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Choosing the Right CMDB
Sm Consdons fo Sgc Dcson Mks
a white paper
B y J o h n C o n n o r
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As the role of the CIO changes and
the functions of IT expand, you must
understand and choose your CMDB
wisely. Along with delivering operational
advantages, a CMDB should propel CIOs into
the business forum, while offering support
for timely, informed, bottom-line decision
making throughout the enterprise.
Choose your CMDB wisely
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Much of the buzz surrounding CMDBs has to do with IT cost-saving
benefits. IT managers who have deployed CMDBs cite several areas
of operational savings6:
Reducing or eliminating unnecessary servers and other
hardware
Better license and maintenance contract management
Tighter management of outsourcing agreements
Improved overall service delivery
However, these cost containment gains dont necessarily translate
into improved service quality from a business perspective. Business
users are not interested in servers, operating systems, or IT
components; instead, they are interested in how well IT helps them
create business value.
a Ll Knon advng of CMDBs
This leads to a less frequently discussed advantage of CMDBs: the
creation of clear business value (beyond operational savings) for
decision makers.
Certainly, CMDBs have the potential to reveal how the changes and
incidents of IT impact business. But is this where the challenge of
Business Service Management (BSM) ends? Does the IT concept of
BSM fully bridge the gap between IT and business?
The Line of Business, or LOB, manager is concerned about the
following type of items:
Introducing new products and services
Improving customer loyalty and satisfaction
Increasing gross margins
Growing market share
To move towards effective BSM adoption, IT metrics must be linked
directly to business outcomes; they must demonstrate how IT
initiatives contribute favorably to improving these outcomes.
The initiative to fuse IT and business is underscored by the evolving
role of CIOs, who are already being pushed beyond their familiarsupport regime. Expectations of CIO performance are expanding
beyond cost-cutting to include business strategy. More and more,
they are being challenged to shed their operational duties and to
concentrate on identifying, and even developing, technologies that
will help their organizations innovate.7
As the CIO role changes, the function of information technologies
expands. Formerly evaluated from a cost reduction standpoint,
IT now finds itself responsible for top-line growth in increasingly
dynamic environments.
IT executives must keep this in mind as they choose a CMDB. Along
with delivering operational advantages, a CMDB should propel CIOsinto the business forum, supporting timely, informed, bottom-line
decision making throughout the enterprise that turns IT into an
enabler of business and not just a utility service that is looked at as a
cost, and is always under pressure to cut costs.
This is the new BSM: staying in step with the CIO evolution,
propelled by a CMDB with a decision-driven data model based on
real-time information.
ITIL v3 defines a CMDB as a repository used
to store configuration records throughout
their lifecycle. The Configuration Management
System (the ITIL name for CMDB federation)
maintains one or more CMDBs. Each
CMDB stores attributes of CIs and
relationships with other CIs.
More Information
What are CIs?
Configuration items can include hardware,
software, applications, people, processes, and
documentation. An effective CMDB should have
the ability to handle millions of relations
between CIs.
More Information
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w Sould You CMDB do fo You?
A CMDB does not automatically create business value. It pays off only when the data within it is current, complete, and actionable. Ideally, a
CMDB enhances an enterprises agility. It should be flexible enough to adjust to new IT requirements stemming from new IP devices that are
now under the purview of IT, ITIL best practice initiatives, government regulations, and post-merger/acquisition data integration. In addition,
it should empower business to be strategically responsive to changing market conditions, product/service development opportunities, and
shifting income streams.
inllgncTransform your data into meaningful information. A CMDB should automatically understand and navigate arbitrarily
complex relationships between dissimilar CIs and have the ability to represent that data in multiple views that are relevantto individual decision makers throughout your organization.
DscovyDetermine what you have. A CMDB should identify all the CIs in your IT repertoire without the costs and errors associatedwith manual discovery.
FdonManage data throughout your enterprise. A CMDB should access data where it lives, pulling appropriate data, regardlessof each sources vendor or performance level, into a unified view and provide transparent read access.
CngConolManage change in dynamic environments. Because IT is dynamic and change is constant, a CMDB should include versioningcapabilities to recognize and address change.
