesigned functionality,
the Service Manager server and client performance are both improved by using file exchange and
eliminating XML exchange for exported data.
Service Manager DDE server support provides an interface to applications outside Service Manager,
allowing the use of DDE functions like poke and execute.
DDE client
There are six different actions associated with a DDE client conversation that initiate from
a DDE RAD panel. The actions are the standard DDE actions:
Initiate
Advise
Request
Poke
Execute
Terminate
Note: Constructing a DDE RAD application requires you follow RAD conventions. For a complete
description of programming in RAD, along with requirements for any RAD application to function,
refer to the System Language help in the Tailoring module.
Executes
Executes are the DDE mechanisms for requesting that an application process data or perform an
action. Service Manager provides two execute capabilities:
Transact
SetFocus
Transact
The Transact execute function directs Service Manager to execute a transaction as though a user
had pressed a function key or button. The Transact execute function requires one operand that
designates the number of the function key or button ID of the button that was pressed. This example
in Visual Basic for Applications shows how to tell Service Managerthat the fill key was pressed:
DDEExecute nChannel, [Transact( 9 )] issue a fill command
SetFocus
The SetFocus execute function directs Service Manager to place the focus in a named widget (using
the fields input property as the name). This example in Visual Basic for Applications shows the focus
set to the file name input field in the data base manager format:
DDEExecute nChannel, [SetFocus( file.name )]

Service Manager integration methods and tools
In addition to the integrations provided by Service Manager and other HP products, you can use
several utilities and methodologies to create your own Service Manager integrations.
Method or Tool Description
Web Services Allows you to connect to and consume external Web Services and to
publish Service Manager tables as Web Services. For example, you might
use web services to query external Web Services to validate an email
address or a phone number when updating a contact record or
automatically perform an Internet search using the brief description of the
Service Desk interaction.
HP Connect-It
(CIT)
Provides connectors that synchronize static data elements by simple data
copying and by data transformation from source to destination. For
example, you could use Connect-It to synchronize employee data from HP
Asset Manager to Service Manager though Web Services.
HP ServiceCenter
Automation
(SCAuto)
Consists of a collection of automation products which enable external
applications to integrate with Service Manager. For example, you might use
SCAuto to open tickets, notify someone that their ticket has closed, or
manage email between external mail programs.
Event Services Is a background processor that Service Manager uses to receive
information generated from and to send information back to external
systems. exchange of dynamic, "event-based" information. For example,
you must use Event Services with SCEmail, Connect-It, SCMail, and SCAuto.
Dynamic Data
Exchange (DDE)
Provides DDE client support in a Service Manager RAD (Rapid Application
Development) application. For example, you might create a script to
call Service Manager from a Windows application such as Microsoft Excel.
BDM Mapping
Management
Allows you to configure BTO Data Modle (BDM) mapping records. BDM is
intended to be used as a standard data model for integrations between HP
BTO products, for example, HP Service Manager and HP Business Service
Management (BSM) . In Service Manager, a BDM mapping is a mapping
between a Service Manager object (associated to a file in Service Manager)
Method or Tool Description
and a BDM object (predefined in BDM). A BDM mapping consists of three
parts: field mapping, value mapping, and atom mapping

Architecture
In the case of Service Manager Telephony (standard system), the following occurs when a phone
call comes in to the Windows client (Web Client):
RTE (Java telephony applet) generates a ReceiveInteraction event
Note: In the Web client, the Java telephony applet prompts the user to save before receiving the
call.
RTE (Java telephony applet) passes the event to the System Event Handler (SEH)
SEH starts the us.router RAD application in a new RAD thread
When you make a phone call, the RAD application sends a MakeCall event to the SEH, which invokes
an RTE function (Java telephony applet).
While system events are normally communicated between the application layer and the RTE (Java
telephony applet), they can also pass events between RAD applications and between RTE (Java
telephony applet) functions.
To send a system event from RAD, use the event.send RAD Command panel. You must use -2 as the
Thread ID. Fill in the Event Name with the name of the event and pass any parameters in the Names
and Values arrays. Since each event is arbitrary, so are the parameters it requires.
When receiving a system event in a RAD application, use the event.name() and event.value()
functions to get the event name and parameters for that event.
Configure the CTI application
User role: System Administrator
In order for the Web client to accept Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) events, an
administrator must configure the CTI application to submit proper Service Manager events.
If you used CTI from previous versions, you can clone records from HP ServiceCenter
5.1 to Service Manager9.30.
To configure the CTI application:
1. Call Service Manager with a System Event type (ReceiveInteraction) to open an
interaction.
DDEExecute channel, "[SystemEvent(""ReceiveInteraction"", ""Contact Name"",
""Jones, Jerry"")]"
2. The client receives this as a SystemEvent (this is a database) and finds the Record for
that type of DDE.
3. The application us.router call the program "us.fill.from.event" that looks at the
"pmtapi" table for the System Event details.