Getting started · LessonBy Praveen T, ServiceNow Trainer, 9 yrs · Published · ServiceNow · all levels
CMDB relationships and dependency views
Relationship types, direction, and reading a dependency map without guessing.
Quick answer
Relationship types, direction, and reading a dependency map without guessing.
Key takeaways
- Direction defines impact, not just association
- Dependency views are the fastest sanity check
- Automated relationships stay fresher than manual ones
- Unrelated CIs cannot show impact
Relationships have direction
A relationship record has a parent, a child and a type such as Runs on or Depends on. Direction matters: reversing it changes impact calculation, so a database that Runs on a server is not the same as a server that Runs on a database.
Dependency views
The dependency map renders relationships around a CI, with filters for depth and relationship type. Use it to sanity check a service model before trusting impact analysis in a major incident.
Keeping relationships honest
Relationships decay faster than attributes.
- Let Discovery and Service Mapping create relationships where possible
- Review manually created relationships periodically, they go stale
- Use suggested relationship types rather than inventing new ones
- Watch for CIs with no relationships, they are invisible to impact analysis
Practice challenge
+0 XPStreak ×0
Question 1 of 2
What does a relationship record store besides parent and child?
Frequently asked questions
How deep should a map go?
Three levels answers most operational questions. Deeper maps look impressive and are hard to keep accurate.
Can we create custom relationship types?
Yes, but exhaust the shipped types first. Custom types fragment reporting.