Learning CMDB

[its_SumitNow]

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to start learning CMDB and ITOM. Could you please suggest a structured learning path or key topics I should focus on to gain solid insights into CMDB?

[AndersBGS · Accepted solution]

Hi @its_SumitNow ,

ITOM consist of several different products, but in general, I would recommend to follow the ServiceNow University training modules for CIS Discovery, CIS Service Mapping, CIS Event Management and CIS Data foundation... just as examples.

[Mohammed8 · Accepted solution]

Hi @its_SumitNow 

Even I have interest to learn ITOM and have been going through playlist of various itom specialist YouTube channels. Most of them follow same flow and here are topics which I understand needs be learnt for ITOM.

Here is what I gathered and hope to learn in coming days:

1) Introduction to Cmdb. Showcase CI classes, CI health and compliance dashboards, CI relation and dependency to each other

2) about Mid server, How to install and configure it. And control using PDI

3) About discovery, how to configure it and classic example of window system discovery 

4) Further delve into topics and types of discovery like top and bottom approach

5) teach about 4 stages of discovery like identification, reconciliation,probes, sensors etc

6) Event mapping and how alerts are mapped in system and how to create incident using alerts.

7) About monitoring tools available market and some showcase integration with solar wind. And how to debug and identify issue using Ecc queues etc

Thanks and Regards,

Mohammed Zakir

[sanketpatil09 · Accepted solution]

• Learn CMDB basics: what CMDB is, what CIs are, CI classes, attributes, and lifecycle

• Understand CI relationships and how servers, applications, and services are connected

• Learn how CMDB data is populated: Discovery, Service Mapping, integrations, and imports

• Study Discovery (ITOM): MID Server, credentials, patterns, schedules, and troubleshooting

• Learn Service Mapping to build Application Services and dependencies

• Understand CMDB Health: completeness, correctness, compliance, and governance

• Learn Event Management: events, alerts, correlation, and impact using CMDB

• Practice real use cases: change impact analysis, incident impact, and root cause analysis

• Do hands-on practice in a PDI: run discovery, create relationships, and check CMDB health

[nayanmule]

Hello @its_SumitNow  , In order to learn ITOM , you need to start with basics. Try to understand basics of CMDB, Mid Servers, Discovery ,Event Management. You can follow the below topics step by step to start with your journey.

For resources - Servicenow University courses, Docs and Youtube tutorials

 

Foundation

1. Understand CMDB Basics

   • What is CMDB and why it matters?

   • CI (Configuration Item) concept and lifecycle

   • CMDB vs Asset Management

   • CMDB Data Model (Classes, Relationships, Attributes)

2. ServiceNow CMDB Structure

   • Core tables: cmdb_ci, cmdb_ci_server

   • CI Classes (Server, Application, Network, etc.)

   • Relationship types (Depends on, Runs on, etc.)

3. CMDB Best Practices

   • CMDB Health KPIs (Completeness, Compliance, Correctness)

   • Data Governance and Ownership

   • Avoiding CMDB bloat

---

Phase 2: Hands-On CMDB

1. Populate CMDB

   • Manual CI creation

   • Import Sets & Transform Maps

   • Discovery & Service Mapping (intro)

2. CMDB Tools

   • CMDB Workspace

   • CI Class Manager

   • Identification & Reconciliation Engine (IRE)

3. CMDB Health Dashboard

   • How to monitor and improve CMDB quality

---

Phase 3: ITOM Fundamentals

1. ITOM Overview

   • ITOM vs ITSM

   • Key ITOM products: Discovery, Service Mapping, Event Management, Orchestration

2. Discovery

   • MID Server setup

   • Discovery patterns and probes

   • Credential management

3. Service Mapping

   • Application Services

   • Dependency mapping

4. Event Management

   • Alerts, Correlation Rules

   • Integration with monitoring tools

---

 

[nayanmule]

@its_SumitNow  , Kindly mark my response as helpful and accept the solution.

Thanks

[SaloniM16 · Accepted solution]

Hi @its_SumitNow ,

1️⃣ CMDB Basics
What CMDB is & why it’s important
CI (Configuration Item) concept
CMDB tables & relationships
CMDB vs Asset Management

2️⃣ CI Classes & Data Model
Common CI classes (Server, Application, Database, Network)
Class Manager & CI Class Hierarchy
Identification & Reconciliation (IRE)

3️⃣ Relationships & Dependency Mapping
CI relationships (Depends on, Runs on, Hosted on)
Impact Analysis
Service Mapping basics

4️⃣ Data Population Methods
Manual CI creation
Import Sets
Discovery (horizontal & top-down overview)
Integrations (MID Server basics)

5️⃣ CMDB Health
Completeness, Correctness, Compliance
CMDB Health Dashboard
Common CMDB issues & fixes

6️⃣ ITOM Overview (CMDB in Action)
Discovery fundamentals
Event Management (high level)
Service Mapping (conceptual)

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

Hi @its_SumitNow 

Don’t think from an exam perspective, but for the CMDB side, these courses are good.

ServiceNow recommends completing these training course(s) in preparation for the Certified Implementation Specialist -Data Foundations (CMDB and CSDM) Exam.

• • Welcome to ServiceNow
  • ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals
  • Get Started with Now Create
  • ServiceNow Platform Implementation
  • CMDB Fundamentals
  • CMDB Health Micro-Certification Simulator
  • Configure the CMDB Micro-Certification Simulator
  • Common Service Data Model (CSDM Fundamentals)
  • CMDB Health Deep Dive

Additional Resources

In addition to the above, these additional resources are valuable in preparation for the exam. 

• • Introduction to CMDB Workspace 
  • Design a Successful Configuration Management Database (CMDB) 
  • Discovery Fundamentals
  • Service Mapping (SM) Fundamentals On Demand
  • Agent Client Collector Essentials 
  • Service Graph Connector Essentials 
  • MID Server Fundamentals 
  • Communities CMDB Forum, CSDM 
  • Now Create CMDB and CSDM Data Foundations 
  • Product specific training leveraging CMDB data (i.e., ITSM, CSM)