---
sourceDocument: Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Capabilities
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/servicenow-platform

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Capabilities

ft:clusterId :

    - platcap

bundleId :

    - platcap

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Suggested class relationships

# Suggested class relationships {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Australia
* 
* Updated March 12, 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

The system keeps a table (Suggested Relationship \[cmdb_rel_type_suggest\]) of
relationship types that are appropriate for a CI type, based on its class. You can manage
suggested relationships by navigating to ConfigurationSuggested Relationships, or in the CI Class Manager.

## Suggestion model

The relationship editor has a base CI. The base CI designates the CI that a user was on
before launching the editor, as the base CI in the new relationship. If you launched the
relationship editor from the lnux100 CI, then lnux100 becomes the base CI. Also, every CI in
the system has a type (class). For example, bond lnux100 is of the Linux server type.

Many CI types are children of other types in the hierarchy. For example, the class
hierarchy for a Linux server is:

`cmdb_ci` -\> `cmdb_ci_hardware`
-\>`cmdb_ci_computer` -\> `cmdb_ci_server` -\>
`cmdb_ci_linux_server`

The suggestion model works by analyzing the suggested relationship table for all relationships whose base class is the current base class or any one of its parent classes. For example, looking at a Linux server, the suggestion
model would retrieve any relationships whose base class was:

`cmdb_ci_linux_server`, `cmdb_ci_server`,
`cmdb_ci_computer`, `cmdb_ci_hardware`, or
`cmdb_ci`

ITOM Visibility, if available, uses enhanced discovery patterns to identify
and add CI relationships to the Suggested Relationships table.

## Suggested CI relationships in the relationship editor

The CI relationship editor uses the suggestion model to help users select reasonable
relationships for configuration items.

For example, consider these relationship types in the system:

* Provides Power for :: Receives Power From
* Runs on :: Hosts

{#r_SuggestedRelationshipModel__ul_iyw_d51_1t}

Typically, a user uses these relationships to define the following reasonable relationships
between two items as follows:

* a database runs on a server
* a rack provides power for a server

{#r_SuggestedRelationshipModel__ul_jyw_d51_1t}

Typically, neither of the following definitions would be appropriate:

* a rack runs on a server
* a server runs on a database

{#r_SuggestedRelationshipModel__ul_kyw_d51_1t}

For descriptions of some key relationships, see [CI relationships in the CMDB](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/evfrIxDQdQlZ7zOZXgXR8A "The CMDB, in contrast to a static asset list, helps you track not only the configuration items (CIs) within your system, but also the relationships between those items.").
**Related concepts**   

* [Relationship governance rules](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/SNxzCM6GwAqjyhqrdcBaHA "Relationship governance rules is a set of relationship rules used to ensure consistency and validity in modeling relationships between configuration items (CIs) in the CMDB. Use relationship governance rules to prevent the selection of relationship types or directions that are not allowed between specific CI types.")
* [CI relations formatter](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/2MwKXJtlrxrJ8x~i_bX9tA "The default CI form includes a CI relations formatter from which you can examine a CI and its relationships in various views. From the CI relations formatter, you can also launch the CI relationship editor for the CI.")
* [CI relationship editor](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/aLIVU03XrvYytnPTnLciqQ "Use the relationship editor to view, create, modify, or delete CI relationships. Open the relationship editor from the CI Relations formatter.")
* [Relation qualifier](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r6YLKy2~wFjNF8L12Q~Ouw "A relation qualifier, which is a CI of the Qualifier [cmdb_ci_qualifier] type, stores important information about the CI relationships.")
* [CI relationship security](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/GDkvhhBDl~V6sxgGUd08zw "When applying security to CI relationships, it is important to apply the access controls both to the CI Relationship (cmdb_rel_ci) table and to create an operation editCIRelations to the * table as well.")  
**Related tasks**   

* [Add a suggested relationship](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/TMoXyAOJqsmrULDE6wbz0w "Add a suggested relationship for a class. The list of suggested relationships for a class is available when you create a new relationship for a CI of that class.")
* [Create a CI relation rollup](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/gz8slCXDA4vjCxQfM40GiA "A CI relation rollup allows you to sum, count, max, min, or mean a relationship type. You can create CI relation rollups.")
* [CI Class Manager](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/TMoXyAOJqsmrULDE6wbz0w "Add a suggested relationship for a class. The list of suggested relationships for a class is available when you create a new relationship for a CI of that class.")

*[\>]: and then