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Version: 8.5.X

CMDB Management Overview

What is CMDB?​

The Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is a crucial component in IT Service Management (ITSM) that provides a centralized repository to store and manage data related to all configuration items (CIs) within an organization's IT environment. This includes details of hardware, software, systems, networks, and services, along with their interrelationships.

Key Functions of CMDB:​

  • Asset Inventory: CMDB maintains a comprehensive inventory of all configuration items (CIs), such as servers, applications, databases, and networking devices.
  • Relationship Mapping: It tracks and visualizes relationships between different CIs, showing dependencies, upstream/downstream connections, and potential impact areas in case of changes or issues.
  • Change Impact Analysis: CMDB supports change management by helping assess the impact of changes before implementation. This ensures informed decisions and reduces risk to the IT infrastructure.
  • Incident & Problem Management: When an incident occurs, CMDB enables IT teams to quickly pinpoint affected assets and identify possible root causes by analyzing the interconnections between CIs.
  • Compliance & Auditing: CMDB helps in maintaining accurate records of IT configurations and changes, which is essential for regulatory compliance, security audits, and performance assessments.
  • Lifecycle Tracking: CMDB monitors the entire lifecycle of assets, from procurement to decommissioning, ensuring up-to-date information for IT operations and planning.

Benefits of CMDB:​

  • Improved Visibility: IT administrators gain complete visibility into the organization's IT infrastructure.
  • Enhanced Decision-Making: By understanding relationships between CIs, teams can make better decisions during incident response, problem resolution, and change implementation.
  • Efficient Risk Management: CMDB allows IT teams to assess the risk of changes by understanding how components depend on one another.
  • Streamlined IT Operations: With a centralized database, CMDB optimizes IT processes, reduces downtime, and accelerates troubleshooting.

By using CMDB, organizations can ensure better control over their IT environment, streamline management processes, and achieve greater operational efficiency.

Getting Started with CMDB​

To get started with the CMDB module,

  1. Possess CMDB license, "CMDB Specialist Technician" role, and "Manage CMDB" permission to create Sync rules.
  2. Set the Discovery Preference Rule as a CI.
  3. Create a Discovery Pattern. OOB patterns are already available. If required, you can also create custom patterns.
  4. Create a CI using any of the below options:
  5. Once the CI is created it will appear on the CI List page.
  6. Now, you can manage the CI details.
  7. Map the CI status with Asset status.
  8. You can associate the CIs with modules like Assets, Requests, Problems, Changes, Releases, Knowledge, and Projects.
  9. You can create Workflows.
  10. You can create CI dashboard and generate reports.

Here, you can do the following: