CMDB 360 experience in CMDB Workspace

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 8 minutes to read
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    Summary of CMDB 360 Experience in CMDB Workspace

    The CMDB 360 experience in the CMDB Workspace provides a comprehensive view of Configuration Item (CI) data, enabling users to track activities, identify potential issues, and create custom queries and reports. This feature aggregates and analyzes data from various discovery sources, allowing users to effectively manage their CMDB data.

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    Key Features

    • Access Requirements: Requires the sncmdbuser role or any role containing it, along with CMDB 360 configuration.
    • Potential Issues Monitoring: Cards display CIs with incorrectly reporting discovery sources, allowing users to drill down for detailed insights.
    • Data Mismatch Identification: Highlights discrepancies in CI attribute values reported by different discovery sources, facilitating issue resolution.
    • Saved Queries Management: Users can view, edit, and run saved queries, including options to create new queries for various analytical purposes.
    • Discovery Source Overview: Provides aggregated counts and coverage metrics for discovery sources reporting CMDB data.
    • Coverage Analysis: Offers insights into how many discovery sources report on specific CIs, including the ability to filter results based on various criteria.

    Key Outcomes

    By utilizing the CMDB 360 view, ServiceNow customers can enhance their CMDB management through:

    • Improved visibility into CI reporting issues, enabling timely resolutions.
    • Enhanced data integrity through identification of mismatches across discovery sources.
    • Streamlined query management for better insights into CI data and reporting.
    • Informed decision-making based on comprehensive coverage analysis of discovery sources.

    The CMDB 360 view provides aggregations and analysis of CMDB 360 data which you can use to track activities and identify potential issues of discovery sources. You can also create different types of your own queries and associated schedules and reports to explore CMDB data.

    Use the CMDB 360 view in CMDB Workspace to access all of the CMDB 360 capabilities. For information about all CMDB 360 dashboard settings, see Configure the CMDB 360 dashboard.

    Note:
    Most cards on the CMDB 360 dashboard support non-CMDB tables in their aggregation, or can be configured to provide support. However, the CIs not reported by discovery sources card, for example, doesn't apply to non-CMDB tables. Creating queries for non-CMDB tables is also supported. For information about support for non-CMDB tables, see IRE support for non-CMDB tables.

    Access

    Requirements:

    To access the CMDB 360 view in the CMDB Workspace, navigate to Workspaces > CMDB Workspace. In the CMDB Workspace menu bar, select CMDB 360.

    Potential issues

    Cards on the Potential issues tile show details about CIs with discovery sources that are incorrectly reporting on the CIs.

    CIs not reported by discovery sources
    Lists CIs that are discovered by multiple discovery sources, but one or more of the discovery sources has stopped reporting within a specified number of days. The Number of days since CIs were last discovered by a discovery source dashboard setting is used in the card's aggregation.

    Drill down on this card to see a list view of the CIs for the card and the specific discovery source per CI that is no longer reporting.

    Example: You configure 7 days for the setting. A Linux server CI named backup-linux.sea.com is reported by these discovery sources within the specified number of days:
    • ServiceNow - today.
    • ServiceWatch - 4 days ago.
    • AgentClientCollector - 8 days ago.

    In this scenario, the CI shows on the CIs not reported by discovery sources card, since AgentClientCollector reported over seven days ago.

    Data mismatch
    Lists CIs for which different discovery sources are reporting different values. Attributes are considered mismatched when different discovery sources report different values for the attribute. CIs that appear when you drill down on this card can reveal issues with the individual CI, or your reconciliation rules.

    The specific records that appear in the drilled-down list view, depend on the Data mismatch dashboard settings.

    In the Data mismatch records list view, select an item in a Source column to access the Multisource Data Preview page with details about all discovery sources with values for the attribute. On the Multisource Data Preview page you can use the Search Attributes box to search for specific attributes and also choose one of the following options:
    • All attributes: Shows all attributes of the selected class, regardless of whether they have a value in the CMDB.
    • Attributes with CMDB values: Shows only attributes of the selected class, with a value in the CMDB.
    • Attributes with multisource data: Shows all attributes of the selected class, and for each attribute shows current CMDB value and any other discovery sources with a value for the attribute.
    Regardless of the option that you choose on the Multisource Data Preview page, a discovery source value that was used for the current CMDB value – is highlighted in green. These values are identical to the CMDB value of the attribute.

    Saved queries

    The Saved queries card shows up to 20 of your CMDB 360 queries. You can use the card to edit and run those queries, or create new queries. Saved queries are sorted on both the card and list view by the most recently created or updated queries.

    If your instance has been upgraded from an instance that contained Multisource Report Builder queries, then those queries appear on the Saved queries card.

    • Click a saved query to modify or view it before running.
    • Click a query's action icon and then select Run.
    • Click View All Queries to see all the saved queries where you can examine or run a query.
    • Click Create Query to create a query of one of the following types:
      • Get Records: Creates a query that you can use to explore your CMDB 360 data. It queries your CMDB 360 for CIs matching your criteria that are reported by specified discovery sources.
      • Find Gap: Creates a query that you can use to analyze gaps in discovery sources reporting your CMDB 360 data. It queries discovery sources that report CIs against discovery sources that don't report those same CIs.
      • Compare Attribute Values: Creates a query that you can use to identify CIs with attribute values that differ across multiple discovery sources or against the CMDB. It queries at least two discovery sources and/or the CMDB for CIs that match your criteria.
    • Schedule a CMDB 360 query for a report to run that query on a regular basis. Scheduling a query enables you to create a CMDB 360 report that integrates the query results with the platform Reporting feature.

