CSDM 5.0 - Business App to Service Instance Relationship Change

[Nicole Bell]

Hi guys

In CSDM v4.0 the relationship type between Business App and App Service was 'Consumes, Consumed by'.  

In version 5.0 the relationship type between Business App and App Service was 'Uses, Used by'.  

We have recently upgraded to Yokohama which has CSDM 5.0 - but our existing Business App and App Service (now Service Instance) records are still using the 'Consumes, Consumed by' relationship.  The CSDM health dashboard is also not identifying these as incorrect relationships and the playbooks still talk to 'Consumes, Consumed by' as the correct relationship.

Is there a plan to 'auto' change existing relationships and update the health dashboards to focus on the expected relationship type?

[Maik Skoddow · Accepted solution]

Hi @Nicole Bell 

Based on the available information, there is no evidence that ServiceNow automatically updates existing relationship types from "Consumes, Consumed by" to "Uses, Used by" during upgrades to CSDM 5.0 or the Yokohama release. Similarly, there is no indication that the CSDM Health Dashboard or playbooks are automatically updated to enforce or highlight the new recommended relationship types after an upgrade.

This approach is consistent with ServiceNow’s general upgrade philosophy: upgrades do not retroactively change existing data or relationships unless explicitly handled by upgrade scripts or update sets. This avoids unintended impacts on customer data and customizations.

Guidance and Next Steps

• Manual Remediation: Organizations are typically expected to manually review and update relationship types to align with the latest CSDM recommendations after an upgrade.

• CSDM Health Dashboard: The dashboard may not immediately enforce new relationship types; it often lags behind CSDM model changes until ServiceNow updates the dashboard logic in a future release or patch.

• Playbook Documentation: Playbooks and in-product guidance may also take time to reflect model changes, especially in environments with existing data.

Recommendations

• Perform an impact analysis on your existing applications and processes and validate if anything would get broken after a manual relationship type change.

• Consider updating your relationship types from "Consumes, Consumed by" to "Uses, Used by" for new records and, if feasible, for existing data to align with CSDM 5.0 best practices.

• Monitor ServiceNow release notes and community forums for any future updates or tools that might assist with automated remediation.

• If you require the health dashboard to enforce the new relationships, consider submitting a request to ServiceNow or developing a custom dashboard indicator.

Maik

[Maik Skoddow · Accepted solution]

Hi @Nicole Bell 

Based on the available information, there is no evidence that ServiceNow automatically updates existing relationship types from "Consumes, Consumed by" to "Uses, Used by" during upgrades to CSDM 5.0 or the Yokohama release. Similarly, there is no indication that the CSDM Health Dashboard or playbooks are automatically updated to enforce or highlight the new recommended relationship types after an upgrade.

This approach is consistent with ServiceNow’s general upgrade philosophy: upgrades do not retroactively change existing data or relationships unless explicitly handled by upgrade scripts or update sets. This avoids unintended impacts on customer data and customizations.

Guidance and Next Steps

• Manual Remediation: Organizations are typically expected to manually review and update relationship types to align with the latest CSDM recommendations after an upgrade.

• CSDM Health Dashboard: The dashboard may not immediately enforce new relationship types; it often lags behind CSDM model changes until ServiceNow updates the dashboard logic in a future release or patch.

• Playbook Documentation: Playbooks and in-product guidance may also take time to reflect model changes, especially in environments with existing data.

Recommendations

• Perform an impact analysis on your existing applications and processes and validate if anything would get broken after a manual relationship type change.

• Consider updating your relationship types from "Consumes, Consumed by" to "Uses, Used by" for new records and, if feasible, for existing data to align with CSDM 5.0 best practices.

• Monitor ServiceNow release notes and community forums for any future updates or tools that might assist with automated remediation.

• If you require the health dashboard to enforce the new relationships, consider submitting a request to ServiceNow or developing a custom dashboard indicator.

Maik

[Nicole Bell]

Thanks Maik - very helpful information :-).

[MattB_NC · Accepted solution]

Honestly, the CSDM Whitepaper contradicts itself on a single page (p48).  The graphic shows "Uses:Used by", but in the paragraph right beneath the image, it shows "Consumes".  I suspect the recommended relationship type is still "Consumes:Consumed by" and the image has a typo.

[Nicole Bell]

Thanks Matt - and that makes sense given the health dashboard and playbooks haven't changed.  I think I'm going to hold tight for the time being and ask our SN account manager to confirm.