Retirement definitions
Summarize
Summary of Retirement definitions
Retirement definitions in ServiceNow specify protocols for retiring Configuration Items (CIs) within a class and its child classes. These definitions support the transition of CIs through life cycle stages managed by CMDB Data Manager life-cycle policies. A retirement definition can be derived from a parent class or explicitly specified for a particular class.
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Retirement definitions are used consistently across both the Data Manager legacy build on Core UI and CMDB Workspace.
Key Features
- Requirement for Policies: Each targeted class in Retire, Archive, or Delete CMDB Data Manager policies requires an active retirement definition.
- Flagging Retired CIs: Retirement definitions set attributes on CIs to mark them as retired according to their class protocol.
- Policy Filtering: Retire policies use retirement definitions to exclude CIs already retired; Archive and Delete policies only process CIs verified as retired per their class definition.
- Derivation Across CMDB Hierarchy: Retirement definitions inherit down the class hierarchy unless overridden at the child class level, ensuring the most specific definition applies to each class.
- Predefined and Custom Definitions: The system includes predefined retirement definitions for key classes like Hardware and Application, stored in the CMDB Retirement Custom Definitions table. These are inactive by default (except the cmdbci definition) and can be activated or customized to align with organizational practices. Only one retirement definition can be associated with each CMDB class.
Key Outcomes
- Ensures consistent and automated application of retirement protocols for CIs across the CMDB.
- Enables accurate targeting and filtering of CIs in Retire, Archive, and Delete policies based on their retirement state.
- Supports lifecycle management by clearly defining when CIs are considered retired, facilitating subsequent archival or deletion processes.
- Allows flexibility for organizations to customize retirement behavior to reflect internal policies while leveraging predefined templates.
Specify a retirement definition for a class, to reflect protocols in your organization applicable to the class and to its child classes. These definitions support the transition of CIs through life cycle stages as implemented by CMDB Data Manager life-cycle policies. A class can have a retirement definition by derivation, or by a retirement definition specified for that class.
CMDB Data Manager requirement and usage
An active retirement definition is required for each targeted class in a Retire, Archive, or Delete CMDB Data Manager policy. A retirement definition is used to flag a CI as retired according to the CI’s class retirement definition in effect. When retiring a CI, the CI's attributes are set according to the retirement definition for the CI's class. A subsequent operation such as delete or archive, that needs to be applied to retired CIs, first checks if a CI is in a retired state by verifying that it satisfies the retirement definition for its class.
- Setting target CIs in Retire policies, according to their associated class retirement definitions.
- Filtering out target CIs In Retire policies, that are determined to already be in a retired state according to their associated retirement definitions. Those CIs aren’t targeted even if they meet the policy filter.
- Identifying CIs as being ready to be processed by an Archive or Delete policies. Archive and Delete policies can only process CIs that are in a retired state that matches their associated class retirement definition. Therefore, target CIs in Archive and Delete policies, are checked against their associated class retirement definition to verify that they are in a retired state before they can be archived or deleted.
Derivation across the CMDB hierarchy
Retirement definitions are derived throughout the CMDB hierarchy in the same way that rules, such as identification rules, are derived. Child classes extended from a parent class with a retirement definition, derive that definition unless there’s a retirement definition defined at the child class level.
When retirement definitions for classes exist in different levels in the class hierarchy, then the retirement definition that applies is the one that is most specific for a class. For example, if there are retirement definitions for both, the Computer and the Configuration Item class, then the Computer class definition also applies to its descendant classes. All other classes that aren't descendants of the Computer class, use the Configuration Item retirement definition.
Always be aware of the automatic derivation of retirement definitions throughout the class hierarchy. For example, an active retirement definition for the Configuration Item [cmdb_ci] class can potentially be in effect throughout the entire CMDB hierarchy (aside from classes with their own retirement definition).
Predefined retirement definitions
The base system includes predefined retirement definitions for key classes such as Hardware [cmdb_ci_hardware] and Application [cmdb_ci_appl], and are stored in the CMDB Retirement Custom Definitions [cmdb_retirement_custom_definitions] table. For example, the predefined retirement definition for the Service [cmdb_ci_service] class specifies that for a retired CI, the value of the attributes [operational status], [Phase], and [Status] is Retired.
Predefined retirement definitions are inactive by default (other than the cmdb_ci retirement definition which is always active), and you must activate a retirement definition that corresponds to a targeted class in a Retire, Archive, or Delete CMDB Data Manager policy. By default, the cmdb_ci retirement definition is in effect throughout the entire CMDB hierarchy due to derivation.
You can use the default retirement definitions, or customize a definition to reflect practices in your organization. You can also add a custom retirement definition for a class. However, each CMDB class can be associated with only a single retirement definition.
To create a retirement definition, see Manage retirement definitions in CMDB Workspace or Edit and activate a retirement definition (in Core UI).