    Discovery sources

    Cards in the Discovery sources tile show aggregated counts for your discovery sources. This tile also includes coverage cards showing a breakdown of CIs per the number of discovery sources reporting those CIs.

    Number of discovery sources
    The total number of discovery sources that report CMDB 360 data.
    Total CMDB 360 records
    The total number of raw CMDB 360 records in the CMDB 360 data store that contains records for each discovery source report, per each CI attribute.
    Reconciled CIs
    The total number of unique CIs created in the CMDB after processing incoming data from all discovery sources, including after reconciling data from multiple discovery sources for the same CIs. For more information, see CMDB Identification and Reconciliation.
    Discovery source overview
    The distribution of CMDB 360 CIs across all reporting discovery sources.
    Coverage: CIs with a single discovery source
    Shows CIs that are only reported by a single discovery source, with a breakdown by the discovery source reporting those CIs.
    Coverage: CIs by number of discovery sources
    Shows CIs reported by multiple discovery sources, grouped by the number of discovery sources that are reporting those CIs.
    You can use the following options to filter the calculated records in the CMDB 360 data store that apply to all cards in the Discovery sources tile:
    • All (default): Includes records from both CMDB and non-CMDB tables.
    • CMDB CI: Includes records only from CMDB classes.
    • Principal Class: Includes records only from principal classes. For information about defining a class as principal and therefore including that class in the Principal Class filter, see Create a CI class.
    Various settings apply only to the coverage charts. They determine the scope and type of data that is included in the coverage charts and can greatly affect the performance of the associated calculation job:
    • The 'Coverage cards' dashboard settings determine the data that the cards show in list views.
    • The system properties sn_cmdb_ws.ms.calculate_cmdb_only and glide.identification_engine.multisource_non_cmdb_ci_enabled determine if both CMDB and non-CMDB or CMDB only data, is included in the coverage charts. For more information about these system properties, see Components related to CMDB 360.
      Note:
      If the sn_cmdb_ws.ms.calculate_cmdb_only is true or glide.identification_engine.multisource_non_cmdb_ci_enabled is false, then both 'All' and 'CMDB CI' filters show CMDB data only (non-CMDB data is ignored).

    • The sn_cmdb_ws.ms.report_class_ci_count_max_threshold system property and the CMDB 360 Analytics Skipped Class [sn_cmdb_ws_ms_skip_class] table, together, determine class inclusion in the coverage charts.

      If the record count for a class (CMDB or non-CMDB) in the CMDB 360 Data [cmdb_multisource_data] table exceeds the value set by the sn_cmdb_ws.ms.report_class_ci_count_max_threshold system property, then a record is created in the CMDB 360 Analytics Skipped Class [sn_cmdb_ws_ms_skip_class] table and by default, the class is skipped in future calculations for the coverage charts. You can include a skipped class in the coverage charts by setting the Override class CI records population column of a skipped class in the sn_cmdb_ws_ms_skip_class table, to 'true'.

      Some classes, when included or excluded from the coverage charts, can greatly impact the overall performance of the chart calculations. For more information, see Components related to CMDB 360.

    Coverage

    Cards on the Coverage tile show a breakdown of CIs per the number of discovery sources reporting those CIs:

    CIs with a single source
    Shows CIs that are only reported by a single discovery source, with a breakdown by the discovery source reporting those CIs.
    CIs by number of sources
    Shows CIs reported by multiple discovery sources, grouped by the number of discovery sources that are reporting those CIs.
    The following settings determine the scope and type of data that is included in the Coverage tile charts, these settings can greatly affect the performance of the Coverage tile calculation job:
    • The 'Coverage cards' dashboard settings determine the data that the cards show in list views.
    • The system properties sn_cmdb_ws.ms.calculate_cmdb_only and glide.identification_engine.multisource_non_cmdb_ci_enabled determine if both CMDB and non-CMDB or CMDB only data, is included in the Coverage chart. For more information about these system properties, see Components related to CMDB 360.
    • Filter options filter the calculated records in the CMDB 360 data store, that apply to the Coverage charts:
      • All (default): Includes all those records for both CMDB and non-CMDB tables.
      • CMDB CI: Includes only those records for CMDB classes.
      • Principal Class: Includes only those records for principal classes. For information about defining a class as principal and therefore including that class in the Principal Class filter, see Create a CI class.
      Note:
      If the sn_cmdb_ws.ms.calculate_cmdb_only is true or glide.identification_engine.multisource_non_cmdb_ci_enabled is false, then both 'All' and 'CMDB CI' Coverage chart filters show CMDB data only (non-CMDB data is ignored).

    • The sn_cmdb_ws.ms.report_class_ci_count_max_threshold system property and the CMDB 360 Analytics Skipped Class [sn_cmdb_ws_ms_skip_class] table, together, determine class inclusion in the Coverage chart.

      If the record count for a class (CMDB or non-CMDB) in the CMDB 360 Data [cmdb_multisource_data] table exceeds the value set by the sn_cmdb_ws.ms.report_class_ci_count_max_threshold system property, then a record is created in the CMDB 360 Analytics Skipped Class [sn_cmdb_ws_ms_skip_class] table and by default, the class is skipped in future calculations for the Coverage chart. You can include a skipped class in the Coverage chart by setting the Override class CI records population column of a skipped class in the sn_cmdb_ws_ms_skip_class table, to 'true'.

      Some classes, when included or excluded from the Coverage chart, can greatly impact the overall performance of the chart calculations. For more information, see Components related to CMDB 360.

    In addition to the settings listed above, internal filters and excluded classes in the CMDB 360 denied classes [cmdb_multisource_deny_class] table also affect the final inclusion or not inclusion of classes. You can review the list of CI classes in the 'Coverage cards' settings to see any notes about inclusion status.