CSDM implementation stages — Crawl

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of CSDM Implementation Stages — Crawl

    The Crawl stage of the Common Service Data Model (CSDM) implementation focuses on establishing foundational data in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) that supports IT Service Management (ITSM) processes. This phase involves working with essential base-system CMDB tables to prepare for subsequent stages of implementation.

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    Key Features

    • Base-System CMDB Tables: Key tables include the Business Application table, Mapped Application Service table, Application table, and Server/Host.
    • Logical Configuration Items (CIs): Some classes implemented are logical CIs, which must be associated with product models for effective management.
    • Application Focus: The emphasis is on managing applications and their related data through specific tables, enhancing visibility and control.

    Key Outcomes

    By completing the Crawl stage, customers can expect:

    • Minimum CMDB support for Incident Management and Change Management.
    • Faster Application Portfolio Management (APM) setup with properly structured data.
    • Preparedness for using Service Mapping for application service identification.
    • Foundation for managing software lifecycles and identifying outdated software via APM and Software Asset Management (SAM) Professional.

    In the Crawl stage, you work on base-system CMDB tables that are associated with IT Service Management (ITSM).

    Benefits of the operations that you perform in the Crawl stage

    • The operations provide the minimum CMDB support requirements for Incident Management and Change Management.
    • Setting up APM is faster because your business application data is in the right place in the CMDB.
    • The operations build the foundation for using DevOps because your SDLC component data is populated and ready to relate to your applications.
    • Service Mapping is ready to use for mapping entry points because your application service data is populated.
    • The operations build the foundation for using TPM risk details, a capability of APM.

      The operations prepare you to manage and monitor the life cycles and versions of the underlying technologies of the business applications in your enterprise.

      The data enables you to identify outdated or at-risk software using APM, Service Mapping and Software Asset Management (SAM) Professional.

    Tables that you work on during the Crawl stage

    Important:
    Future products and product enhancements depend on the data that you prepare in each of the tables.
    During this stage, you work on the following base-system CMDB tables:
    • Business Application table [cmdb_ci_business_app]
    • Mapped Application Service table [cmdb_ci_service_discovered]
    • Application table [cmdb_ci_appl] (discoverable)
    • Server/host (discoverable)
    Note:
    Some of the classes that you implement in this stage are logical CIs. Logical CIs aren’t created through Discovery, so their Model ID values might not refer to product model (application model, service model, or software model) records. To help you to migrate to a product-centric management paradigm, each instance of a logical CI should be associated with a product model. See Auto-generate product models for logical CIs.

    Tables that you work on during the Crawl stage.

    Start by focusing on applications and the application-related data in these areas and tables:
    Business Application table [cmdb_ci_business_app]

    A business application is a base-system CMDB table that stores your inventory, application portfolio, and their metadata.

    Because this table is not an operational configuration item (CI), it is not used by ITSM Incident Management, Problem Management, or Change Management processes.

    SDLC Component table [cmdb_ci_sdlc_component]

    SDLC component CI records in the SDLC Component table [cmdb_ci_sdlc_component] enable the DevOps product to provide enhanced capabilities for visualizing and managing your application development pipeline.

    This table represents the software part or element of a larger whole for applications and infrastructure. Related material may serve as representative of developmental details. It can be used if you need to identify the stratification of a business application or digital product.
    Note:
    This is not an operational CI and cannot be used in incident, problem, and change.
    Application Service table [cmdb_ci_service_auto]

    The application service is typically the system that the caller identifies when they report an issue with an application.

    A mapped application service is a base-system CMDB table that identifies the related business application in use. The application service ties all the elements of the CSDM together where applications are present.

    You may have several application services representing each deployment based on the environment (development, QA, production) and location or geography (North America, Asia Pacific).

    Because application services are logical in nature, they should use the Logical life-cycle value pairs. Application services follow the same life cycle guidance as any other logical CI.

    Application table [cmdb_ci_appl]

    An application is a base-system CMDB table that represents the discoverable instance of an application: code related to a process in use on a host. This table isn't an inventory of your applications. Because of the high level of complexity involved, don't try to manually populate the application table. Discovery creates and maintains this table.

    Important:
    The application table [cmdb_ci_appl] isn't an inventory or portfolio of your applications. Don't make the mistake of storing managed application details in the application table. Those details (inventory or application portfolio objects) belong in the business application table (as documented in Design domain of the CSDM framework).

    The application may be identified as the root cause of an incident. However, if you're not using Event Management, the application may not be the initial cause.

    If you're using Discovery, applications are automatically related to their host, which provides an impact hierarchy from server-to-host applications.