The Common Service Data Model (CSDM) is the ServiceNow-developed framework recommended for implementing products and applications on the Now Platform.

The ServiceNow Common Service Data Model (CSDM) 4.0

The CSDM has evolved through multiple iterations as ServiceNow expanded beyond the IT Service Management (ITSM) use case. CSDM 4.0 incorporates multiple domains capturing elements involved in the design, build, support, delivery, and management of Technical and Business Services.

Ardoq provides a number of pre-configured, expert-guided approaches to solving key business problems, known as Solutions. These Solutions are supported by an underlying metamodel in the form of assets, workspaces, component types, and reference types that manage the data for the Solutions. Data used within the Solutions may be sourced from, or shared with, ServiceNow, and Ardoq supports an out-of-the-box (OOTB) 2-way integration with ServiceNow enabling simple data movement between the platforms.

However, the Ardoq Solutions metamodel and the CSDM are not identical, and the mapping between them may not be obvious depending on how you have chosen to configure and/or customize your ServiceNow or Ardoq Solution implementations.

This article describes Ardoq’s recommended approach to mapping between Ardoq Solution component types and CSDM elements.

The Ardoq Solutions metamodel and the CSDM have been developed for significantly different purposes. ServiceNow, and therefore the CSDM, is primarily focused on the Operations domain and the management of operational IT services. Ardoq is primarily focused on the Architecture domain and the achievement of strategic business outcomes. There is a level of commonality between these two domains but a mapping between them is required to support data exchange.

Ardoq and ServiceNow commonality

A key area of differentiation between the two models is the relationship between the Application and Server component types. ServiceNow represents separately the Business Application and each deployed runtime component of the application in each deployment environment. Ardoq Solutions, by default, abstract away the individual runtime components in each deployment environment as they are often less relevant in the Architecture domain. Owing to the way this data is structured within ServiceNow this additional set of relationships can present a challenge when importing and exporting data.

The Ardoq Solutions can be grouped according to their dependence on the relationship between the Application and Server component types. The first group of Ardoq Solutions does not have a dependency on this relationship and can be mapped without further amendment. The second group of Ardoq Solutions has a direct dependency on this relationship and additional steps are required.

The Ardoq Solutions that fall within this group are:

These Solutions contain a number of component types, not all of which map to the CSDM. The recommended mapping for component types within these Solutions is shown below:

Mapping between CSDM elements and Ardoq component types for Solutions without a dependency on the Application to Server relationship

* These parents can be derived from fields on the CSDM elements if desired

NB. Not all Ardoq reference types are shown above for reasons of clarity.

The Ardoq Solutions that fall within this group are:

These Solutions contain a number of component types, not all of which map to the CSDM. The recommended mapping for component types within these Solutions is shown below:

Mapping between CSDM elements and Ardoq component types for Solutions with a dependency on the Application to Server relationship

NB. Not all Ardoq reference types are shown above for reasons of clarity.

To successfully map the technology stack within CSDM, we recommend introducing an additional component type, Application Instance, when using data from ServiceNow.

Application Instance - It is necessary to create an additional component type to mirror the Application Service construct within ServiceNow. This component type provides the bridge between the Business Application and the collection of technology resources (CSDM Configuration Items) that make up a particular instance of that application (usually defined by location or environment). We chose to recommend naming this component type 'Application Instance' rather than 'Application Service' because many architects already associate this term with the concept in Archimate notation.

For more information about Application Services within CSDM please see: ServiceNow: Application Services

We do not provide the Application Instance component type by default in Ardoq Solution bundles nor as part of the Application Workspace definitions. Therefore, to use this component to simplify integration between Ardoq and ServiceNow, you will need to create an additional workspace in which to create the component type.

For more information on creating this component type please see Appendix A.

The addition of the Application Instance component type will allow the relationship between Application and Server to be established successfully within Ardoq. A description of the additional impacts on affected Ardoq Solutions is provided below.

