Creating a CI

To create a configuration item (CI), you must have Asset Admin permission. If you have Asset User permission and you are modifying a CI, your administrator must open the appropriate CI, and then relate your support group to the CI.

There are many different types of CIs that you can create. While the general procedure for creating each CI type is similar, only the specific fields on the CI form change depending on the CI type.

This topic provides several examples of how to create CIs:

To create a business service

1. From the Navigation pane of the Change Management console, choose Functions > Manage CIs.
2. From the CI Type list, select Logical Entity > Business Service and then click Create.
3. On the Business System form, type the CI name and description.

   Recommendation

   When creating a CI name, follow a consistent naming convention. According to ITIL guidelines, identifiers should be short but meaningful. For example, Payroll or Network. The name can be followed by a numeric code, such as NETWORK100.

4. Complete the optional fields that appear on the form in a way that is appropriate for the service you are creating.
   
   Optional fields when creating a Service CI

   Field name	Description
   CI ID	A customer specified identifier. You can use this to augment the CI Name.
   Company	The company that owns the service
   Impact, Urgency, and Priority	Used to determine service levels when assigning support
   Supported	Indicates whether the service currently is supported
   System Role	A description of the role the service fulfills in the organization
   Additional Information	A place to record any additional information about the service
   Users Affected	The number of users who use this service

5. Click Save.

   Note

   • Depending on how your application is configured, after you click Save to create a Service CI, the Service CI form might be redisplayed in a Modify window.
   • The People tab referred to in the following procedure does not appear on the Business Service form until you create and save the CI. The Relationships tab, Outage tab, and Impact tab also appear after you save the new CI. If the People tab does not appear after you click Save, then search for and open the CI record as described in To search for CIs from the console, and then continue with 6.
6. Open the People tab and click Add.
7. From the Type list select People Organization and then click OK.
8. From the Company list in the Organization Search window, select the company to which you are relating the service and then click Search.

   Note

   If you are relating the service to the entire company, then skip 9.

9. If you need to relate the service either to an organization within the company or to a department within the organization, select the organization and, if necessary, the department from the Organization and Department lists.
   • Organization — If you choose Organization, the service is related to the specified organization within the specified company.
   • Department — If you choose Department, the service is related to the specified department within the specified organization.
10. From the Choose a Relationship Level list, select how much of the company will be related to this service.
    For example, if you are relating the service to the entire company, then select Company. If you specified department in the preceding step, then select Department, and so on.
11. Click Select.
12. From the Role list in the Asset Person Role window, select Used By and click OK.
13. Click OK to dismiss the confirmation note.
14. Click Save and then click Close.

To create a computer system CI

1. From the Navigation pane of the Change Management console, choose Functions > Manage CIs.
2. From the CI Type list of the CI Type dialog box, select System > Computer System.
3. Click Create.
4. In the CI Name field of the Computer System form, type a name for the CI.

   Recommendation

   When creating a CI name, follow a consistent naming convention. According to ITIL guidelines, identifiers should be short but meaningful, and for hardware they should not based on supplier device names. For example, the name can include an indicator of the CI's function (such as Workstation or Monitor) followed by a numeric code, such as MONITOR100.

5. In the CI ID field, type a unique alphanumeric value for the CI.
6. Select the company to which this CI belongs.
7. From the Primary Capability and Capability lists, select the roles this CI performs in your company's topology.
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   Select a status from the Status list.
   The default value is Ordered. You can select one of the following options.
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   Computer system CI status options

   Status	Description
   Ordered	The CI was ordered from the supplier.
   Received	The CI was received in shipping.
   Being Assembled	The CI is being assembled.
   Deployed	The CI was installed.
   In Repair	The CI is down for maintenance.
   Down	The CI is down, but not yet in maintenance.
   End of Life	The CI is no longer being deployed.
   Transferred	The CI was transferred to another place.
   Delete	The CI is marked for deletion. You must be a member of the APP-Management or APP-Administrator group to mark a CI for deletion.
   In Inventory	The CI is in inventory but not yet deployed. When you select this status, you are prompted to select the inventory place.
   On Loan	The CI is on loan to another location.
   Disposed	The CI is no longer available and was disposed of.
   Reserved	The CI was reserved and taken out of inventory.
   Return to Vendor	The CI must be returned to the vendor as damaged or unwanted.

9. Specify whether the CI is supported by selecting Yes or No from the Supported list.

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    Select what impact or urgency this CI will have if it goes down.
11. In the Users Affected field, specify the number of people who use this CI or are affected if it goes down.
12. Complete the other fields in this area.

    Field name	Description
    Tag Number	The CI tag number. This is the number usually placed on the product by a member of your IT department to track the CI.
    Serial Number	The CI serial number
    Part Number	The CI part number
    System Role	The role this CI plays in your company
    Status Reason	The reason this CI has the status it does

13. Click the General tab.
14. Categorize your CI using the lists and fields in the Product Categorization area.
15. Specify the place of the CI using the lists and fields in the Location area.
16. Enter the dates of the CI in the lifecycle area.
17. Click the Specifications tab.
18. Add more information about the CI.
19. Click Save.

To create a bulk inventory CI

1. From the Navigation pane of the Change Management console, choose Functions > Manage CIs.
2. From the CI Type list of the Manage CI Information dialog box, select Bulk Inventory > Bulk Inventory, and click Create.
3. In the Bulk Inventory form, complete the following required fields:

   Field name	Description
   CI Name	Enter the name of the bulk inventory item, for example, Microsoft Windows XP.
   Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3	Categorize the item.
   Received Quantity	Enter the number of items received.

4. Click Save.

To create an inventory location CI

1. From the Navigation pane of the console, choose Functions > Manage CIs.
2. From the Type list of the Manage CI Information dialog box, select System > Inventory Location, and click Create.
3. In the CI Name field of the Inventory Location form, enter the location name.
4. Complete the optional fields.
5. Click Save.