CA IT Process Automation Manager

Last updated

CA Process Automation, also known as "PAM", is a process automation tool from CA Technologies, commonly used to automate and orchestrate IT processes. Upon the release of version 3.0 in 2011, CA Technologies changed the name from CA IT Process Automation Manager to CA Process Automation. [1]

Contents

Acquisition

It was acquired by CA when they purchased Washington DC–based Optinuity where it was known as Oasis.

Differences from other RBA tools

Unlike other process automation tools, PAM has a fully functional client (known as a Touchpoint). While Microsoft Opalis also has an agent, its Unix agent is not as functional as its Windows agents. The other main vendor tools only use their integrations with other tools to implement the defined processes.

The custom operators (objects that make up processes) can be two types; calculations which are executed within the orchestrator engine, these can be written in JavaScript. The other type is a TouchPoint script which can also include an inline script containing process level variables. This allows ITPAM to act as a central repository for scripts to be executed on remote systems. These scripts can be written in any scripting language.

The first change that CA made to the tool was to include eTrust embedded entitlements manager (EEM). A fully functional entitlement engine for the resources defined to PAM allowing specific allocation of access to groups and users.

Components

PAM has an open architecture based on Java Virtual Machines.

Orchestrator

The server component is a Java Application that reads from the Process Library and executes the processes. The Orchestrators can be scaled horizontally by adding more Orchestrators to handle the workload.

Process Library

The Process Library is the database containing the defined processes and operators. It supports databases including Oracle, MS-SQL or MySQL.

Process designer

The GUI is a Web application used to define processes and create custom operators graphically using drag and drop.

Operations console

A dashboard containing the status of the processes along with a visual representation.

Related Research Articles

VBScript is a deprecated programming language for scripting on Microsoft Windows using Component Object Model (COM) based on classic Visual Basic and Active Scripting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apache Ant</span> Java software tool

Apache Ant is a software tool for automating software build processes for Java applications which originated from the Apache Tomcat project in early 2000 as a replacement for the Make build tool of Unix. It is similar to Make, but is implemented using the Java language and requires the Java platform. Unlike Make, which uses the Makefile format, Ant uses XML to describe the code build process and its dependencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visual programming language</span> Programming language written graphically by a user

In computing, a visual programming language, also known as diagrammatic programming, graphical programming or block coding, is a programming language that lets users create programs by manipulating program elements graphically rather than by specifying them textually. A VPL allows programming with visual expressions, spatial arrangements of text and graphic symbols, used either as elements of syntax or secondary notation. For example, many VPLs are based on the idea of "boxes and arrows", where boxes or other screen objects are treated as entities, connected by arrows, lines or arcs which represent relations. VPLs are generally the basis of Low-code development platforms.

Web development is the work involved in developing a website for the Internet or an intranet. Web development can range from developing a simple single static page of plain text to complex web applications, electronic businesses, and social network services. A more comprehensive list of tasks to which Web development commonly refers, may include Web engineering, Web design, Web content development, client liaison, client-side/server-side scripting, Web server and network security configuration, and e-commerce development.

Oracle APEX is an enterprise low-code application development platform from Oracle Corporation. APEX is used for developing and deploying cloud, mobile and desktop applications. The platform is a web-based integrated development environment (IDE) that includes features such as wizards, drag-and-drop layouts, and property editors to try to simplify the process of building applications and pages.

In software testing, test automation is the use of software separate from the software being tested to control the execution of tests and the comparison of actual outcomes with predicted outcomes. Test automation can automate some repetitive but necessary tasks in a formalized testing process already in place, or perform additional testing that would be difficult to do manually. Test automation is critical for continuous delivery and continuous testing.

Silk Test is a tool for automated function and regression testing of enterprise applications. It was originally developed by Segue Software which was acquired by Borland in 2006. Borland was acquired by Micro Focus International in 2009 and Micro Focus was later acquired by OpenText in 2023. The original name for the product from 1993 through 1996 was QA Partner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runbook</span> Record of procedures for IT system staff

In a computer system or network, a runbook is a compilation of routine procedures and operations that the system administrator or operator carries out. System administrators in IT departments and NOCs use runbooks as a reference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uniface (programming language)</span> Low-code development platform

Uniface is a low-code development and deployment platform for enterprise applications that can run in a large range of runtime environments, including mobile, mainframe, web, Service-oriented architecture (SOA), Windows, Java EE, and .NET. Uniface is used to create mission-critical applications.

Database administration is the function of managing and maintaining database management systems (DBMS) software. Mainstream DBMS software such as Oracle, IBM Db2 and Microsoft SQL Server need ongoing management. As such, corporations that use DBMS software often hire specialized information technology personnel called database administrators or DBAs.

PeopleTools consists of proprietary application software originally developed by PeopleSoft Corporation, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software vendor acquired by Oracle Corporation in 2004. PeopleTools facilitates the deployment of both vendor-developed and custom-developed applications using an Internet-based architecture known as the PeopleSoft Internet Architecture (PIA).

Microsoft SQL Server is a proprietary relational database management system developed by Microsoft. As a database server, it is a software product with the primary function of storing and retrieving data as requested by other software applications—which may run either on the same computer or on another computer across a network. Microsoft markets at least a dozen different editions of Microsoft SQL Server, aimed at different audiences and for workloads ranging from small single-machine applications to large Internet-facing applications with many concurrent users.

Inductive Automation is a supplier of web-based industrial automation software based in Folsom, California, US. The Ignition SCADA platform is the company's main product line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scripting language</span> Programming language designed for scripting

In computing, a script is a relatively short and simple set of instructions that typically automate an otherwise manual process. The act of writing a script is called scripting. Scripting language or script language describes a programming language that is used for scripting.

Ignition is an Integrated Software Platform for SCADA systems released by Inductive Automation in January 2010. It is based on a SQL Database-centric architecture. Ignition features cross-platform, web-based deployment through Java Web Start technology. The Ignition platform has three main components: the Ignition Gateway, the Designer, and the runtime clients. Independent modules provide separate functionality in any or all of the platform components. Ignition SCADA modules provide features such as: Real-Time Status Control, Alarming, Reporting, Data Acquisition, Scripting, Scheduling, MES, and Mobile support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hierarchical Cluster Engine Project</span>

Hierarchical Cluster Engine (HCE) is a FOSS complex solution for: construct custom network mesh or distributed network cluster structure with several relations types between nodes, formalize the data flow processing goes from upper node level central source point to down nodes and backward, formalize the management requests handling from multiple source points, support native reducing of multiple nodes results, internally support powerful full-text search engine and data storage, provide transactions-less and transactional requests processing, support flexible run-time changes of cluster infrastructure, have many languages bindings for client-side integration APIs in one product build on C++ language.

Grunt is a JavaScript task runner, a tool used to automatically perform frequent tasks such as minification, compilation, unit testing, and linting. It uses a command-line interface to run custom tasks defined in a file. Grunt was created by Ben Alman and is written in Node.js. It is distributed via npm. As of October 2022, there were more than 6,000 plugins available in the Grunt ecosystem.

References

  1. "CA Process Automation". CA Technologies. Retrieved 23 January 2012.