Configuration Management Database (CMDB)

Using the Configuration Management Database (CMDB), you can manage configuration items, including their identification, recording, and reporting. The CMDB collects and stores the following items as configuration records:

• Configuration Items (CI) − IT services and their components required for service delivery.
• CI relationships that specify the type of interactions and dependencies between CIs. See the CI Relationships article to learn more.
• CMDB classes − groups of CIs based on their parameters.
• CMDB models − composite templates of CI parameters.
• CI types that determine the CI business logic and the set of various attributes.

The CMDB structure can be extended in two ways:

• with classes and models.
• with table inheritance. This method of the CMDB extension is outdated.

Each extension method has its own features of creating configuration items.

The following roles are used to manage access to the CMDB: cmdb_agent, cmdb_manager, cmdb_read, model_manager, cmdb_admin. See the Role Structure article to learn more.

tip

Role required: cmdb_manager.

Create a configuration item

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You can create, identify, configure, and manage your CIs and their parameters with the records in the Configuration items (sys_cmdb_ci) table. These records contain detailed information such as the CI type, set of attributes with their values, and lists with the related records.

To add a new configuration item, complete the steps below:

1. Navigate to CMDB → Configuration Items.
2. Click New and fill in the fields.
3. Click Save or Save and exit to apply the changes.

Configuration item form fields

Field	Mandatory	Description
Class	Y	Specify the class of the CI. When the class is specified, the Specification section with class attributes appears below the fields. The class cannot be changed after saving. To create a CI without the class and model extension, you need to make the Class field non-mandatory. To do so, complete the following steps: Right-click the Class field and click Configure field in the context menu. On the field form, scroll down to the Related Lists area and open the Column Override tab. Open the record with the Mandatory override column set to Yes. In the Table field, change the value to Configuration item. Save the changes.
Model	N	Select an active CI model. When the model is specified, the Model section with model attributes appears below the fields. If you do not need to extend your CMDB structure with the class and model extension, leave this field empty.
State	N	Specify the state of the CI. It defines the possibility to use the CI. Available options: Active Inactive
Operational state	N	Determine the CI availability. Available options: Available − a proper CI is provided. Degraded − the quality of CI does not correspond to the requirements. Unavailable − the CI is unavailable. Maintenance − the CI is not available due to maintenance activities.
Description	N	Add a detailed description of the CI.
Icon	N	This field appears after the form is saved if the model is specified. The icon is attached automatically from the model record.
Owner	N	Define the user who owns the CI.
Group	N	Define the group of users who own the CI.