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Configuration Records in Problem Management

Configuration Records in Problem Management

$250.00
How you learn:
Self-paced • Lifetime updates
Toolkit Included:
Includes a practical, ready-to-use toolkit containing implementation templates, worksheets, checklists, and decision-support materials used to accelerate real-world application and reduce setup time.
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What does the Configuration Records in Problem Management course cover?

Configuration Records in Problem Management is covered here in 8 modules: Defining Configuration Item Scope and Ownership, Data Modeling and CMDB Schema Design, CI Discovery and Data Synchronization and 5 more. The outline lists 48 specific topics, opening with determine which IT components qualify as Configuration Items (CIs) based on business impact, change frequency, and interdependencies.

How do you approach Configuration Records in Problem Management step by step?

The work is sequenced in 8 stages. It starts with Defining Configuration Item Scope and Ownership, moves through Data Modeling and CMDB Schema Design and CI Discovery and Data Synchronization, and ends at Governance, Roles, and Continuous Improvement. Each stage carries its own topic list, so the sequence is followed rather than summarised.

What is in Module 1 of the Configuration Records in Problem Management course?

Module 1 is Defining Configuration Item Scope and Ownership. It works through determine which IT components qualify as Configuration Items (CIs) based on business impact, change frequency, and interdependencies., assign ownership of CI records to specific teams or roles to ensure accountability for data accuracy and updates., establish criteria for excluding transient or low-risk components from the Configuration Management Database (CMDB).

How is the Configuration Records in Problem Management course delivered?

The Configuration Records in Problem Management course is fully self-paced with immediate online access after enrolment. Access does not expire and future updates are included at no cost. It can be taken on any device, and a certificate of completion is issued by The Art of Service when you finish.

How much does the Configuration Records in Problem Management course cost?

The Configuration Records in Problem Management course is $248 as a one time payment. There is no subscription, no per seat licence and no hidden fee. Enrolment carries a 30 day satisfied or refunded guarantee, so it can be assessed in full before you commit.

Closely related courses: Reached Record in Problem Management, Configuration Records in Incident Management, Configuration Standards in Problem Management, Configuration Items in Problem Management.

More answers: what you get with every course, refund policy, all help answers.

This curriculum spans the design, governance, and operational integration of configuration records across problem management workflows, comparable in scope to a multi-phase internal capability program for CMDB maturity in a mid-to-large enterprise IT environment.

Module 1: Defining Configuration Item Scope and Ownership

  • Determine which IT components qualify as Configuration Items (CIs) based on business impact, change frequency, and interdependencies.
  • Assign ownership of CI records to specific teams or roles to ensure accountability for data accuracy and updates.
  • Establish criteria for excluding transient or low-risk components from the Configuration Management Database (CMDB).
  • Resolve conflicts when multiple departments claim ownership of overlapping CIs such as networked applications.
  • Define lifecycle stages for CIs (e.g., planning, live, retired) and enforce state transition rules in the CMDB.
  • Integrate asset procurement workflows with CI creation to ensure automatic registration upon deployment.

Module 2: Data Modeling and CMDB Schema Design

  • Select attribute sets for different CI types (e.g., servers, applications, APIs) based on support and incident diagnostic needs.
  • Design hierarchical relationships (e.g., runs-on, hosted-by) to reflect technical dependencies used in impact analysis.
  • Balance granularity of CI data against performance constraints in large-scale CMDB environments.
  • Implement custom classes for non-standard CIs such as containers or serverless functions without overcomplicating the schema.
  • Enforce data typing and validation rules to prevent inconsistent entries like free-text IP addresses or environment labels.
  • Version the CMDB schema and coordinate changes with integration partners to avoid breaking downstream tools.

Module 3: CI Discovery and Data Synchronization

  • Configure agent-based and agentless discovery tools to align with network security policies and firewall rules.
  • Suppress discovery of test or development systems to prevent CMDB pollution while preserving traceability.
  • Reconcile discrepancies between discovery output and manual CI records using automated audit workflows.
  • Set reconciliation rules for handling conflicting data sources (e.g., DNS vs. configuration management tools).
  • Schedule discovery runs to minimize performance impact on production systems and network bandwidth.
  • Integrate configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, Puppet) to feed CI attribute updates into the CMDB.

Module 4: Change-to-Configuration Linkage

  • Mandate CI updates as part of the change approval process for infrastructure and application modifications.
  • Automatically associate CIs with change records during implementation to support post-implementation reviews.
  • Enforce pre-change CI baseline capture for high-risk changes to support rollback and forensic analysis.
  • Identify and log undocumented changes by comparing post-implementation CI state with approved change records.
  • Configure change advisory board (CAB) workflows to include CI impact summaries for decision support.
  • Link emergency changes to CI updates with time-bound exceptions to maintain audit compliance.

Module 5: Configuration Data in Incident and Problem Analysis

  • Automatically populate incident records with affected CIs from service mapping data during ticket creation.
  • Use CI relationship paths to identify upstream and downstream components during root cause analysis.
  • Filter problem investigation scope by CI criticality and recent change history to prioritize efforts.
  • Correlate recurring incidents with specific CI attributes such as firmware version or data center location.
  • Generate problem tickets with pre-populated CI context to reduce diagnostic handoffs between teams.
  • Track known errors against specific CI types and versions in the knowledge base for faster resolution.

Module 6: Data Quality and Configuration Audits

  • Define and measure CI completeness, accuracy, and timeliness metrics for monthly service reporting.
  • Conduct scheduled audits by comparing CMDB records against discovery and monitoring system outputs.
  • Assign remediation tasks for stale or orphaned CIs identified during audit cycles.
  • Implement automated alerts for CIs with missing critical attributes such as support contact or location.
  • Use data quality dashboards to identify teams or systems with persistent CMDB compliance issues.
  • Adjust data collection frequency based on CI volatility and business service criticality.

Module 7: Integration with Service and Business Processes

  • Expose CI data via API to service portfolio and business impact analysis tools for decision support.
  • Map CIs to business services to enable executive-level reporting on infrastructure dependencies.
  • Integrate CMDB with disaster recovery planning tools to validate backup coverage of critical CIs.
  • Support software license compliance by linking CI inventory to license entitlement records.
  • Use CI data in capacity planning models to forecast infrastructure needs based on usage trends.
  • Enable security teams to query CI databases for systems missing patches or end-of-life components.

Module 8: Governance, Roles, and Continuous Improvement

  • Establish a Configuration Management Board to review schema changes and data policies.
  • Define role-based access controls for CI creation, modification, and deletion in the CMDB.
  • Document escalation paths for resolving CI ownership disputes between operational teams.
  • Conduct quarterly reviews of CI data usage across incident, change, and problem management.
  • Refine CI models based on feedback from problem managers and major incident post-mortems.
  • Measure the reduction in mean time to resolve (MTTR) attributable to improved CI data quality.
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