Automatic dashboard setup for Data Foundations in CMDB success advisor

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated June 24, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Automatic dashboard setup for Data Foundations in CMDB success advisor

    The CMDB success advisor in ServiceNow now offers an automatic setup feature for the Data Foundations advisor dashboard upon installation or upgrade. This automation provides immediate access to pre-configured CMDB health insights, eliminating the need for manual dashboard configuration and accelerating visibility into your CMDB data quality and structure.

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    Auto-setup process

    The setup is performed by the CMDB Advisor - Auto Setup on-demand scheduled job, which:

    • Checks eligibility criteria before running the setup.
    • Applies a recommended principal class scope based on your CMDB data.
    • Creates the Data Foundations content template automatically.
    • Triggers initial data collection to populate the dashboard.
    • Notifies users with the sncmdbadmin role via a link to the configured dashboard once data collection completes.

    The dashboard card on the CMDB success advisor landing page shows a badge indicating the number of principal classes selected during auto-setup.

    Eligibility conditions

    The auto-setup runs only if all these conditions are true:

    • No existing Data Foundations dashboard is present on the instance.
    • The total number of Configuration Items (CIs) is fewer than 65 million.
    • No more than 200 principal classes are already marked on the instance.

    If any condition is unmet, manual dashboard setup is required.

    Scope selection logic

    The principal class scope applied by auto-setup depends on existing classes:

    • No principal classes: The top five recommended classes based on recent incident, problem, and change (IPC) activity are selected.
    • One to four principal classes: Existing classes remain, supplemented by recommended classes to total five.
    • Five to 200 principal classes: All existing classes remain in scope.

    Data collection and notifications

    • Data collection begins automatically after setup completes and runs monthly.
    • Once you open the dashboard for the first time, data collection frequency changes to daily.
    • The CMDB Advisor - Check Job Completion and Notify scheduled job monitors data collection completion and sends notifications to sncmdbadmin users with a direct dashboard link.
    • After sending notifications, this job deactivates itself.
    • When you first access the Data Foundations advisor post-setup, a notification confirms readiness and shows the number of principal classes selected based on IPC activity.

    Reviewing and modifying the scope

    You can review and adjust the model categories selected by auto-setup at any time to align with your organization’s CMDB priorities. For detailed instructions, refer to the “Manage Data Foundations advisor scope in CMDB success advisor” documentation.

    CMDB success advisor can automatically configure the Data Foundations advisor dashboard on installation or upgrade, giving you immediate access to pre-configured CMDB health insights without manual setup.

    Auto-setup process

    When you install or upgrade CMDB success advisor, the CMDB Advisor - Auto Setup on-demand scheduled job configures the Data Foundations advisor dashboard automatically. The job checks eligibility conditions, applies the recommended principal class scope, creates the Data Foundations content template, and triggers initial data collection.

    After data collection completes, users with the sn_cmdb_admin role receive a notification with a link to the configured dashboard.

    The dashboard card on the CMDB success advisor landing page displays a badge with the number of principal classes that auto-setup selected.

    Eligibility conditions

    Auto-setup runs only when all the following conditions are met. If any condition is not met, you can configure the Data Foundations advisor dashboard manually.

    • The instance has no existing Data Foundations dashboard.
    • The total number of CIs on the instance is fewer than 65 million.
    • No more than 200 principal classes are already marked on the instance.

    Scope selected by auto-setup

    The following logic applies when auto-setup selects the principal class scope:

    • If no principal classes exist, the top five recommended classes form the scope. Rankings reflect recent incident, problem, and change (IPC) activity. For more information, see CI class recommendations.
    • If one to four principal classes already exist, those classes remain in scope and additional recommendations fill the scope to a total of five.
    • If five to 200 principal classes already exist, all existing classes form the scope.

    Data collection and notifications after auto-setup

    After auto-setup completes, data collection begins automatically. Data collection runs monthly and changes to daily after you open the dashboard for the first time.

    The CMDB Advisor - Check Job Completion and Notify scheduled job checks whether data collection has completed. When collection completes, the job sends a notification to users with the sn_cmdb_admin role that includes a link to the configured dashboard. After all notifications are sent, the job is deactivated.

    When you first open the Data Foundations advisor after auto-setup completes, a notification indicates that the advisor is ready and shows the number of principal classes automatically selected based on incident, problem, and change (IPC) activity.

    Reviewing and modifying the auto-setup scope

    You can review and update the model categories selected by auto-setup at any time.

    To modify the Data Foundations scope, see Manage Data Foundations advisor scope in CMDB success advisor.