Guidance Needed on ServiceNow CSDM Best Practices

[alisroman67]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently learning ServiceNow CSDM and would like some guidance on best practices and real-world implementation tips. Any resources, examples, or common mistakes to avoid would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance! 😊

[alfied · Accepted solution]

Hi! 👋 If you’re looking for guidance on ServiceNow CSDM best practices, here are some useful tips that experienced practitioners follow:

Start with official resources — the ServiceNow CSDM documentation and white papers explain the model and where each CI should live in the CMDB. They’re great for understanding the “why” and “how.”

Follow the Crawl → Walk → Run approach — begin with the basics (foundation data like users, locations, business apps), then model service instances and their relationships before moving to advanced domains. This phased implementation reduces errors and complexity.

Use hands-on examples — watching YouTube sessions (like CSDM 101) or real CSDM workshops helps you see how things are modeled step-by-step.

Keep CMDB data clean and governed — good quality data makes CSDM useful. Establish ownership and validation rules so services, apps, and infrastructure stay accurate over time.

Learn from community feedback — many community threads highlight real use cases and common pitfalls when modelling services and linking infrastructure.

Everyone’s implementation can be a little different, but these practices help keep things consistent and aligned with real-world needs.

Good luck, and feel free to ask more specific questions! 😊

[Mathew Hillyard]

Hi @alisroman67 

Everything you ever needed to know about CSDM, courtesy of the wonderful @Maik Skoddow:

https://www.servicenow.com/community/servicenow-ai-platform-articles/platform-common-service-data-mo...

I hope this helps!

Mat