Operational status explanation of choices

FrancescoP · ‎05-27-2024

Please, I need an explanation of the choices of the 'operational_status' field of the 'cmdb_ci' table, i.e. in those cases a configuration item takes on the values shown below for the 'operational_status' field?

Operational
Non-Operational
Repair in Progress
DR Standby
Ready
Retired

jMarshal · ‎05-27-2024

The meaning behind the values in the Operational Status can be explained as follows:

>> Operational = The CI is currently in use and functioning as expected. This status is used for CIs that are active and performing their intended roles. Operational CIs may be actively monitored and managed by ITOM and ITSM processes. Incidents and changes can be related to these CIs. For example: A server that is currently hosting applications and services for the organization.

>> Non-Operational = The CI is not currently in use or not functioning correctly. This status is used for CIs that are either broken, in maintenance, or not required at the moment. These CIs might be targeted for repair or maintenance work. Incidents and problems can be linked to these CIs. For example: A server that is down for maintenance or experiencing a hardware failure.

>> Repair in Progress = The CI is currently undergoing repair. This status is used for CIs that are being actively repaired due to malfunction or failure. During this status, incident management processes might be involved. Change management might also track the repair activities. Monitoring and alerting systems may suppress alerts for these CIs. For example: A server that has experienced a hardware failure and is being repaired by the IT team.

>> DR Standby = The CI is in a Disaster Recovery (DR) standby state, ready to be activated if needed. This status is used for CIs that are part of a disaster recovery plan and are not currently active but are ready to take over in case of a failure of the primary system. ITOM processes might include automated failover mechanisms. The status would be critical in the context of business continuity planning and disaster recovery testing. For example: A backup server that will be activated if the primary server fails.

>> Ready = The CI is fully configured and ready for use but not yet put into operation. This status is used for CIs that are fully set up and tested, waiting for deployment or activation. Asset management might track this status to ensure that resources are available for deployment. ITSM processes might involve change requests to move the CI to an operational state. For example: A server that has been installed, configured, and tested but is waiting for a go-live date.

>> Retired = The CI is no longer in use but has not been disposed of. This status is used for CIs that have been taken out of service but still exist in the inventory. Retired CIs may still have historical records and data that are valuable for reporting and audits. For example: A server that has been replaced by a new model but is still stored in a spare parts inventory.

...and even though these descriptions/definitions seem very "straight forward", it is good to establish governance around these terms within your organization to ensure all members are using them for the same use case and purpose. Especially if you are driving process and automation when the value changes. Governance - Customer Success - ServiceNow

View solution in original post

cahenrique · ‎12-09-2024

This was very helpful, indeed! Are there any official documentation source for consultations about these definitions? Thanks in advance.

jMarshal · ‎12-09-2024

No, nothing official in terms of the definitions that I provided...but if you are going through these activities at this time, there are some great sources for official documentation related to CMDB Governance on Now Create: https://nowlearning.servicenow.com/nowcreate/en/pages/nc-search?id=search&spa=1&q=cmdb%20governance&...

AJS63 · ‎02-07-2025

As part of my job I create Services and Service Offerings.

If a Service is superseded by a later version (say Exchange), how can I stop Incidents being logged against the old Service? I've tried 'Retired' and 'Non-Operational' in our DEV environment and it doesn't seem to impact it all. Any ideas anyone?

jMarshal · ‎02-07-2025

can you share a screenshot of your incident form? you can likely accomplish this via ref qualifier on the field that you are referring to.

AJS63 · ‎02-10-2025