CMDB Workspace - Adjust infrastructure/service relationship view

[Tyson Elder]

Hey Gang,

I've spoken to our platform DEVs - but they've said this isn't easy. 

In CMDB workspace - the relationship viewer on the right (both Infrastructure and Service) just 'insist' on displaying in 'expanded'. Which - when you've got discovery from almost top to bottom - is an eyewatering amount.

If you want to find 'Runs on Server' - yup - you're off to scroll for a few hours. 

Is there a filter we can adjust at least "Show Principal" -  you can see it all if you want your eyeballs melted with info, but for mere mortals - just principal please unless a user wants to explore. 

And of course - by default set the viewer to collapsed, not expanded. (I don't mean show/hide the relationships)

[AJ-TechTrek]

Hi @Tyson Elder ,

This is Great question — and yes, you’re right: by default, CMDB Workspace (Yokohama / earlier too) shows the relationship viewer in expanded mode, which isn’t practical in large environments.
Unfortunately, out of the box (OOB), there is no built-in user preference or toggle in the CMDB Workspace UI to default to collapsed or to only show principal relationships.

As per my understanding, You can follow below steps and might be helpful for you

1. Use the “Show principal” filter
The CMDB Relationship Viewer does support a built-in filter:
* Top right (three-dot menu or filter icon) → Show principal only
* This hides non-principal relationships and keeps just the most important ones (like Runs on, Depends on, Contains etc.)
However:
This filter must currently be clicked every time you open the viewer – there’s no persistent default.

2. Custom UI policy / override
If you really want to:
* Default to collapsed
* Or always filter by principal relationships
It can be done by customization:
* Extend or override the relationship viewer component in UI Builder.
* Add custom client-side script or UI script to:
* Trigger collapseAll() on load.
* Apply filter on load.
Downside: Requires a developer with UI Builder / Now Experience framework skills.
And: future upgrades can overwrite this, so it must be carefully maintained.

3. Use CMDB Visualization instead (if available)
CMDB Visualization (classic view, not the workspace) offers:
* Initial collapsed view
* Manual expand/collapse
* Filtering by relationship type
It’s less pretty than CMDB Workspace, but much easier on large models.

4. For very large models
Consider:
* Creating saved views or filters that pre-limit scope
* Using CMDB Query Builder to build a narrower, more targeted view rather than a free-form relationship viewer

As per my understanding Best practice:
* Out of the box → you can use “Show principal” filter, but it isn’t sticky by default.
* For sticky defaults → needs customization (not trivial).
* CMDB Visualization / Query Builder can help for very large datasets.

Please appreciate the efforts of community contributors by marking appropriate response as Mark my Answer Helpful or Accept Solution this may help other community users to follow correct solution in future.
 
Thank You
AJ - TechTrek with AJ - ITOM Trainer


LinkedIn:- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajay-kumar-66a91385/


YouTube:- https://www.youtube.com/@learnitomwithaj
Topmate:- https://topmate.io/aj_techtrekwithaj (Connect for 1-1 Session)


ServiceNow Community MVP 2025