ServiceNow CMDB and Asset Management – Configuration Items, Relationships, and Discovery

Learn ServiceNow CMDB and Asset Management concepts required for jobs. Understand CI types, relationships, CMDB health, discovery basics, asset lifecycle, and hands-on configuration

CMDB (Configuration Management Database)

Overview

The CMDB is a centralized repository that stores information about Configuration Items (CIs) and their relationships.

It is the foundation for ITSM, ITOM, Change, Incident impact analysis, and Discovery.

Configuration Items (CI Types)

A Configuration Item is any component that needs to be managed to deliver an IT service.

Common CI types:

  1. Servers (Linux, Windows)
  2. Network devices (routers, switches)
  3. Applications
  4. Databases
  5. Virtual machines
  6. Business services

ServiceNow organizes CIs in a hierarchical structure called the CI Class Model.

CI Lifecycle

Typical CI lifecycle stages:

  1. Planned
  2. Installed
  3. In Use
  4. Retired

Lifecycle states help track CI availability and usage.

Relationships and Dependencies

Relationships define how CIs are connected.

Examples:

  1. Server runs Application
  2. Application depends on Database
  3. Service is hosted on Server

Benefits:

  1. Impact analysis during incidents
  2. Risk assessment during changes
  3. Service visibility

CMDB Health and Data Quality

CMDB health ensures accurate and reliable data.

Key health indicators:

  1. Completeness – Required fields filled
  2. Correctness – Accurate CI values
  3. Compliance – Following standards
  4. Relationships – Valid CI connections

ServiceNow provides CMDB Health Dashboards to monitor data quality.

Discovery Overview

Discovery automatically identifies infrastructure and populates the CMDB.

Discovery can detect:

  1. Servers
  2. Network devices
  3. Applications
  4. Running processes

Discovery uses credentials and probes to collect data from the environment.

Hands-On: Create CI Records

  1. Navigate to Configuration → CI Class Manager
  2. Select a CI class (for example, Server)
  3. Click New
  4. Fill in CI details
  5. Save the record

Hands-On: Define CI Relationships

  1. Open a CI record
  2. Go to the Relationships tab
  3. Click Add
  4. Select related CI and relationship type
  5. Save changes

Hands-On: Link Incidents to CIs

  1. Open an Incident record
  2. Populate the Configuration Item field
  3. Save the incident
  4. Verify CI-related incidents

Asset Management

Overview

Asset Management tracks the financial, contractual, and ownership details of assets.

Assets represent what the organization owns, while CIs represent what is operational.

Hardware and Software Assets

Hardware Assets

Examples:

  1. Laptops
  2. Desktops
  3. Servers
  4. Printers
  5. Network devices

Software Assets

Examples:

  1. Operating systems
  2. Licensed software
  3. Enterprise applications

Asset Lifecycle Stages

Typical asset lifecycle:

  1. Ordered
  2. Received
  3. In Stock
  4. In Use
  5. Retired
  6. Disposed

Lifecycle stages help track asset status and value.

Procurement Basics

Procurement manages purchasing of assets.

Basic steps:

  1. Create purchase request
  2. Convert to purchase order
  3. Receive asset
  4. Assign to user or CI

Hands-On: Create Asset Records

  1. Navigate to Asset → Hardware Assets or Software Assets
  2. Click New
  3. Enter asset details such as model, cost, and status
  4. Save the record

Hands-On: Map Assets to Users and CIs

  1. Open an asset record
  2. Assign a user in the Assigned to field
  3. Link the asset to a CI
  4. Save and verify mapping

Completion Outcome

After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. Explain CMDB and its importance
  2. Identify CI types and lifecycle stages
  3. Define CI relationships and dependencies
  4. Monitor CMDB health and data quality
  5. Understand Discovery basics
  6. Manage hardware and software assets
  7. Map assets to users and configuration items
  8. Support ITSM processes using CMDB data