Does CSDM 3.0 model incorporate Desktop Software in it. If so, how is it categorized?

[Lenny Williams]

Does CSDM 3.0 incorporate Desktop Software in it. If so, how is it categorized? Application, Service, Offering ?  The example is MindMap Software where diagraming is used to visually organize information. Also any other one off software that companies have in their environment. There still seems to be confusion on if it is needed in the CSDM model or not. If you have example please share if you can.

[SebastianKunzke]

In my understanding CSDM incorporates desktop software. An example I like is explained here.

But I wouldn't fully agree to it. Because you could also discover or capture desktop software. So at the end this will be CIs. In this case you could use the CSDM it in the same way as hardware CIs with the suggested linkage you have inside of the CSDM framework. 

[Adi Schmid]

We keep desktop software in the cmdb_ci_spkg table and connect it directly to a Technical Service Offering. 

As an example, we set one offering for basic software, which is software that is installed on every client, and a second one for standard software that can be ordered.

[Lenny Williams]

Hello,

   As we have SAM- Pro I don't cleanup and use that table. I make Software models. Any thoughts on this?

[CMDB Whisperer]

The way I see it, the Software Installations table is a non-cmdb_ci configuration item.  From a conceptual standpoint, Software Installation is a CI, because it represents how an asset (in this case software asset) is configured and used (it is installed on a specific computer at a specific location).  So from that perspective it's nothing special.  It just happens to be the case that the Software Installation table does not extend the Base Configuration Item class, and that means you cannot reference it directly on an Incident, Change, etc.  But I'm fine with still considering it a CI, conceptually. 

As to the previous commenter @Adi Schmid, yes the cmdb_ci_spkg table is a full CMDB CI, and it does relate to how the software is installed/configured on the systems, although IMO it more closely represents the software model/asset than a configuration of that asset.  And as mentioned, it is not used for SAM customers (including SAM Foundation), so practically speaking, you can consider it legacy/deprecated.

In either case, I don't believe there would/should be anything necessary to add to the CSDM for Desktop Software, because CSDM classes and relationships are much further up the stack and don't address the specific classes and relationships for installed/running software applications.  And it deals specifically with how IT services are provided to the business (or within IT).  Your installed Desktop software does not provide services to the business directly.  It isn't running an application that others are accessing (or it shouldn't be anyway.)  It's more of a personal tool for you to use as a customer.  There may still be relevant technical service offerings related to the installation, upgrade, etc. for that installed Desktop Software, but those technical service offerings are more likely to have dependencies on Application Services that are used to deploy, discover, and manage those software installations, than they are to have dependencies on the installed software itself.