Adding dependencies of impacted assets

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Adding dependencies of impacted assets

    ServiceNow's Business Continuity Management (BCM) application enables you to add dependencies of impacted assets within events and exercises. These dependencies are drawn from source data and relationships maintained in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB), Business Impact Analyses (BIAs), and plans. This capability helps you understand and manage asset dependencies that affect business continuity scenarios.

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    Configuring Dependency Sources

    BCM administrators configure dependency sources through the Event dependency source configuration module, accessible via the Administration menu in the Core UI. This one-time setup involves:

    • Defining target records and filter conditions
    • Selecting sources to fetch event dependencies, including:
      • BIA upstream dependencies
      • BIA downstream dependencies
      • CMDB data
      • Plan primary and related assets
    • Note that dependencies added manually have the source marked as Manual.

    Once configured, dependency updates synchronize automatically in events based on these sources.

    Roles and Permissions

    • BCM administrators: Configure the event dependency source settings.
    • BCM program managers, planners, and managers: Review and update the latest dependencies in events.

    Updating Dependencies Manually

    To add dependencies manually, BCM users select the Update dependencies UI action within an event record. The process includes:

    • System checks if the event matches any configured filters.
    • If matched, dependencies are retrieved in real-time from configured sources.
    • If no match, the workflow proceeds without fetching additional dependencies.

    This manual update process triggers a BCM workflow to update impacted assets accordingly.

    Data Relationships Framework

    The BCM application leverages the Data Relationships Framework (application com.snappgrcrelationshipconfig) to manage and add asset dependencies within events and exercises. This framework is installed by default with BCM and provides the foundational support for dependency relationships.

    You can add the dependencies of the impacted assets in the events and exercises based on the source data and relationships in the CMDB, BIAs, and plans.

    Configuring the sources in the Event dependency source configuration module

    The BCM administrators can configure the sources to get the event dependencies in the Event dependency source configuration module. You can access the Event dependency source configuration module from the Administration menu in the Core UI.

    The Event dependency source configuration module is shown in the example.Updating the Event dependencies.

    When the BCM administrators can update the target records, filter condition for the records, and sources to fetch the event dependency.

    Dependencies are added in the events only when the user selects the Update dependencies UI action. Dependencies are fetched from these sources for the events:
    • BIA upstream dependency
    • BIA downstream dependencies
    • CMDB
    • Plan primary assets
    • Plan related assets
    Note:
    In an event, the dependencies of all assets are added manually where the source is Manual.

    Setting up the Event dependency source configuration module is a one-time activity. Once the sources are configured in the Event dependency source configuration module, the updates are synchronized in the events.

    For more information on setting up the Event dependency source configuration module, see Configure Event dependency source configuration record.

    Roles associated with event dependency updates

    Users with these roles check for the dependency updates in an event:
    • The BCM program managers, BCM planners, and BCM managers can update the latest dependencies​.
    • BCM administrators can configure the Event dependency source configuration module.

    Workflow for updating the dependencies manually in the events and exercises

    As the BCM application user, when you select the Update dependencies UI action in the Event record, the dependencies of all assets are added manually where the source is Manual.

    The BCM application executes a workflow to update the impacted assets in the events and exercises as shown in the example.

    Updating the dependencies manually in the events and exercises.

    1. The BCM planner navigates to the event record.
    2. The BCM planner selects the Update dependencies UI action to add the assets manually.

    3. The application checks if the event record matches any configuration filter.

    4. If the event record matches any configuration filter, the system gets the dependencies of the added assets in real-time according to the sources defined in the configuration (Event dependency source configuration module).
    5. If the event record does not match any configuration filter, the events workflow then continues for the next steps.

    For more information on updating the event dependencies manually, see Update the event dependencies.

    Data Relationships Framework

    The Data Relationships Framework (com.sn_app_grc_relationship_config) application supports the BCM application with the underlying framework to add the dependencies of the impacted assets in the events and exercises. The Data Relationships Framework application is installed with the BCM application by default.

    For more information on the Data Relationships Framework, see Data Relationships Framework.