How do CMDB Macros work?

Ryan Morlok

I'd appreciate an explanation of how to view the data included in the macro, and how name expansion works for the ultimate properties that end up in the properties file.

Lavanya Gundamaraju

Apart from many other advantages, Macros define a neat way to group application attributes in CMDB. The deployment engine (DE) picks up the application properties from CMDB and add/updates the properties files. (CMDB properties win). When DE sees a Macro defined in the application properties, the properties defined in the Macro are added/updated in the properties files. The added advantage with macros is that we can associate the site attribute to the Macro and DE is smart to pick up site specific properties to add to the properties file.

Application properties in Macros
Macro name: userInformation
Location: A
values
username = Allen

Macro name: userInformation
Location: B
values
username = Brian

*Notice how the name of the Macro is just the same.
The application will just have the reference to the macro 'userInformation'

If you open the properties file on a Site A application server you will see username=Allen and on site B server, the properties file will have username = Brian

Database properties in Macros
For database macros, all the properties defined in the macro will get prefixed with the reference name.

Macro name: FolderingDatabaseProperties
reference: foldering
site: A
values
jdbc.schema=CF1
jdbc.user=anonymous

when this macro is expanded by the DE, the properties files on Site A will have
foldering.jdbc.schema=CF1
foldering.jdbc.user=anonymous


NOTE: If the same application property is defined in the properties file, in CMDB as an application property and is also included in a Macro of the application, the macro value wins.