Modern digital enterprises rely heavily on IT, demanding accurate real-time visibility into their IT environment. However, the dynamic nature of information technologies—characterized by software proliferation, virtualized infrastructure, cloud services, containers, and rapid changes—makes visibility into infrastructure like tracking a moving target.
In this article, we will provide an overview of the ServiceNow Configuration Management Database (CMDB) population strategy and explore various methods to maintain its health and reliability. Drawing on our experience with ServiceNow Service Graph Connectors for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and Microsoft Intune, we will share recommendations and insights with contributions from Florin Danis, one of our Certified Technical Architects, and Liviu Scarlat, one of our consultants at Devhd.
The role of CMDB and the genesis of Service Graph
A CMDB serves as the foundation for IT operations by maintaining accurate and up-to-date information about IT assets and their relationships. ServiceNow’s CMDB provides end-to-end service and infrastructure visibility, built on a single data model with predefined semantics and consistent format. This ensures interoperability with all ServiceNow applications, fostering out-of-the-box integration across the entire IT value stream.
Traditionally, the CMDB has focused primarily on infrastructure, assets, and dependencies. However, as organizations began embracing agile methods and modern technologies, they needed a more consistent, data-driven approach to the entire technology stack, from infrastructure to the application layer. Service Graph strategy is an evolution of the ServiceNow CMDB and extends to include data from areas such as planning, application development, DevOps pipeline and deployment, performance, cost, portfolio optimization, and other business processes.
CMDB population strategy
To ensure your CMDB has business context and remains healthy and trustworthy, we at Devhd and ServiceNow recommend populating it in an automated fashion. ITOM Visibility, using Discovery, Agent Client Collector, and Service Graph connectors provides the fastest time to value for gaining visibility of your entire operations estate and drives differentiated outcomes with a vast set of solutions.
Info: Service Graph strategy includes the Service Graph connectors, the first of them being released back in 2020, with many more added since.
What are Service Graph Connectors (SGCs)?
Service Graph Connectors are a plug-and-play method to quickly and accurately bring third-party data into the CMDB. Built by ServiceNow or its partners, these connectors are validated by ServiceNow, leverage the new multisource engine, are jointly supported, and are available through the ServiceNow Store.
These pre-defined integrations ingest data from various domains such as security, servers, software or monitoring, internet of things (IoT), and Cloud. This data complies with the Common Service Data Model (CSDM) strategy and architecture, ensuring the correct tables are populated with the right relationships, allowing customers to achieve the desired business outcomes without worrying about duplicates or corrupting the CMDB.
Should you bring data in CMDB via the Connectors or/and via Discovery? In specific scenarios, ServiceNow recommends using specific Service Graph Connectors for comprehensive coverage, as Discovery alone may not capture all necessary data. For example, computers are best populated in the CMDB using Service Graph Connectors.
Integrating endpoint data into your CMDB: SCCM and Intune
In the early phases of adopting ServiceNow or any implementation involving endpoint management, integrating endpoint data into your CMDB is crucial. Two of the most used Service Graph Connectors for this purpose are the Service Graph Connector for Microsoft SCCM (SG-SCCM) and the Service Graph Connector for Microsoft Intune (SG-Intune).
SG-SCCM is ideal for environments with extensive on-premises infrastructure, providing detailed management of computers and software. In contrast, SG-Intune is perfect for cloud-first organizations, offering superior mobile and remote device management capabilities.
They collect information from SCCM and Intune and transform it into the correct format for the CMDB. The connectors also check for duplicates with the Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) and can even record differences in the details of a CI depending on where the data came from using MultiSource CMDB.
Why is this important? Populating the CMDB with comprehensive information about computers and assets provides a solid foundation for effective IT service management. It helps in tracking assets, managing configurations, and resolving issues more efficiently.
* Main types of CIs that can be pulled into the CMDB from SCCM and Intune
Devhd’s customers and Service Graph Connectors
At Devhd, we've successfully integrated both the SCCM and Intune connectors for our customers, helping them populate their CMDBs with crucial endpoint data. If your organization is looking to modernize its IT management and ensure a comprehensive and up-to-date CMDB, we can provide the expertise and support you need.
Recommendations for Service Graph Connectors (SG-SCCM and SG-Intune)
Based on our experience, here are essential insights, cautions, and advantages when implementing the ServiceNow Service Graph Connectors for SCCM and Intune:
- Leverage Existing Data: Service Graph connectors utilize existing enterprise data, such as SCCM-managed endpoints, to enhance your CMDB. Why not capitalize on this valuable resource?
- Complement Discovery: While Discovery is a primary source for data center assets, Service Graph connectors offer additional visibility for assets that Discovery might miss.
- Two-Step Process: Service Graph Connectors follow a two-step process. First, systems like SCCM bring data into their management database (e.g. an SQL Server database). Then, the connectors pull data from that database into the CMDB. Unlike Discovery, the CMDB is not directly populated.
- Data Quality is Crucial: Always validate data with your SCCM and Intune teams before moving the solution to production. This helps avoid transferring incorrect data and associated problems into ServiceNow.
- External Data: The connector does not control data in external repositories. Poorly managed data can result in duplicates or incomplete information in ServiceNow’s CMDB, affecting the accuracy of relationships within your infrastructure.
- Avoid Duplicates: Depending on your SCCM data retention policy, avoid importing historical data that could lead to duplicates in the CMDB. Instead, apply filters in the SQL statement to receive only recent data, such as devices discovered by SCCM in the last 90 days.
- Configure Reconciliation Rules: In case data is populated from multiple sources configure reconciliation rules. This is to prevent undesired updates of CIs and stop attribute flapping. Defining which data source is going to update what attribute increases the quality of data.
- Define Lifecycle Processes: Connectors do not update the state of a Configuration Item (CI). Each customer should define their lifecycle process for data attestation. For example, we defined with one customer that if data stops coming from SCCM import for a specified number of weeks, the CI is automatically marked as “retired.”
- Use IntegrationHub ETL: IntegrationHub ETL is recommended for configuring Service Graph Connectors. It integrates Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) processes, automates data processing, and provides a guided setup with a user-friendly interface. Additionally, it offers an integration test with a small data set to review and adjust settings before scheduling recurring integrations.
- Monitor the Source Table: Keep an eye on the Source table, as identification might not always go through the IRE if a match is found there.
Configuration management projects often face false starts, prolonged implementations, and ongoing maintenance challenges, resulting in limited business value. Want to discuss about your CMDB population strategy? Whether your organization wants to populate the CMDB through Discovery and/or through Service Graph Connectors, you can benefit from our expertise built over more than 10 years on the ServiceNow platform. Reach out to us at contact@dev-hd.com and let’s start the conversation.
Info: You can check the official documentation from ServiceNow about Service Graph Connector for Microsoft SCCM and Service Graph Connector for Microsoft Intune.
