--- sourceDocument: Australia Enterprise Architecture sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/application-portfolio-management Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Enterprise Architecture ft:clusterId : - appportman bundleId : - appportman workflow : - Technology --- # Enterprise Architecture and CDSM tables # Enterprise Architecture and CSDM tables {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated March 12, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) 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 Enterprise Architecture and CSDM tables Enterprise Architecture in ServiceNow manages and utilizes Common Service Data Model (CSDM) tables to provide a structured view of business capabilities, applications, and information objects. This management enables better planning, design, and operational alignment of business applications with their underlying services and infrastructure. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **CSDM Tables Managed:** * **Business Capability \[cmdbcibusinesscapability\]:** Represents the business capabilities within the organization. * **Business Application \[cmdbcibusinessapp\]:** Captures business applications, including their relationship to application services through Platform and Platform App fields. * **Information Object \[cmdbciinformationobject\]:** Represents informational entities related to business applications. * **Platform Host / Platform App Relationship:** Managed via references on the Enterprise Architecture form, linking business applications to their operational application services (dev, test, prod instances), supporting scenarios such as multiple production deployments across locations. * **Integration with Other ServiceNow Products:** * **Discovery:** Provides details on hardware and software configuration items (CIs). * **Service Mapping:** Details application service instances and their relationships to infrastructure and application CIs. * **Asset Management:** Relates to product models and lifecycle management. * **Software Asset Management (SAM) and Hardware Asset Management (HAM):** Offer lifecycle data for technology management. * **Project Portfolio Management (PPM):** Displays business application roadmaps including demands, projects, sprints, and epics. * **Agile Development:** Visualizes backlog stories and epics linked to business applications. ## Key Outcomes * **Enhanced Context for IT Products:** * **IT Service Management (ITSM):** Gains business and application context for services and underlying technologies. * **Information Technology Operations Management (ITOM):** Understands business context for application services and related infrastructure. * **Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC):** Leverages business applications and information objects to scope audits, assess risks, and manage activities effectively. * **Asset Management:** Supports management of software and hardware lifecycles aligned with business applications and services. * **Operational Alignment:** Enables organizations to map multiple instances of business applications across environments and locations, improving operational insight and planning. Enterprise Architecture manages and uses CSDM tables. Several ServiceNow products benefit from and add value to Enterprise Architecture. ## CSDM tables managed by Enterprise Architecture {#apm-use-case__section_nwq_wh4_rmb} 1. Business Capability table \[cmdb_ci_business_capability\] 2. Business Application table \[cmdb_ci_business_app\]. Note: Enterprise Architecture uses the Platform and Platform App fields on the Business Application table to establish the relationship between a business application and the underlying application service. Enterprise Architecture manages the Platform Host / Platform App relationship using a reference on the Enterprise Architecture form, not through a CI relationship. The relationship connects the record of the business application that is used in planning and design with where and how it's realized operationally, represented by application services. The relationship accounts for each use of a business application in the development, test, and production environments (dev, test, and prod application service instances). Often there are multiple production deployments. For example, a large retailer uses a business application that runs a cash register in each of its 1,000 stores. There are therefore 1,000 production instances of the application service --- one per store --- for that one business application. [See the "CSDM in a nutshell" video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnlhMhP2FsM&list=PLkGSnjw5y2U7QNr9jL6TAgwQvYBI_LEtK&index=34) for additional discussion of the relationship.{#apm-use-case__p-relation-biz-app-to-app-service} 3. Information Object table \[cmdb_ci_information_object\] {#apm-use-case__ol_owq_wh4_rmb} ## Products that add value to Enterprise Architecture {#apm-use-case__section_b5q_5lb_rmb} When you use Enterprise Architecture with any of the following ServiceNow products, you increase the value you get from Enterprise Architecture: * Discovery provides details about the hardware and software CIs you are using. * Service Mapping provides details about the application instance service in the \[cmdb_ci_service_discovered\] table, relating infrastructure and application \[cmdb_ci_appl\] CIs. * Asset Management provides the related product model. Software Asset Management (SAM Foundation) and Hardware Asset Management (HAM) provide life-cycle data for Technology Lifecycle Management. * Project Portfolio Management views the business application roadmaps. Includes demands, projects, sprints and epics. * Agile Development views the backlog stories and epics of each business application in the application roadmap. {#apm-use-case__ul_tmj_pbg_rmb} ## Products that benefit from Enterprise Architecture {#apm-use-case__section_qqc_btw_rmb} The following ServiceNow products gain value from Enterprise Architecture: * IT Service Management (ITSM): Services have the context of the business and applications, along with the information and technologies layered beneath them. * Information Technology Operations Management (ITOM): Understands the business context for the application services along with the hardware and software being managed. * Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC): Auditors can leverage the business applications and related information objects. This helps auditors understand the design-time data sensitivity for scoping audits, measuring risks, and managing audit activities. * Asset Management: Manages the software and hardware life cycles for business applications and business services. {#apm-use-case__ul_uvp_p1d_1wb} **Related topics** * [Exploring the CSDM model](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=csdm-content-frame-exploring&version=australia&pubname=australia-servicenow-platform&ft:locale=en-US)