FlxblyChange what you need, when you need to. A CMDB should provide a platform for growth and should be easily modifiableto accommodate new data sources, tools, and applications; more business processes; and additional and changing CIattributes and relationships.
exnsblyGrow with your business. The CMDB data model should be extensible to easily support the addition of new CI class typessuch as process controllers in manufacturing lines and radiology and other diagnostic machinery in hospitals.
SclblyHandle organizational size and complexity. A CMDB should be able to store and manage a virtually unlimited number ofCIs and their relationships without negatively impacting system performance.
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Relational Databases
How They Work
Relational databases are highly structured, well
known, and well understood. They work well for tedious
operations that involve grinding through incredible
amounts of structured data. Some examples of this
are banking applications, report generators, and usage
analyzers.
These databases, sometimes called many-to-many
relationships, are represented by joining tables that are
typically created by a series of outside programming
commands.
However, relational databases are limited in that they
are not efficient at traversing relationships. Problems
occur because it is difficult to arrange locality of
storage.
An example of this might happen when accessing
employee information from a relational database.
Throughout the process of tracking the employees
name, then the employees department, and then the
employees office location, the database needs to be
accessed multiple times.
Advantages
Handles large volumes of structured data with easePerforms queries if you know in advance what youwant to see
Limits of a Relational Database
The limits of relational databases lie in the fact that
they cannot support the large number of changing
relationships and dynamic data that is flowing in and out
of a modern enterprise.
Changing the structure of the data in a production
database takes planning and preparation and may
require completely reloading the data. The relational
data model allows for representation of simple, uniform
data structures. Because RDBs follow a fixed schema
paradigm, representing arbitrarily complex structures
requires unnatural compromises and navigating them is
cumbersome.
What is a Relational Database?
Relational databases, or RDBs, store data in tablescomprised of rows and columns and typically handle largevolumes of structured data very well. Links betweendata elements are implemented through common keysand join tables, which can make the database designprohibitively complex, especially when a large numberof different types of links must be supported.
A well-designed and normalized RDB supports flexiblequeries through the SQL query language; queries thatfollow long chains of relationships, however, can becomedifficult to design and very inefficient quickly.
03-4472822 Random House 123 4th Street, New York
PubID Publisher PubAddress
04-7733903 Wiley and Sons 45 Lincoln Blvd, Chicago
03-4859223 OReilly Press 77 Boston Ave, Cambridge
03-4472822 Random House 99 Market, San Fransisco
345-28-2938 Halie Selassie
AuthorID AuthorName AuthorBDay
392-48-9965 Joe Blow
454-22-4012 Sally Hemmings
663-59-1254
14-Aug-92
14-Mar-15
12-sep-70
12-Mar-06Hannah Arendt
1-34532-482-1 345-28-2938 Cold Fusion for Dummies
ISBN AuthorID PubID TitleDate
1-38482-995-1 392-48-9965 Macrame and Straw Tying
2-35921-499-4 454-22-4012 Fluid Dynamics of Aquaducts
1-38278-293-4 663-59-1254
03-4472822
04-7733903
03-4859223
03-4472822
1990
1985
1852
1967 Beads, Baskets & Revolution
Example of a Relational Database
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How They Work
Data in an object-oriented database are typically
unstructured and are treated as individual objects.
Therefore, OODBs more accurately reflect the real
world. They support diverse data types rather than
only the simple tables, columns, and rows of relational
databases.
OODBs contain relationship logic that usually includes
support for classes of objects and the inheritance of
class properties and methods by subclasses and their
objects. Because there is currently no widely-usedstandard for what constitutes an OODB, homegrown
infrastructure is often required.
Similar to relational databases, OODBs have no
mechanism for handling undefined configuration items
(CIs); which then must be manually defined.
Although OODBs can support the large number of
changing relationships and dynamic data that is flowing
in and out of a modern enterprise, they make a poor
choice for a CMDB. This is because of their limited ability
for searching, sorting, and scaling.
