Automatic dashboard setup in CMDB success advisor

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated May 19, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Automatic dashboard setup in CMDB success advisor

    The CMDB success advisor in ServiceNow automatically configures the Data Foundations advisor dashboard upon installation or upgrade. This auto-setup provides immediate access to pre-configured CMDB health insights, eliminating the need for manual dashboard setup.

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    Auto-setup process

    • Triggered by the CMDB Advisor - Auto Setup on-demand scheduled job during installation or upgrade.
    • The job verifies eligibility, applies a recommended principal class scope, creates the dashboard configuration, and initiates initial data collection.
    • Users with the sncmdbadmin role receive a notification with a direct link to the configured dashboard once data collection completes.
    • The auto-selected scope can be reviewed and modified anytime through standard scope management options.
    • The dashboard card on the CMDB success advisor landing page shows a badge indicating the number of principal classes selected by auto-setup.

    Eligibility conditions

    Auto-setup runs only if all the following conditions are met:

    • No existing Data Foundations dashboard on the instance.
    • Total Configuration Items (CIs) fewer than 65 million.
    • No more than 200 principal classes already marked on the instance.

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

    Scope selection logic

    • If no principal classes exist, the top five recommended classes based on recent incident, problem, and change (IPC) activity are selected.
    • If one to four principal classes exist, they remain in scope, and recommendations fill up to five classes in total.
    • If five to 200 principal classes exist, all are included in the scope.

    Data collection and notifications

    • Data collection starts automatically after setup: monthly at first, switching to daily after the first dashboard interaction.
    • The CMDB Advisor - Check Job Completion and Notify scheduled job monitors data collection completion.
    • Upon completion, users with sncmdbadmin receive notifications via the CMDB success advisor notification table (with a dashboard link) and the ServiceNow platform notification center.
    • The notification job deactivates after sending all product notifications.
    • A toast notification confirms dashboard readiness and summarizes the auto-selected scope when first opening the advisor post-setup.

    Reviewing and modifying scope

    The principal class scope set by auto-setup can be reviewed and modified anytime using standard scope management tools available on the dashboard. For detailed instructions, refer to managing the Data Foundations advisor scope within CMDB success advisor.

    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 can automatically configure the Data Foundations advisor dashboard. The job checks eligibility conditions, applies the recommended principal class scope, creates the dashboard configuration, and triggers initial data collection.

    After data collection completes, as a user with the sn_cmdb_admin role, you receive a notification with a link to the configured dashboard. You can review and modify the auto-selected scope at any time using the standard scope management options.

    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 of 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 sets 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 starts at a monthly frequency and switches to a daily frequency the first time you interact with the dashboard.

    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 through two channels: a record in the CMDB success advisor notification table with a direct link to the configured dashboard, and a notification in the ServiceNow platform notification center (bell icon). The job deactivates itself after it sends all product notifications.

    When you first open the advisor after auto-setup completes, a toast notification appears with a readiness confirmation and a summary of the auto-selected scope.

    Reviewing and modifying the auto-setup scope

    You can review and update the scope selected by auto-setup at any time using the standard scope management options on the dashboard.

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