Application catalogue and Configuration Database (CMDB)

29.11.2021

In this video we will take a look at Application catalogue which will use data from Configuration database CMDB.

We follow up on previous videos about linking CMDB with modelling tools and Archimate, video CMDB, Processes and Time writing and Guide to Configuration database design.

Configuration database is a data structure containing various types of data with a hierarchy and mutual relationships.

In ObjectGears we are accessing CMDB through a web interface, particular Configuration items are split into logical layers. We can browse them, display schemes, refer to them in Projects, tasks, incidents, knowledge base articles etc. It allows us to always see a complete picture of each Configuration item, its relationships, history and planned future changes. This is a usual approach for IT organization colleagues. Its advantage is an easy extension and modification of the Configuration database model according to our needs.

We will show today how we can display these data in an elegant way also to users outside IT who do not even have an access to the Configuration database. Everything is described in a case study in an on-line documentation.

You can create application catalogue or a similar page in ObjectGears yourself by clicking or scripting. Here we can take a look e.g. at settings of an webpart displaying html page. Documentation mentioned above contains a complete overview.

Application catalogue display data in form of a hierarchical overview displaying main application groups or applications with their modules. Catalogue gives a clean and neat view. After unpacking we can see the main information about the application including description, guarantor and key users. We are sharing existing data of the Configuration database in a new application that can be easily developed. Buttons in the bottom part of the record provide users with key scenarios:

  • Report incident related to the application
  • Request installation
  • Navigate to a detail of the Configuration item
  • Display application components – we can see on which server the application is running, we can click for server detail… Important is that nothing is fixed here. We can create any scheme that we want correspondingly to our data model and to what we want to say with the data
  • Display map of processes that the application supports.
  • And display the documentation

Of course, everything is managed by access permissions, so the users will be provided just with options that they can use.

And which type of catalogue do you use in your organization? Do you like linking of the list of applications with necessary scenarios? Please share your perspective in the comments below the video.