Why not use unique NAME values in CMDB? ref to CSA lab 4.4.1

[CamillaH_Swede]

See course Administration Fundamentals course, lab 4.4.1 
Data values in field NAME are not unique. Why is that not a best practice?
In my experience naming standards and uniqueness is very valuable, so as not to rely entirely on Serial Number for uniqueness.
(From table Server there is also field DEVICE NAME to use, but only there to my knowledge.)

What could possibly be good about having same NAME values in an estate?

Thanks

[Laveena-Agarwal]

Hi @CamillaH_Swede 

Even if the name is the same, there will usually be another unique identifier.

For example, you and your colleagues may all have a Lenovo laptop, but the versions or configurations can be different.

So, you should look for unique identifiers such as serial number, version, etc.

In ServiceNow, you can check these by navigating to CI Identifiers in the Application Navigator for that specific class or its parent class in the hierarchy.

[Anupama Singh1]

Hi @CamillaH_Swede ,

In CMDB, NAME is meant to be a label, not an ID.

Think of it like this:

Many people can be named “John” But each person is uniquely identified by an ID number

CMDB works the same way.

CMDB relies on:

Serial Number , Asset Tag , sys_id

These uniquely identify a CI, not NAME.

Hope this answers your question , Mark it correct if it helped you 😊

[TausifAhmedS]

Hi @CamillaH_Swede,

Great observation! Here's why non-unique NAME values are a problem:

Why it's bad practice:

• Causes confusion when selecting CIs during incidents or changes
• Breaks Discovery - can create duplicate CMDB records/ Update wrong CMDB records
• Confuses integrations and APIs that query by Name
• Non-unique names make it very difficult to confidently map and maintain these relationships, undermining the entire value of the CMDB.

Why ServiceNow allows it anyway: Large enterprises may have devices with the same hostname across different regions, environments (Dev/Test/Prod), or network segments — where Serial Number or IP Address serves as the true unique identifier. ServiceNow leaves naming governance to the organization rather than enforcing it globally.

Best practice recommendation:

• Enforce a naming convention like "PROD-NYC-WEB-001"
• Use CMDB Identification Rules to define uniqueness across multiple fields(Name + Serial Number, or Name + IP Address)
• You're right about Device Name — it's a great field to store the true unique hostname, while Name acts as a display label

there's very little good reason to have duplicate NAME values. Your instinct is correct, and enforcing naming standards is a sign of CMDB maturity.

If you find my answer helpful, please mark it as helpful👍 and accept solution✅.

Regard,

Tausif.