CMDB architecture

Any application that is integrated with BMC Helix CMDB, for example, a data provider such as BMC Discovery or a data consumer like BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management, accesses the CI data from a CMDB. Understanding the architecture of BMC Helix CMDB helps you understand how the applications interact with it and the data within the CMDB. 

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For information about how BMC Helix CMDB is placed along other BMC Helix ITSM apps and REST APIs within the BMC Helix Innovation Suite architecture, see BMC Helix Service Management deployment architecture.

Related topics

Getting-started

AR-System-plug-ins-related-to-CMDB

Overview-of-the-CMDB-web-services

A CI is the most granular component that must be managed to deliver an IT service. CIs typically include hardware, software, buildings, people, and formal documentation, such as process documentation and Service Level Agreements (SLAs). A CI must be uniquely identifiable, manageable, have certain attributes associated with it, and can be recorded BMC Helix CMDB.  

Information about each CI is recorded in a configuration record within BMC Helix CMDB and maintained throughout its lifecycle. For more information, see the Common-data-model.


The following diagram illustrates a high-level overview of how raw data from multiple discovery service providers flows into BMC Helix CMDB. It highlights the processes performed in CMDB to transform this data into the production dataset (BMC.ASSET) and how this production dataset is utilized by various consuming applications:

CMDB data flow.png

BMC Helix CMDB provides a structured approach to managing configuration data and relationships across IT environments. Here's how its components and processes work together:

Step

Task

Description

1

Discovery of Data

  • Data is gathered from multiple sources or discovery tools such as BMC Helix Discovery, with each source providing information about configuration items (CIs) and their relationships.
  • Each CI represents a physical, logical, or conceptual entity within your environment, such as servers, applications, or processes.

2

Dataset Organization

  • Discovered data is stored in datasets, each with a unique identifier representing its source.
  • For instance, CIs from BMC Helix Discovery are stored in the BMC.ADDM dataset.
    Datasets can represent snapshots, specific providers, or other data sets tailored to organizational needs.

3

Normalization and Reconciliation

  • Normalization ensures data consistency across different providers by standardizing formats, values, and attributes. It is recommended to normalize data before reconciliation.
  • Reconciliation merges data from multiple datasets into a unified view.
    It identifies duplicates, resolves conflicts, and consolidates data into the production dataset. It also supports purging, copying, and comparing datasets for reporting and workflows.

4

Production Dataset and Sandbox Dataset:

  • The BMC.ASSET dataset serves as the trusted production dataset, containing reconciled and validated data.
  • The Sandbox dataset (BMC.ASSET.SANDBOX) is an overlay that allows changes to be tested or proposed without directly impacting the production data.

5

Consuming Applications

  • Applications such as BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management access data directly from the production dataset (BMC.ASSET).
  • Manual changes that are made in these applications are saved to the Sandbox dataset and go through the reconciliation process with active datasets before the changes are updated in the production dataset.

6

Federated data

BMC Helix CMDB uses a federated data model, linking external data sources to the CMDB without requiring full data import.

This provides real-time access to external data while reducing setup and maintenance costs.


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For information about how CMDB is placed along other BMC Helix ITSM apps and REST APIs within the BMC Helix solution architecture, see BMC Helix Service Management deployment architecture.

For more information about the components and features of BMC Helix CMDB, see Product-overview.


 

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