CMDB Dependency Analysis

[Kenneth LemuelG]

Could anyone help me or just give me an idea how to do CMDB or CI dependency analysis? or what is the expected output? any idea is appreciated. thank you.

[joshuajacks]

To view an example of a dependency map, go to the CI Class Manager and pick a class that has some items in it. When you go the CI List tab and select a ci, you should see the dependency view icon if the "related items" section is visible on the form. If you don't see a section called related items then you will have to configure the form to show it. Also, the map will only populate meaningful information if you have relationships established between your ci's. If there are no relationships, then there is no dependency to map. Attached are the fields and maps you would see if there are relationships.

What kind of "analysis" you're doing can be a wide range of things but a helpful tool for doing more complex cmdb queries is the "CMDB Query Builder". That can help you get more information about multiple layers of dependency if you need it. 

What kind of insight is your organization looking for exactly?

[Kenneth LemuelG]

Thank you for you response. The client is looking for something like how many classes are orphan or how many CI do not have relationship from service offering etc. Also, the relationships table have more than 47 million records which makes me more confuse how to proceed.

[vaishali231]

Hey @Kenneth LemuelG 

A good starting point is to define what the client wants to measure, because CMDB dependency analysis is more about data quality and relationship completeness than simply counting records.

For a requirement like yours, I would focus on metrics such as:

1. Number of orphan CIs (CIs with no parent or child relationships).
2. Orphan CIs by class (Server, Database, Network, Application, etc.).
3. Business Services or Service Offerings that have no dependent CIs.
4. Infrastructure CIs that are not linked to any Business Service or Service Offering.
5. Duplicate or invalid relationships.
6. Relationships pointing to retired or inactive CIs.
7. Relationship distribution by type (Runs on, Depends on, Hosted on, Connected to, etc.).

Since your cmdb_rel_ci table contains around 47 million records, avoid querying the entire table directly. Instead, analyze the data in smaller batches by CI class or use aggregate queries and indexed fields (such as parent, child, and type) to improve performance. Running the analysis as a scheduled job or background script during off-peak hours is also a good approach.

A typical deliverable is a dashboard or report showing metrics like:

1. Total CIs
2. Total relationships
3. Orphan CIs (overall and by class)
4. Business Services/Service Offerings without dependencies
5. Duplicate or stale relationships
6. Relationship coverage percentage

These metrics provide a clear view of CMDB health and help identify gaps that could impact Service Mapping, Impact Analysis, Incident, and Change Management.

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If this response helps, please mark it as Accept as Solution and Helpful.

Doing so helps others in the community and encourages me to keep contributing.

Regards

Vaishali Singh

Servicenow Developer
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaishali-singh-2273361bb

[vaishali231]

Hey @Kenneth LemuelG 

Hope you are doing well.

Did my previous reply answer your question?

If it was helpful, please mark it as correct ✓ and close the thread . This will help other readers find the solution more easily.

Thankyou & Regards

Vaishali Singh

Servicenow Developer
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaishali-singh-2273361bb