IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Developing monitor models > Create monitor models
Sharing assets
When you want to share the BPM artifacts created, store them in a central repository that you and others can browse.
For example, you want to be able to find and reuse the approved version of a process model even if someone else created it. With the asset repository, you can do just that.
Assets, in this case, are a collection of files that provide a reusable solution to a specific business problem. In the asset repository, which runs on IBM Rational Asset Manager, you can store or link to assets that were developed in different content-management systems and browse the assets using categories as filters. The asset repository tracks how assets are related and who owns them.
In contrast with versioning systems for content under development, such as Concurrent Versions System (CVS) or Rational ClearCase , where you back up your work every day when you are actively making changes, you add assets to the asset repository only when work on them is complete. Either the asset has gone through the approval process that your organization uses, or the asset is ready for review using the Rational Asset Manager review process.
You can also choose to assign assets to a solution, which enables you to relate a collection of project assets. You can use solutions to create relationships between project assets that otherwise would not be linked when added to the repository. Solutions can also provide a single point of reference while assets evolve, because a solution version can remain constant even when its contained assets change.
In addition, using the asset repository enables you to link to and browse files that are stored in specialized repositories, such as WebSphere Service Registry and Repository (for SOA services), along with all of your other BPM assets.
- Asset repository
The asset repository is a central location for sharing BPM assets such as processes.If you have a supported version of IBM Rational Asset Manager (7.1, 7.1.0.1, 7.1.1, or 7.1.1.1) installed, you can browse the asset repository for assets that have already been developed and approved by others.
- Configure Rational Asset Manager
Before using IBM Rational Asset Manager to store business process management assets, first configure it to function as an asset repository for the Business Monitor development toolkit. This topic includes configuration information for Rational Asset Manager 7.1, Rational Asset Manager 7.1.1.1, and Rational Asset Manager 7.2.- Connecting to the asset repository
Before you can search for assets, you must connect to the asset repository.- Browsing assets in the asset repository
To look for assets that you might be able to reuse in your projects, you can browse through the asset repository or search for the assets you want.- Importing assets from the asset repository
You can import an asset (such as a WebSphere Business Modeler project or a monitor model from another Business Monitor developer) from the asset repository to use in the Business Monitor development toolkit. By reusing an asset that already exists, you can save time and effort in your business monitoring project.
- Adding assets to the asset repository
To make an asset available for others to use and to make sure that the most recent version is being distributed, you can put the asset into the asset repository.- Set up notification when assets change
If your project depends on an asset that you acquired from the asset repository, you can subscribe to that asset and be notified by email if it changes.
For example, if you have a project that uses a Customer Order monitor model that was exported from WebSphere Business Modeler, you are notified by email when the monitor model is updated and you can therefore choose whether to keep your current version or import the newer one.