Advantages
Treats data in a way that is closer to the non-flatnature of CIs
Defines complex data and complex relationshipsIncludes relationship logic inside the databaseChanges to object details do not affect theapplication
Limits of an Object-Oriented Database
Because relationship logic is contained within an OODB,
it avoids the extra overhead incurred by relational table
creation. Also, performing an order query is a much
simpler process in an OODB than it is in the relational
model.
However, like their relational counterparts, OODBs have
no mechanism for handling undefined CIs; they must
be manually defined. Another significant weakness of
OODBs is that structural changes are difficult because
the relationship to the object-oriented programming
environment must be kept in sync. Neither relational
nor object-oriented databases excel at handling the
enormous complexity of CI relationships found within
modern enterprises.
Object-Oriented Databases
Group
+STAFF GROUP ORDER ID : int-grouping : Grouping
+compareTo : int+createLearnerGroup : Group+createStaffGroup : Group+equals : boolean+Group+Group+hashcode : int+hashLearner : boolean+isNull : boolean+toString : String
GroupdId : LongorderId
Grouping
+STAFF GROUP ORDER ID : int-grouping : Grouping+hashcode : int+hashLearner : boolean+isNull : boolean+toString : String+compareTo : int+createLearnerGroup : Group
+createStaffGroup : Group+equals : boolean+Group+Group+STAFF GROUP ORDER ID : int-grouping : GroupingGroupdId : LongorderId
Group
RandomGrouping
+CreateCopy : RandomGrouping-grouping : Grouping+hashcode : int+hashLearner : boolean+isNull : boolean
+hashcode : int+hashLearner : boolean
ChosenGrouping
+ChoosenGrouping+ChoosenGrouping+CreateCopy : LDs+hashLearner : boolean+isNull : boolean
isLearnerGoup : boolean
Grouper
+doGrouping : void+doGrouping : void
What is an Object-Oriented Database?
An object-oriented database, or OODB, storesdata in a form that is closely aligned with the datamodel for object-oriented languages. This allows thedevelopment environment to directly save and recallthe data being working on with minimal overhead.
The object-oriented data model allows forrepresentation of complex, uniform data structures.Links between objects in the database areimplemented as pointers, which embed addressesin data that specify the location of data in anotherrecord or file. Accordingly, the data structure in
an OODB must be designed in anticipation of thequeries that are to be efficiently supported.
The tight relationship between the database and theprogramming environment involves manual programmingand makes structural changes to the data in a productionenvironment particularly complex. Data in OODBsmore accurately reflects the real world because, unlikeRDBs, which handle CIs as flat items, an OODB treatsa CI as an object. As a result, an OODB, with its closerepresentation of reality, is more resilient and adaptable.
Example of an Object-Oriented Database
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CMDB Slcon: t imonc of D So
Many leading providers of CMDBs utilize conventional database
management systems to store and manage their data. While these
CMDBs help consolidate configuration data and document CI
relationships, they typically fall considerably short of completely
fulfilling the requirements for BSM. These disappointing results,
which can often be directly attributed to the underlying data model,
can occur with both relational and object-oriented databases. While
the lines are blurring between conventional databases, there are still
key differentiators.
Md rososTraditional database models do not acclimate to change without
considerable cost and effort. Yet, IT is in a constant state of flux.
And so is business. Clearly, another data store model is needed to
support BSM and accommodate innovation.
Metadata repositories offer a different approach from traditional
databases. A distinguishing feature of metadata repositories is the
use of a self-descriptive, attributed graph model. The graph model
allows for representation of arbitrarily complex and non-uniform
structures. The foundation for superior performance is a unique
physical data organization supporting the graph data model natively
in the same manner as the relational model is supported natively by
RDB.
The core of metadata repositories is designed to support dynamic
data, the structure of which can change at any time. The related
metadata in the repository is organized according to a meta-model
that describes the structure of the metadata and their relationships
Metadata repositories are ideal for an environment in which data
values, data structure, and data relationships change and evolve
over time. Because the meta-model in a true metadata repository
is not fixed, it is flexible, extensible, and easily adaptable to the
changes and needs of dynamic, real world environments.
t Dffnc s n Md
Metadata is the data that describes the structure and workings of
an organizations use of information or data, as well as the systems it
uses to manage that information or data. It is structured information
that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to
retrieve, use, or manage an information resource.8 In addition to
describing data, metadata also explains an organizations methods
for understanding its data, activities, people, geography, timing,
and motivation. It also provides information about how different
What is Metadata and how is it used?
