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 This method of the CMDB extension is outdated.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. We recommend extending the CMDB structure with classes and models because this approach offers the following benefits:

• You will not have to create a separate table for each CMDB model;
• All configuration items will be added to a single table but you will be able to configure a different structure for each of them;
• You will be able to view all classes and models created from them in the Class Manager dynamic menu category;
• Creating the CI structure will be easier because the CMDB classes support hierarchies and inheritance of attributes. For example, to create the Equipment → Network Equipment → Router chain you will need to create three CMDB classes with a correct hierarchy. After that, you will be able to create the attributes common for all the CIs of the Equipment level, and the attributes specific for the child classes. Eventually, both parent class and child class attributes will be available for the child classes. The attributes themselves are created from the CMDB class form, which is easier than creating table columns.
• You will be able to separate the model and CI attributes. This will allow you to create and preconfigure the values of common model attributes displayed on the forms of all CIs created from the model, and make them read-only. Apart from that, you will be able to create CI-specific attributes that will be filled in by the user on the CI form. The separation is done when an attribute is created from the CMDB class form.

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

---

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 classes and models, 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 the CI does not meet 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.