CSDM5 is a Data Model that always leads to interesting discussions because each persona views it from their own perspective. This cheat sheet should help with what goes where if one sticks to the CSDM5 definitions/intentions of the various artefacts. If one does so, there is little to no need to customize the tables or relations between the tables.The following definitions/principles apply throughout this cheat-sheet::Baselines are portfolio items that are designed, procured, or developed and documented in catalogs, e.g., a "Volvo V70." Instances are [...]

As part of the ServiceNow ITOM Discovery product, ServiceNow provides a comprehensive Certificate Management capability. This functionality is designed to give organizations visibility, control, and automation across the full certificate lifecycle, while keeping the CMDB accurate and up to date. Core Capabilities ServiceNow Certificate Management supports the following key functions: Discovery and federation of certificates, registering them as Configuration Items (CIs) in the CMDB, including references to where certificates are deployed Expiration monitoring, with detection of upcoming certificate expiry and automatic assignment and tracking [...]

That is possible by making the contents of the CSDM almost Zero-touch. You can import a product-agnostic Service Portfolio which does not have to be updated whenever you change a product. If you link IT service delivery process to asset management, you can update your asset repository (almost) automatically, You can update the CMDB automatically using Automated Discovery/Federation. And lastly you can map those items to the Service Instances that you defined. The only thing that your architects and data stewards need to do [...]

Recently, I asked ChatGPT 5 Pro to define the artefacts and their relations that need to be registered in ServiceNow. In this article, you will find what went surprisingly well and what failed miserably. The detailed results (which considered compliance with the CSDM 5 and TBM 5 Standards) that the ChatGPT Chatbot generated are shown as well. Spoiler Alert: ChatGPT proves to be a great assistant that probably has read all CSDM5 and TBM5 documentation from beginning to end, but the Bot will [...]

There are hundreds of interpretations of the ServiceNow Common Service Data Model (CSDM). In this article, you will find the how CSDM5 is construed and implemented in ServiceNow. Different lenses, different focus. Program/Project Managers manage the Project/Demand Portfolio. Enterprise Architects manage the Application Portfolio Product Owners manage the backlog for their components in the Product Portfolio Service Owners manage their artifacts in the Service Portfolio Configuration Managers track their IT Inventory in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) Asset Managers track the book value, operational [...]

Populating and maintaining an accurate Configuration Management Database (CMDB), aligned with ServiceNow’s Common Service Data Model (CSDM), is a significant challenge for most enterprises. This guide outlines how to do it right, what types of items should (and should not) be registered in the CMDB, and the most effective methods to achieve high-quality data—both with today’s technology and in preparation for tomorrow’s needs. Core Philosophy Enterprises should manually define and maintain their portfolio baselines (e.g., services, offerings, applications). The instances of those baselines—the [...]

So, you have read the CSDM 5, and you have a general idea. However, there are numerous open questions and choices . This article describes the Practices that i recommend for what (not) to model in ServiceNow. Applying these recommendations avoid issues down the line. What to store in ServiceNow: In the Digital Products Portfolio (Baselines): All Digital Services that are formally offered as a Service to the Company, incl. Infrastructure, Applications, and AI Digital Assets (non versioned). [...]

Each IT management framework has its distinct definitions, glossaries, and fanbase. And guess what? These often don't align or match with each other. Initially people differentiated between software and hardware. With the advent of massive Outsourcing, Cloud Services, and APIs, people began to distinguish between applications and infrastructure that could both be offered/consumed "as a Service". This was working well until the emergence of Software-Defined-Networks, Microservice Architecture, Generative AI, and now Agentic AI. The only thing that these things nowadays have in common is [...]

As you may know, ServiceNow has a Common Service Data Model (CSDM) that is usable throughout the ServiceNow Platform. Each (use of each) object is outlined in the CSDM 4.0 Whitepaper. In the ServiceNow documentation, examples are given so that the CSDM is used as intended. However, for most people, the CSDM concept is hard to understand, and -as a result, the CSDM objects are often filled with content that should not be put in that object. The CSDM content is a mixture of [...]

Like many others, I have used the Technical Business Management (TBM) Taxonomy of the TBM Open Forum in the ServiceNow implementations I was involved in. Rather than reinventing the wheel, I also used the definitions and the names of the solutions and the towers that the TBM Council and its community defined. At the TBM Conference 2022, the overlap of TBM Taxonomy with ServiceNow's CSDM was presented by Mark Brodman of ServiceNow. Since then, I have become a member of the TBM community and [...]