CMDB and CSDM Data Foundations Dashboard Architecture

[Siyou Li]

Core Components

Metric Framework

• Metric Definition Table (sn_getwell_metric): Stores information about each metric, including thresholds, weights, and configuration
• Execution Statistics (sn_getwell_metric_execution_stats): Tracks runtime statistics for each metric execution
• Activation Audit (sn_getwell_metric_activation_audit): Records when metrics are activated or deactivated
  
  

Data Collection

• Scheduled Jobs for Metric Calculation:
  
  

  • CMDB Metric Collection Scheduled Job: Calculates CMDB-related metrics
  • CSDM Metric Collection Scheduled Job: Calculates CSDM-related metrics
    
    

• Performance Analytics (PA) Jobs:
  
  

  • CMDB Data Foundations PA Metric Collection: Populates PA indicators for CMDB metrics
  • CSDM Data Foundations PA Metric Collection: Populates PA indicators for CSDM metrics
    
    

• Script Includes:
  
  Each metric has an associated script include that contains the actual logic to calculate the metric result
  
  

Visualization Components

• Performance Analytics (PA) Indicators: Connect to the metric data to provide trending information
• Dashboard Widgets: Display the metric results and trends through various visualizations (bar charts, list views, scores)
  
  

How It All Works Together

Data Collection and Scoring Process:

1. Scheduled Job Execution
   
   

   • Regular metric calculation jobs run daily
   • Each job invokes the appropriate script includes to calculate metrics
     
     

2. Metric Calculation
   
   

   • Each metric has a dedicated script include file that contains the logic for calculation
   • The script runs queries against ServiceNow tables to evaluate compliance with the metric's criteria
   • Storage of Results:
     • Most metrics: Only store aggregate data (counts, percentages) in the general scoring tables
     • Some metrics: Store detailed non-compliant records in metric-specific result tables (like sn_getwell_duplicate_location)
     • This selective approach balances detailed reporting needs with storage efficiency
   • The choice of whether to store detailed records depends on the metric's purpose and remediation requirements
     
     

3. Score Aggregation
   
   

   • Metric results are weighted and aggregated to produce overall scores
   • These scores are stored in sn_getwell_cmdb_score and sn_getwell_csdm_score tables
     
     

Performance Analytics Integration:

1. PA Jobs
   
   

   • CMDB Data Foundations PA Metric Collection and CSDM Data Foundations PA Metric Collection jobs
   • Run separately from the metric calculation jobs
   • Calculate time-based trends and historical comparisons
     
     

2. Two Approaches to Data Collection:
   
   

   1. Direct Source Table Queries:
      
      

      • Used for simpler metrics with manageable data volumes
      • Example: "Services without owners" metric
      • PA indicators query the source tables directly (like cmdb_ci_service)
      • Advantages: Always shows real-time data, no duplication
      • Used when: Source tables are small enough or queries are optimized enough to perform well
        
        

   2. Pre-calculated Aggregate Results:
      
      

      • Used for complex metrics involving large data volumes
      • PA indicators read from pre-calculated aggregate result tables
      • These aggregate tables are populated by the scheduled metric jobs
      • Advantages: Significantly faster PA indicator loading, reduced system load
      • Used when: Direct queries to source tables would be prohibitively slow due to table size or complex query logic
        
        

3. Trend Analysis
   
   

   • Track compliance over time
   • Show historical patterns for non-compliant records
   • Provide visibility into improving or declining metrics
     
     

Dashboard Visualization:

1. Real-time Views
   
   

   • Current scores and non-compliant items are displayed
   • Categories are organized by tabs (Best Practices, Customizations, Data Management Practices)
     
     

2. Trending Views
   
   

   • PA indicators populated by the PA jobs show metric trends over time
   • Allow visualization of improvements or degradation in compliance
     
     

Complete Workflow

1. The regular scheduled jobs ( CMDB Metric Collection and CSDM Metric Collection) run to calculate current metrics
2. Script includes calculate individual metrics (e.g., "CIs Missing Serial Numbers")
3. Results are stored in appropriate tables
4. Overall scores are updated in score tables
5. The PA jobs (CMDB Data Foundations PA Metric Collection and CSDM Data Foundations PA Metric Collection) run to:
   • Process the current metric data
   • Update trending information in PA indicators
   • Calculate historical comparisons
6. Dashboard widgets reflect both:
   • The latest data from the metric calculation
   • Historical trends from the PA jobs
     
     

Metrics with Dedicated Result Tables for Non-Compliant Records

Metric Result Table	Description	Purpose
sn_getwell_duplicate_location	Duplicate Locations	Stores location records that have duplicates
sn_getwell_hardware_ci_class	Unique Hardware CI Class	Stores problematic hardware CI class records
sn_getwell_ci_name_not_reflecting_hostname	CIs with Names Not Reflecting Hostname	Stores CIs where the name doesn't match the hostname
sn_getwell_app_svc_missing_biz_svc_off	Application Services missing Business Service Offering	Tracks app services missing required business service offering
sn_getwell_app_svc_missing_biz_app	Application Services without Business Application	Tracks app services missing business application relationship
sn_getwell_app_svc_missing_inf_obj	Application Services without Information Objects	Tracks app services missing information object relationships
sn_getwell_app_svc_incorrect_biz_app_rel	Application Services with Incorrect Business Application Relationship	Tracks incorrect relationship types
sn_getwell_biz_app_missing_app_svc	Business Application without Application Services	Tracks business apps missing application service relationships
sn_getwell_biz_app_missing_inf_obj	Business Applications without Information Object	Tracks business apps missing information object relationships
sn_getwell_biz_svc_from_custom_tables	Services Using Custom CMDB Tables	Tracks services using non-standard tables
sn_getwell_biz_svc_off_missing_app_svc	Business Services Offering missing Application Services	Tracks business service offerings missing app service relationships
sn_getwell_inf_obj_missing_app_svc	Information Objects without Application Service	Tracks information objects missing app service relationships
sn_getwell_inf_obj_missing_biz_app	Information Objects without Business Application	Tracks information objects missing business app relationships
sn_getwell_tech_svc_missing_tech_svc_off	Technical Services missing Technical Service Offerings	Tracks technical services missing offering relationships
sn_getwell_unconventional_custom_table	Unconventional Custom Table	Tracks custom tables that don't follow conventions

Additional Resources

Landing page

CMDB Data Foundations Dashboard product documentation

CSDM Data Foundations Dashboard product documentation

CMDB and CSDM Data Foundations Dashboard common error scenarios

Next Step

CMDB and CSDM Data Foundations Dashboard Performance