Understanding CI Reclassification: What You Need to Know

[Pratiksha]

Understanding CI Reclassification: What You Need to Know

In the world of IT Service Management, Configuration Items (CIs) play a crucial role in tracking and managing the components of your IT environment. Sometimes, you might need to reclassify a CI to better reflect its role or characteristics. Reclassification involves changing the class of a CI, which impacts how its attributes are managed and what data might be retained or lost. Let’s break down the reclassification process and explore examples to illustrate how it works.

What Happens During CI Reclassification?

When a CI is reclassified, the following key things occur:

Attributes Adjustment: The CI’s attributes are updated to match those of the new class. This means some attributes might be added, while others might be removed.
Loss of Unique Attributes: If the new class doesn’t include attributes that were present in the current class, those attributes and their values will be lost.
Creation of New Record: A new record is created in the new class for the CI, but the CI retains its unique identifier (sys_id).
Types of Reclassification

There are three main types of reclassification: downgrade, upgrade, and switch. Each type affects the CI in different ways.

Downgrade
Definition: Downgrading involves moving a CI to a higher-level class in the hierarchy. This means the CI is reclassified to a more general category.

Example: Suppose you have a CI classified as a cmdb_ci_server, which is a specific type of server. If you reclassify this CI to cmdb_ci_computer, a more general category, you are performing a downgrade.

Impact: The cmdb_ci_server class might have attributes like RAM, CPU Speed, and Hard Drive Size that are not available in the cmdb_ci_computer class. During the downgrade, these specific attributes will be lost because the new class does not support them.
Upgrade
Definition: Upgrading involves moving a CI to a lower-level class in the hierarchy. This means the CI is reclassified to a more specific category with additional attributes.

Example: Imagine you have a CI classified as a cmdb_ci_computer. If you reclassify this CI to cmdb_ci_server, a more specific category, you are performing an upgrade.

Impact: The cmdb_ci_computer class might have general attributes, but the cmdb_ci_server class includes more specific attributes like Server Type and Operating System. In this case, the CI will gain these additional attributes during the upgrade.
Switch
Definition: Switching involves moving a CI to a class in a completely different branch of the hierarchy. This is a combination of both a downgrade and an upgrade.

Example: Suppose you reclassify a CI from cmdb_ci_linux_server to cmdb_ci_win_server. Here, you are switching between classes in different branches (Linux to Windows servers).

Impact: This switch involves a downgrade (losing Linux-specific attributes) and an upgrade (gaining Windows-specific attributes). Attributes unique to the cmdb_ci_linux_server class, like Linux Distribution, will be lost, while new attributes related to cmdb_ci_win_server, such as Windows Version, will be added.
Important Considerations

Data Loss: Downgrades and switches can result in loss of valuable data. It’s important to carefully plan and review the impact of reclassification to avoid unintended data loss.
Automatic Reclassification: Many systems have automatic CI reclassification enabled by default. This feature can automatically adjust CIs based on changes, which can also lead to data loss if not properly managed. It’s crucial to understand how your system’s Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) handles these processes and adjust settings as needed.
Conclusion

CI reclassification is a powerful tool for maintaining accurate and relevant data in your IT environment. By understanding the differences between downgrades, upgrades, and switches, and being mindful of the potential for data loss, you can better manage the lifecycle of your CIs and ensure that your configuration management remains effective and efficient. Always review the attributes of both the current and new classes, and consider the implications of automatic reclassification to avoid any surprises.

[SK Chand Basha]

Very Insightful