Manually adding items (CI) to the CMDB

A CI (Configurable Item) is a configuration item that represents any entity tracked in the system (e.g., software, hardware, service, person, location), with a set of attributes specified in the item type. A new item can be added manually by clicking the + Add Item (CI) button in the upper right corner, or an item can be created directly in the tree structure on the left. The item is created directly at the selected position in the hierarchy either by right-clicking on the desired item type and selecting the option Add Item, or by selecting this option from the context menu . New items can also be created by importing or creating a copy of an existing item – by editing the existing item of which you wish to make a copy.

In the upper right corner of the form, there is a button labeled Action. When you click it, four buttons appear: Create Request, Create Copy, Print Items (CI), Exchange Item, Transfer Connection.

The first step in manually creating a configuration item (CI) is to select an existing of the type. The item type determines which attributes and properties the item will contain. If the item is added directly via a specific type in the CMDB tree view, the item type field will be automatically pre-filled.

Meaning of the fields in the item form (CI)

After selecting the type, a form will appear with properties specific to the selected item type (the form may vary slightly depending on the item type). The first section of the form always includes general information about the item (CI):

Name – the name of the item under which it will be displayed in the system’s selection menus. The name may be pre-filled, or the field may be read-only if automatic name generation is used for the selected item type (CI). Additionally, the option to check for a unique name may be enabled for the item type. In that case, if the user selects a name that already exists for that item type, they will be notified of this fact, and the system will not allow them to save the record until the name is changed. Using the button + Add Translation, you can add a name for other language versions.
Description – an optional item description that may contain additional data for identifying the item. Using the button + Add Translation, you can add a description for other language versions.
Company – the company to which the item (CI) will be assigned. Each item must be assigned to a specific company. If you have not yet defined the required company, you can use the button + to create it.
Item types – the default item type selected in the previous step, which can be changed later.
Status – status of the item (CI) according to the status code list selected for the chosen item type.
Administrative Manager – allows the item (CI) to specify one assignee group and, from that group, one CDESK user for administrative tasks. This option can then be used to automatically pre-fill the “” field with the “Responsible Assignee” (or assignee group) on the request to which the given item (CI) is linked—depending on the configuration of the request template.
Technical Assignee – allows the CI to specify the responsible assignee group and, from that group, one CDESK user for technical tasks. This option can then be used to automatically pre-fill the “” field with the name of the responsible assignee (or assignee group) on the request to which the given item (CI) is attached—depending on the configuration of the request template.

The available tabs of an item (CI) are described below within editing an item (CI). The item is created after filling in all required fields and clicking the Create button. If the user wishes to enter another item (CI) of the same type, the option Create + Add another is available. This option is available only when creating items (CI).

Copying Items (CI)

When creating items (CI) of the same type with identical or very similar attribute values, it is useful to select the Make a copy option from the Action button in the item (CI) record details. The copied record is created only after it is saved. If a unique name check is performed, the item name (CI) must also be modified:

If the name is generated based on a template, its value is already incremented by
If the name is generated from a user field, the value must be modified

In addition to the general information described above in the section on creating an item (CI), tabs with additional options or views are available for line items (CI):

SLA – option to select an SLA for the line item. You can add an SLA to an item using the button below the selection field. To select an SLA, the company must be listed on the General Information tab. If you do not select a user-defined SLA for the item, the SLA of the parent item will be used.
Service Availability – option to select an SLO for an item and view service availability. Used only in the service catalog.
Scheduled Work – option to record a work overview so that actual outages are logged and affected parties are notified. Planning helps inform customers in a timely manner, ensure agreed-upon service availability, and thereby improve service quality and process efficiency. New planned work for an item can be added by clicking the + button.
Links – from this tab, you can create and view links to other CMDB items, users, or companies. The tab is divided into 3 sections, each of which includes the options + Add Link. Clicking the button opens a window with a selection of records to link to the given item. By confirming Add, the link appears in the given section of the tab. You can then set the link type. When linking to an item, you can reverse the link direction using the “” button and delete the link using the “” button. To create links, you can use custom fields of the “” (with link) type, which create links to items within the basic properties in the Basic data tab (CMDB → User-defined fields → Basic data). Such links cannot be edited or removed from the Links tab—it is necessary to edit the custom field from which the link originated.
- Link visualization: an interactive diagram displays the links of the selected item with other elements in the configuration database. In its settings, you can specify the display depth, i.e., the number of link levels above and below the current item. The graph is generated after clicking the Show diagram button. The diagram can be customized to display the link name, images/icons, or only links with an impact—in which case, links without an impact are omitted from the display. You can scroll through the displayed graph by dragging with the left mouse button; the graph can be zoomed in or out (CTRL key + mouse wheel). Clicking on an item displayed in the graph shows the item’s details with the option to click through to further details.

The chart can be exported in JPG, PNG, or SVG format. It also allows you to export link data to XLSX, taking into account the settings for the link chart.

When exporting an XLSX report, you can select the columns to export. To select columns, make the following 3 selections in sequence –

- - Select columns for the root configuration item,
  - Select columns for services,
  - Select columns for supported/used configuration items.

The report details the relationships of the selected item—it identifies the infrastructure that operates the item (supporting items), as well as the items that it supports in turn (only up to the level shown in the connection graph). Another section is a list of all operated services that depend on the source item (i.e., there are connections with an impact between the source item and the services). The user can thus immediately see in Excel which specific services will be affected by an outage of a given item, which is crucial for rapid decision-making and maintenance planning.

Records – the option to view requests, work orders, or fulfilments recorded against the selected item.
Places – specific to item types under the Branch category. Records of branches or locations to which the item is assigned. The assignment is critical for filtering in requests when a user is tied to a specific location, and also for access control — you can define groups that may see or manage CIs assigned to that Branch/Place.
Hierarchy – displays items in the CMDB hierarchy together with other items of the same group, filtered by the company the selected item (CI) belongs to.
Assigned to company – a list of companies the item (CI) is assigned to, with the option to assign more. Companies move between the Selected records and Available records columns using the < and > arrows. When managing assigned companies, the following rules apply:
- The company selected in the General information tab as the primary owner of the CI cannot be removed from the Selected records list, nor can its visibility for this CI be turned off.
- Company used on a record: you cannot remove a company if this item (CI) has already been used on a saved record (request, work order, fulfilment) belonging to that company.
History – contains the change history: who created the item and when, and which values were edited. By switching tabs you can also see the loans recorded against the selected item.

Edit record

You can edit items (CI) from several locations within the application—the CMDB item list, an item in a request, or a planned task. You can edit existing items by double-clicking the relevant row or by selecting the Edit option from the context menu .

Some editing operations affect the record or trigger a subsequent action:

Changing the Item Type – is only possible within the same item category. Fields that are not configured for the new type will not be removed from the CI, but will remain as so-called “freely recorded” fields. Such properties are not displayed in the item list; they cannot be used for filtering or exported. By adding the affected fields to the item type, these properties are mapped, and it will be possible to work with them in the list, filters, and exports.
Change of status – alerts the user to existing links, a list of which can be viewed, allowing the user to decide whether to change the item’s status while retaining the links or to cancel the change of status. The goal is to ensure that items with active links are not deleted.
Deleting an item (CI) – the user will be notified of existing links. Deleting the CI will remove these links.