To understand the power of a true meta-database, you mustfirst understand the fundamentals of metadata.
Lets use a simple example of trying to locate a book at alibrary to help with this difficult concept. However, unlike ourmodern computerized filing system, this library still usesdrawers filled with cards based on the Dewey DecimalClassification System.
Today, were looking for a book about database technology.When approaching the filing drawers, our first step is to makesense of the cabinet and locate the drawer labeled D. Wewould then finger through the cards to locate informationsorted into the Database category.
In this example, the catalog card can be consideredmetadata. The card describes the attributes of the book,specifically the topic, the publisher, the author, and mostimportantly, where in the library the book is physicallylocated.
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data points are related to each other. Metadata makes data
understandable, useable, and shareable. It provides insight into:
What data exists?
Where data is being used?
Where the data is located?
How data is labeled and referenced?
How data is related to other information assets?
Who uses the data?
Why the data is needed?
When the data was last accessed or updated? 9
Enterprise metadata technology contextualizes data, making data-
based decisions more enforceable throughout an enterprise.
For example, metadata helps answer questions such as, Which
policies and rules relate to a business service? If a car insurance
company decides not to sell policies in the state of Wisconsin, that
decision can be tracked through metadata relationships to the
portal and database applications that enforce that decision. The
same metadata advantages apply to any compliance, performance,
or process management situation.
Another benefit of metadata is that it gives data perspective. For
example, an accountant and a marketer can view the same product
code data and arrive at different decisions. In this way, metadata
empowers individual decision makers throughout an enterprise to
make informed decisions within their spheres of influence.
Fdon: t Ulm Gol
Keeping a CMDB in step with large-scale and rapidly changing
business environments is one challenge. Assuming that enterprise-
wide data can be pulled into and accessed through these data stores
is quite another. Most enterprises are not organized in a way that
allows data to be loaded into a single CMDB.
The typical IT portfolio is populated with multidimensional business
models, third-party software, virtualization technology, and complex
systems interfaces, all from an assortment of vendors. The existing
investment in IT systems is staggering. But no relational or object-
oriented CMDB currently on the market is architected to connectseamlessly to all data sources in an enterprise (i.e., federation), so
IT executives have no way of leveraging their existing investments.
Because the concept of enterprise architecture has not been
realized in ITs operational domain, the potential for CMDB silos
exists.
Federation is only part of a BSM solution. Gathering business-
critical information throughout an enterprise is critical, but
so is organizing that information in a way that makes sense to
business and IT decision makers. The ability to understand data/CI
relationshipsin any direction, across multiple business functions,
even among undefined itemswithout additional tools or manual
programming is the type of smart data management needed to
thrive in a hypercompetitive marketplace.
From an IT operations perspective, this type of intelligent CMDB
saves time and labor. From a business perspective, federated
intelligence, when fed into a multiple-view interface, supports
confident, on-the-spot decision making.
According to a leading analyst group, repositories
come with metadata mining capabilities to
understand metadata usage and lineage and
to help address compliancy reporting
[Nevertheless] metadata management
is not pursued consistently in most
organizations.
More Information
The ability to understand relationshipsin any
direction, across multiple business functions, even
among undefined itemswithout additional
tools or manual programming is the type of
smart data management needed to thrive in
a hypercompetitive marketplace.
More Information
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An Example of ASGs Federated MetaCMDB
The True Power of ASGs Federated MetaCMDB
In this example, we can quickly visualize how everything connects and
relates to each other to provide an effective business service.
Powering the business service, eCommerce in this example, are different
applications credit card verification, databases, and other eCommerce
applications. These applications are enabled by critical infrastructure,
such as multiple servers and network devices.
