CI de-duplication experience in CMDB Workspace

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    Summarized using AI
    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of CI de-duplication experience in CMDB Workspace

    The CI de-duplication experience in CMDB Workspace enables ServiceNow customers to manage and remediate duplicate Configuration Items (CIs) efficiently. Customers can create libraries of de-duplication templates that streamline the remediation process, allowing for consistent handling of multiple de-duplication tasks in bulk.

    Show full answer Show less

    Key Features

    • De-duplication Templates: Pre-configured templates contain necessary remediation settings per CI class, including main CI selection and attribute consolidation methods.
    • De-duplication Dashboard: A central interface for viewing, managing, and executing de-duplication templates and tasks.
    • Insights Pane: Provides counts and insights related to active de-duplication processes, including error tracking and discovery source statistics.
    • Library Organization: Group templates into libraries for easy access and management based on relevant categories.

    Key Outcomes

    By utilizing the de-duplication functionality, customers can expect to:

    • Remediate duplicate CIs in a consistent manner, improving data integrity within the CMDB.
    • Access detailed insights into de-duplication processes, allowing for proactive issue resolution.
    • Efficiently manage and apply remediation strategies in bulk, saving time and resources.

    To access these features, users require the cmdbdedupadmin role or any role containing it. Templates must be published to be usable, and retired templates can be managed as needed.

    Create libraries of de-duplication templates in CMDB Workspace, to remediate de-duplication tasks in a consistent manner, and in bulk. De-duplication templates are pre-configured with all necessary settings for remediating de-duplication tasks, per class.

    Use the De-duplication dashboard in CMDB Workspace to see an overview and insights about duplicate CIs in your CMDB. The De-duplication dashboard lets you create de-duplication templates and organize these templates into libraries. You can also examine de-duplication tasks and then run a pre-configured template to remedy multiple de-duplication tasks in a single operation.

    More information:
    • To learn about general duplicate CI remediation concepts, restrictions, and special cases such as remediations that involve a large number of duplicate CIs, see Duplicate CIs remediation.
    • To remediate a single de-duplication task using the legacy Duplicate CI Remediator, see Remediate a de-duplication task (legacy).
    • To learn about Identification and Reconciliation (IRE) processes that detect duplicate CIs and other concepts related to duplication CI, see Detecting duplicate CIs.

    Access

    Role requirement: cmdb_dedup_admin, or any role containing cmdb_dedup_admin (such as sn_cmdb_admin).

    To access the de-duplication functionality in the CMDB Workspace, navigate to Workspaces > CMDB Workspace and select Management in the CMDB Workspace menu bar. Then select the following links in Management tools, in the Manage section:
    • De-duplication Dashboard
    • De-duplication Template Library

    De-duplication templates and libraries

    Use a de-duplication template to apply a consistent remediation to multiple, similar, de-duplication tasks, in a single action. A de-duplication template contains the settings that are required to remediate de-duplication tasks for a class. For example, how to choose the main CI, which method to use to consolidate attributes, and what to do with the duplicate CIs (aside from the main CI) after remediation. A de-duplication template also contains conditions that de-duplication tasks are matched on. When you run a de-duplication template, the remediation settings in the template are applied to all de-duplication tasks that match the template conditions.

    To be able to run a de-duplication template, the template must be in a published state (a template is initially in a draft state). You can unpublish a published template so it temporarily unavailable for use until you republish it.

    Organize your de-duplication templates into libraries to group templates by categories that are meaningful in your organization and to help locate a template. For example, you can create several de-duplication templates, all of which for the same CMDB class such as cmdb_ci_win_server. Then, add all those templates to the 'De-duplication templates for cmdb_ci_win_server' library for easy access.

    De-duplication dashboard

    The De-duplication dashboard in CMDB Workspace is a central location for remediating de-duplication tasks. Use the dashboard to:
    • See all de-duplication templates on a set of cards. Each card shows details about a template. On a template card, you can select Assign task to assign de-duplication tasks to the template, and run the template to remediate its associated de-duplication tasks.
    • Select Run all to run all templates, each template remediating its assigned and matching de-duplication tasks.
    • Select View de-duplication tasks to access a list view of de-duplication tasks with details such as the de-duplication template assignment. In the list view, you can select Only show tasks that do NOT match any template conditions to show only those de-duplication tasks that are unassigned or unmatched to any template class.
    • Select the context menu icon and then select View template libraries to create and manage de-duplication templates and libraries.
    • Select the Running tab to track templates that are currently running.
    • Select the Completed tab to check the status and details about the final state of a run, such as Completed, Cancelled, or Completed with errors.

    De-duplication insights pane

    The De-duplication insights pane on the right side of the De-duplication dashboard provides counts and insights related to the ongoing de-duplication processes in your organization. This pane provides the following cards and links to help you resolve issues:
    • Total count of de-duplication tasks that were remediated in the past week.
    • De-duplication tasks that have completed with various types of errors and therefore need your attention. Provides the View de-duplication tasks that need your attention link to access a list view of the associated de-duplication tasks. You can examine error messages and drill down tasks for further troubleshooting details.
    • De-duplication tasks that don't match the conditions in any template and therefore can't be assigned for remediation by a template. Provides the View de-duplication tasks that don't match link to access a list view of the associated de-duplication tasks. You can drill down tasks for further details.
    • Top 5 discovery sources that generate duplicate CIs.

    Review the de-duplication templates and ensure that they're properly configured for remediating the ongoing duplicate CIs that are being generated in the CMDB by newly added data.