You will need to amend the following Reports if you want to use them within the Solution:

AH - Servers and Services Missing Deployment Environment

Amendment: Adding the Application Instances Workspace to the report

AH DQ - Servers not Realizing any Application

Amendment: Adding the Application Instances Workspace to the report

AH DQ - Servers missing infrastructure references

Amendment: Adding the Application Instances Workspace to the report

AH DQ - Application missing infrastructure references

Amendment: Adding the Application Instances Workspace to the report will identify Applications with Instances but does not guarantee they have associated infrastructure.

All other Solution functionality will perform as expected.

Application Hosting Revised Metamodel

Application Hosting metamodel incorporating the Application Instance component type

No identified impacts.

All Solution functionality should perform as expected.

If you are using the IT Cost Management Solution you will need to add the relevant cost management fields to the Application Instance component type and associated ‘Is Supported By’ reference type. This will allow the relevant OpEx and CapEx numbers to be attributed and totalled correctly. For more information see Appendix A.

NB. Do not edit any of the field values for cost directly against Application Instance components. They are present to allow infrastructure costs to be attributed to Applications correctly.

Once configured, all Solution functionality should perform as expected.

IT Cost Management Revised Metamodel

IT Cost Management (ITCM) metamodel incorporating the Application Instance component type

You will need to amend the following Reports if you want to use them within the Solution:

ITM - Servers not supporting any applications

Amendment: Adding the Application Instances Workspace to the report

All other Solution functionality should perform as expected.

Technology Portfolio Management Revised Metamodel

Technology Portfolio Management (TPM) metamodel incorporating the Application Instance component type

The full list of mapped components and ServiceNow table information is provided below:

To assist with identifying components and making integrations more straightforward it is advised to always bring across the Sys_ID and Class fields from ServiceNow when importing data.

When importing data that is mastered in ServiceNow into Ardoq component types (Application Instance, Server) it is recommended to make these Managed Workspaces to ensure that data stays synchronized. For more information please see:

How To Import ServiceNow Data into Ardoq

Data Sync Strategy on Import | Ardoq Help

How To Create References With Your ServiceNow Data | Ardoq Help

The ServiceNow cmdb_rel_ci table can be very large as it contains relationships between all of the configuration items within ServiceNow. It is beneficial to undertake pre-filtering to identify only those relationships you wish to import. For example, to limit the relationships to only those between Business Applications and Application Services you can use the pre-filter condition:

parent.sys_class_name=cmdb_ci_business_app^child.sys_class_name=cmdb_ci_service_discovered^ORchild.sys_class_name=cmdb_ci_service_auto

The guidance above helps to clarify the preferred mechanism for mapping from Applications to Servers when using ServiceNow in accordance with CSDM.

We currently do not provide a recommended approach for mapping additional Configuration Items (CIs) as the use of these within ServiceNow is less consistent. However, from a model expansion perspective there are two basic approaches - to reuse component types, or create custom component types.

You could choose to reuse an existing component type like the Technology Service for items such as the Application CI. Or, you could choose to create custom component types to hold these CIs such as an instance of a Data Store to hold Database Instance CIs.

The reuse of existing Ardoq Solution component types or the introduction of new component types may have unknown impacts on the operation of existing or future Ardoq Solutions. If unsure, it is recommended you consult with Ardoq Professional Services or an Ardoq Partner on how best to do this.

Alternative approaches to mapping additional CSDM Configuration Items

This guidance focuses on the clearest and most common mappings between Ardoq component types and CSDM elements. There are other component types that may be mappable to the CSDM but these are not included here for one of the reasons below:

Whilst it is possible to create custom mappings between other Ardoq component types and CSDM elements these mappings are not made explicit here because of the high degree of variability in customer usage. If unsure it is recommended you consult with Ardoq Professional Services or an Ardoq Partner on how best to do this.

Name: Application Instances

Location: Application Portfolio Folder

Name: Application Instance

Location: Application Instances Workspace

Fields:

If using the IT Cost Management (ITCM) Solution then add the following existing fields to the Application Instance component type:

Name: Is Supported By

If using Application Hosting (AH) or Technology Portfolio Management (TPM) then add the following existing field to the 'Is Supported By' reference type:

If using IT Cost Management (ITCM) then add the following existing fields to the 'Is Supported By' reference type:

Metamodel for the incorporation of the Application Instance component type