The true power of ASGs MetaCMDB is in the intelligence it provides. It
is the ideal solution for any modern business and provides sustainable,
balanced performance in handling both business and operational data in
unpredictable environments.
Advantages
Intelligence
Discovery
Federation
Change Control
Flexibility
Extensibility
Scalability
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ASGs data federation enables virtually anything to connect to
anything else (even other CMDBs), optimizing current and future IT
investments and creating a single point of truth for an organizations
data.
Flexibility and Extensibility. As business conditions continually
evolve, the needs and requirements of the business change. With
more than 100 out-of-the-box adapters, ASGs MetaCMDB easily
connects to new and existing applications and tools and accesses
data from any and all sources throughout an enterprise. ASGs
MetaCMDB can easily adapt to CI attribute changes on the fly and
add new CI classes such as process controllers in manufacturing
plants and diagnostic machines in hospitals.
Change Control. IT is dynamic and change is constant. ASGs
MetaCMDB includes versioning capabilities to recognize and
address change even in the most dynamic environments.
Scalability. In addition to its object-oriented advantages, ASGs
MetaCMDBs metadata repository supports urgent business needs
for handling enormous amounts of data. ASGs MetaCMDB has
virtually no capacity limits. It can support 100 million CI types and
100 million configurations without substantially lowering system
performance.
ASGs MetaCMDB is the ideal CMDB for modern business. It
provides sustainable, balanced performance in handling both
business and operational data in unpredictable environments.
Exceptional at handling complex data and relationships, ASGs
MetaCMDB can easily adapt to business and technological changes.
Through its object orientation, ASGs MetaCMDB manages CIs
as real-world objects and handles complex relationships without
external programming code. It is flexible, adaptable, and expandable
perfectly suited to managing mammoth amounts of complex
information in a volatile business environment.
Concluson
With proper process and organizational planning, CMDBs can
reduce mean time to repair or overall downtime by as much as 70
percent.10 In turn, improved IT performance paves the way to service
excellence: better service resolution time, business alignment, and,
ultimately, customer satisfaction. 11
However, a CMDB does nothing by itself. The benefits come not fromhaving a CMDB, but from using the knowledge a CMDB organizes.12
And that knowledge is only as good as the CMDBs method of data
management.
To truly support BSM, a CMDB must operate on a flexible model
that can adapt to sudden and continual changein markets,
organizational structure, IT infrastructure, customer preferences,
or product/service offerings. And it must give businesses room to
grow, with virtually unlimited data management capacity and the
ability to connect to new and diverse IT components.
To accommodate rapid business expansion, a CMDB should have the
capacity to store and/or manage data around the globe. And this
data must be easily accessible.
A CMDB with enterprise-wide connectivity (via federation) ensures
that all CIs (people, processes, and technologies) are available for
auto-discovery and relationship-mapping, a vital part of BSM.
A CMDB must be intelligent enough to manage metadata. It must be
capable of associating specific data with descriptive data, not only
for governance, privacy, and compliance, but also for providing an
accurate, informative context for decision making.
These key CMDB differentiators will take CIOs where they need
to go: beyond operations, into the strategic realminto the new
and expansive landscape of BSM, where innovation thrives, and
decisions are as smart as the CMDBs theyre based upon.
A CMDB must be inteligent enough to manage
metadata. It must be capable of associating
specific data with descriptive data and
provide context for decision making.
More Information
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About ASG | www.asg.com ASG provides software solutions to over 85 percent of the worlds largest companies. Through its comprehensive Business ServiceManagement (BSM) solution, Business Service Platform, ASG is an established BSM provider with a strong heritage in Content, Metadata, Applications, Operations,Performance, Infrastructure, and Identity Management technologies. ASG enables clients to reduce costs, enhance customer service, meet business objectives, andtruly go beyond BSM. Founded in 1986, ASG is a privately held company based in Naples, Florida, USA, with more than 90 offices around the world.
Beyond BSM
ASG Worldwide Headquarters | 1333 Third Avenue South, Naples Florida USA 34102Telephone 1.239.435.2200 or 1.800.932.5536
Copyright 2008 Allen Systems Group, Inc.