IT Configuration Database (CMDB)
ObjectGears Configuration Database (CMDB) contains several tens of mutually connected entities distributed to several logical layers. The model is always revised and adjusted to the particular customer needs, no matter if simplification, adjustment or extension is necessary. Inheritance principle enables to link the entities also with relation parent - child and use a single definition of common attributes.
Configuration database items enter other IT processes (Incident management, Change management etc.) or are referred in the Knowledge Base.
The Configuration Database is logically devided into layers. Relationships between entities depend on your situation and needs. You can see the default model of system, hardware, application or e.g. project layer in the documentation. The model is adapted to your needs at the time of implementation. Entities and properties that are not necessary are hidden. New features are are added or current ones modified.
Configuration database, benefits and related processes
Why to implement Configuration database (CMDB)? If you are a server administrator, maybe you keep your records in an Excel sheet. It allows you to quickly find out what you are using particular servers for – which role they are holding, IP addresses they are using, which hardware they are running on and where they are located. Maybe you are also keeping records of service contracts to the hardware and vendor contacts. If you are a manager, maybe you feel having lack of information about area of your responsibility. You trust your subordinates who are assuring you about taking care of everything properly but at the same time you would prefer having access to the information directly in order you can find answer to your questions. This information can inspire you to questions that you should actually ask in your job but without this information they will not come to your mind:
- How many servers are running on operating systems which are out of major support or close to it?
- When is vendor support ending for my servers?
- How much should I prepare in my budget for the next year?
- How many servers are physical and how many virtual?
- Who are the key users of particular applications? Who is guarantor deciding about changes from the business functionality point of view?
- How do applications exchange the data?
In our example we have used IT Configuration database. However, we can apply the same approach also to other areas and instead of servers keep records of e.g. manufacturing devices or subjects of our service activities. Benefits from a good order in data and related processes will be same.
Discovery
Configuration database can be filled in manually, by means of basic ObjectGears infrastructure functions or by specialized Discovery solutions. We are partners of JDisc.
Integration with Enterprise Architecture Repository
Configuration items shall be transferred to Enterprise Architecture Repository, where you can use them to model architecture. This is true also vice versa for data that have been modelled in Enterprise Architecture Repository (e.g. processes) and should be transferred back to Configuration database, where you can treat them further as configuration items in various processes. ObjectGears CMDB is fully integrated with Sparx Enterprise Architect for bidirectional transfer of whatever Sparx EA data.
You can find more about IT configuration database (CMDB) in the description of the process Configuration management.