Unified Map

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Unified Map

    Unified Map is a feature within the CMDB Workspace that provides a graphical, hierarchical representation of Configuration Items (CIs) and their relationships in the CMDB. It integrates capabilities from Dependency Views and Service Mapping to deliver a comprehensive map experience. This visualization helps ServiceNow customers understand CI dependencies, assess change impacts, and manage service instances effectively.

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    Key Features

    • CI Relationship Visualization: Nodes represent CIs and lines show their relationships, references, and connections, enabling assessment of how changes to one CI may affect others.
    • Service Instance Composition: When Service Mapping is active, the map displays service instances and their constituent CIs, which is valuable for Event Management and Incident Management.
    • Multiple Access Methods: Unified Map can be opened via CMDB Workspace, Service Graph Workspace, Quick Links, or directly from a CI form in operational state.
    • Customizable Map Content: Users can search for a home node, specify relationship levels, and apply filters by CI class, relationship type, discovery source, location, and ownership to focus on relevant data.
    • Interactive Map Controls: Includes map editor for adding/removing CIs and updating relationships, toolbox for zoom and layout adjustments, and export functionality to save map views as PDFs.
    • Contextual Panels: Side panels provide detailed summaries, CI attributes, service instances, related items (incidents, problems, changes), and change history, all linked to the selected CI.
    • Timeline Visualization: Displays related incidents, problems, and change events over time to track CI history and their impact on the CMDB topology.
    • Mini-map Navigator: Enables easy navigation and zoom control within the map.

    Key Outcomes

    With Unified Map, ServiceNow customers can:

    • Gain a clear, visual understanding of CI dependencies and service compositions to support impact analysis and operational decisions.
    • Improve incident, problem, and change management by visualizing related items and historical changes directly linked to CIs.
    • Customize and filter map views to focus on relevant CIs and relationships, enhancing efficiency in managing complex CMDB environments.
    • Leverage integrated Service Mapping data for comprehensive service instance insights within the CMDB context.
    • Export map visualizations for reporting or sharing with stakeholders.

    The Unified Map feature displays a graphical hierarchical map of the CMDB — CIs and the connections between them. Unified Map combines some of the capabilities of Dependency Views, and Service Mapping into a single map experience.

    Unified Map

    Unified Map is included in CMDB Workspace.

    Nodes on the map represent CIs in the CMDB and lines represent connections between CIs (relationships, references, and other kinds of connection). The relationships help you, for example, to assess the impact of a change to a selected node by showing CIs that are connected to it through relationships. Products such as Change Management, Incident Management, and Event Management benefit from such information.

    When the Service Mapping application is active, the map also shows the composition of service instances — useful with products such as Event Management and Incident Management. For example, you can view all CIs that are members of the 'Revenue App' service instance. You can review historical changes and then, for example, filter the CIs so that only application CIs appear on the map.

    Opening a map

    Use any of the following methods to open Unified Map:
    • Navigate to All > CMDB Workspace > Unified Map.
    • While working in the Service Graph Workspace, select Use Unified Map to view CI relationships in the Recommended tools section.
    • While working in the CMDB Workspace, select Unified Map in the Quick Links section.
    • On a CI form for any CI in an operational state, select Open Map to open a map with the CI as the home node.
      Note:
      An admin can specify additional operational status values for this option. For more information, see Configure CIs to appear based on life cycle stage value.
    Tip:
    To view a map in full-screen mode, select the Unpin All icon.

    Work areas on the map

    Elements of the Unified Map.

    A: Map
    The map displays specified CIs and their connections (CI relationships, references, and endpoint chains). In the example, the CRM CI is the home node and the connections represent relationships with other CIs. Select any node to view details like related service instances, change history, and so on. For more information, see Controlling Unified Map contents and appearance.
    Two CIs might be connected by one or more relationships (stored in the CI Relationship [cmdb_rel_ci] table). For example, two CIs might be connected by the Runs On::Runs, Depends On::Discovered From, and by the Owned By::Owns relationships.
    • A solid line indicates a relationship. The arrowhead indicates the dependent node.
    • A dashed line indicates a reference.
    • A badge on a line indicates the number of relationships between the CIs.
    B: Content controls
    • Home node search box: Search for and select the home node — the node to focus on (CRM in the image). For more information, see Controlling Unified Map contents and appearance.
    • Levels: Specify the number of CI relationship levels that should appear on the map.
    • Filters : Customize the map to focus on the CIs that you want to work on by filtering out (hiding) irrelevant CIs. You can filter by layer count, CI class, relationship type, discovery source, location, and CI ownership. Select the view icon to hide or show filtered CIs as dimmed view-only nodes. For more information, see Use filters to specify which nodes should appear on a map.
    • Reload map : Reload the map after making changes.
    • Timeline : The timeline indicates related items like incidents, problems, and changes over a specified period of time for the selected CI. You can use the timeline to visualize the history of changes to a CI and how they affect the topology of the CMDB. For more information, see Viewing related items on the Unified Map timeline.
    • Map editor : Use the map editor to add CIs to or remove CIs from the map and to update relationships in the CMDB. For more information, see Editing maps in Unified Map
    C: Toolbox
    • Use the toolbox to control visual aspects of the map such as zoom level or layout mode. For more information, see Controlling Unified Map contents and appearance.
    • In the toolbox, select the Export map icon to save the current appearance of the map as a PDF document on your local drive.
    D: Contextual side panel
    E: Mini-map navigator
    Use the navigator to set the zoom level or move the view to an area of interest. Select the icon to show or hide the navigator. For more information, see Controlling Unified Map contents and appearance.
    F: Timeline
    The timeline indicates related items like incidents, problems, and changes over a specified period of time for the selected CI. You can use the timeline to visualize the history of changes to a CI and how they affect the topology of the CMDB. For more information, see Viewing related items on the Unified Map timeline.