CMDB 360/Multisource CMDB

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    Summarized using AI
    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of CMDB 360/Multisource CMDB

    CMDB 360 expands the Multisource CMDB functionality by retaining complete history and detailed data about discovery sources and their contributions to CI attribute updates. It enhances visibility into how the CMDB is populated from multiple discovery sources, enabling you to track, compare, revert, and recompute attribute values based on updated reconciliation rules. Integrated into CMDB Workspace, CMDB 360 offers advanced analytics and query capabilities to improve your CMDB data management and quality.

    Show full answer Show less

    How CMDB 360 Works

    When multiple discovery sources update the same CI attribute, the Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) uses reconciliation rules to select the authoritative source. Unlike prior behavior where rejected source data was discarded, CMDB 360 retains raw data from all sources in the cmdbmultisourcedata table. This comprehensive data retention allows detailed examination and reporting on every discovery source’s input per CI attribute. You can also exclude specific classes from CMDB 360 data collection if needed.

    Key Features

    • Create dynamic reconciliation rules to control CI attribute updates at the discovery source level.
    • Visualize discovery source contributions for each attribute directly in CMDB Workspace.
    • Revert or recompute CI attribute values selectively by excluding unreliable discovery sources.
    • Validate new discovery sources by comparing their data against trusted sources.
    • Query and report on CMDB 360 data to gain operational insights and improve data quality.
    • Support for both CMDB and non-CMDB tables to broaden data management scope.
    • Logging capability for CMDB 360 events to assist in troubleshooting and auditing.

    Practical Use and Configuration

    To enable CMDB 360, activate the ITOM Discovery License plugin and set the property glide.identificationengine.multisourceenabled to true in CMDB 360 Properties. You can also configure which classes (CMDB and non-CMDB) to include or exclude via system properties. Use the CMDB 360 view in CMDB Workspace to create and run queries, build reports, and visualize data such as:

    • CIs not reported by any discovery source.
    • Discovery sources contributing data.
    • Comparison of attribute values across sources and with the CMDB.
    • Filtering reports by application service, technical service, or CMDB group.

    On the UI, preview reconciliation rules by attribute and discovery source precedence, and review per-CI attribute values and incoming data from all sources. Enable detailed logging by setting the appropriate system property to track CMDB 360 activity in system logs.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    CMDB 360 empowers ServiceNow customers with transparent, comprehensive insight into how CI data is sourced and reconciled, supporting better governance and decision-making. It allows precise control over CI updates, helps maintain high data quality, and facilitates troubleshooting by preserving full discovery source history. The enhanced reporting and visualization capabilities enable operational teams to monitor and optimize CMDB population effectively, ensuring the CMDB remains a trusted foundation for IT service management and operations.

    CMDB 360 retains complete history about discovery sources and proposed values, involved in updates of CI attributes. Use CMDB 360 data to track how the CMDB is populated by various discovery sources at the CI attribute level. Also, to revert CI updates from a specific discovery source, or to recompute attribute values using updated reconciliation rules.

    Starting with the Utah release, the Multisource CMDB feature is part of the CMDB 360 feature. CMDB 360 provides all the functionality of Multisource CMDB and additional capabilities such as an analytics dashboard, and new query functionality. You can access all of the CMDB 360 capabilities in the CMDB 360 view in CMDB Workspace.

    How CMDB 360 works

    When multiple discovery sources attempt to update the same CI attribute, the Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) uses reconciliation rules to select a single discovery source for the update. Without CMDB 360, details about the lower-priority discovery sources whose values were rejected, are discarded. Also, it is difficult to identify the source of an attribute value without CMDB 360.

    With CMDB 360, the raw details for every discovery source and CI combination are retained for both, discovery sources that were selected for an update and all others that were not. CMDB 360 data, consisting of records for each discovery source and CI combination, is stored in the CMDB MultiSource Data [cmdb_multisource_data] table. You can examine, query, and report on the CMDB 360 data store.

    You can optionally exclude classes and their descendents from collecting and processing CMDB 360 data. The CMDB MultiSource Data [cmdb_multisource_data] table doesn't contain data for those excluded classes. For more information, see Exclude classes from CMDB 360.

    Note:
    CMDB 360 supports non-CMDB tables. The widely used term Configuration Item (CI), can also refer to a non-CMDB table record. For information about support for non-CMDB tables, see IRE support for non-CMDB tables.
    Figure 1. CMDB 360 insights into data source processes
    Data flow from initial ingestion and refinement before it is stored in the CMDB, and the type of insights that CMDB 360 provides into these processes.

    After data is initially ingested from multiple data sources, several processes are applied to standardize and reconcile the data before it is stored in the CMDB. CMDB 360 provides insights that can help you configure some of these processes.

    Using CMDB 360

    Use CMDB 360 to:
    • Create a dynamic reconciliation rule.
    • Control CI updates at the discovery source and CI attribute level.
    • Visualize discovery sources of attribute values, at the attribute level.
    • Modify reconciliation rules and then recompute CMDB data, reflecting the updated reconciliation rules.
    • Revert CMDB data integration from a specific discovery source, if, for example, you realize that the discovery source is not reliable. Recompute CI attribute values, while excluding the discovery source that you want to ignore.
    • Validate a new discovery source by comparing its data to data from other discovery sources, which are known to be valid.
    • Improve data management, data quality, and operational insights, by querying on CMDB 360 data. Use the CMDB 360 query builder in CMDB Workspace to create queries for CMDB 360 records, discovery sources, and CI records.

    Enable and configure CMDB 360

    By default, CMDB 360 tracks discovery source information for CIs from CMDB classes and doesn't collect data for non-CMDB tables. You can independently enable or disable tracking data for CMDB and for non-CMDB classes, using these system properties: ​

    Report on CMDB 360 data

    Use the CMDB 360 view in CMDB Workspace to gain insights into the CMDB 360 data store. Build reports that, for example, do the followings:

    • Find CIs not reported by any discovery source.
    • Find discovery sources populating data in your CMDB.
    • Compare attribute values across discovery sources.
    • Compare attribute values between CMDB and other discovery source.
    • Limit reports for CMDB 360 data, to a specific application service, technical service, or a CMDB group.
    See Sample CMDB 360/Multisource CMDB queries for more details.

    Visualize CMDB 360 data

    CMDB 360 is highly verbose in the user interface:
    • On the Reconcliation Rules page in CI Class Manager, click the Preview Data tab to see per attribute, discovery sources that are authorized to update that attribute, in precedence order.
    • On a CI form, click the CMDB 360 Data Preview related link to see per CI attribute, current value in the CMDB and incoming values from other discovery sources.

    Logging

    Enable logging for CMDB 360 by adding and enabling the system property ​ glide.cmdb.logger.source.cmdb_multisource. In the Log [syslog] table, search for entries in which source=“cmdb_multisource”.