When you need to extend or modify the functionality of System Center Service Manager 2010, you have to modify the properties of one or more of the classes that are related to the functionality you want to change.

Each class has properties that are specifically defined for that class and internal properties that are added by the system to all classes. The internal properties are designated by the suffix ‘(Internal)’. In addition, a class has details such as Description and Management Pack Name that provide general information about the class.

After you open a management pack in the System Center Service Manager Authoring Tool, you can view the classes, the properties, and the details of the class in that management pack. Any customized classes in that management pack are also displayed. You can then customize these classes and properties to define or modify functionality.

A class customization is always based on an existing class. Customizing a class is achieved by either extending an existing class, or by inheritance from a base class:

• Extending a class – You extend a class by adding new properties or relationships to it. This modifies the definition of the class and results in the addition of the new properties and relationships to all instances of that class.
  
  
• Inheriting from a base class – You define a new class that inherits properties and relationships from the base class. You can then add or modify properties and relationships of the new class. Inheritance does not change the definition of the base class.
  
  

Using the Authoring Tool, you can add customizations to any class that exists in the system. The Authoring Tool provides a shortcut for inheriting from the base configuration item or work item classes.

The procedures in this section describe how to work with classes in the Authoring Tool.

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