CMDB/ITAM Learning
Interactive simulators for ServiceNow ITAM/AMDB and CMDB. Real table and field names. Pick one and play!
ITAM/AMDB — IT Asset Management (HAM)
Models, assets, normalization, and the hardware lifecycle
Model Factory
Configure a model. Deploy a device. Watch what breaks.
A live assembly-line view of how a device becomes a Configuration Item in ServiceNow. Toggle the model category, change the product class, or remove a required field — the pipeline lights up green, amber, or red and tells you which downstream system just broke and why.
What it teaches
- cmdb_model_category → product class routing
- cmdb_hardware_product_model vs generic cmdb_model
- Asset / CI link creation via IRE
- HAM normalization and where it silently fails
Asset Lifecycle
Receive → In Use → Retired without losing the CI.
A timed run through the alm_hardware lifecycle. Every state transition fires real business rules; miss a required field and your asset gets stranded in an invalid state. See which substates trigger HAM events and where audit trails start.
What it teaches
- alm_hardware state machine and install_status values
- Substate transitions and their business rules
- Assigned_to, stockroom, location requirements per state
- What retirement actually does to the linked CI
Normalization Lab
Model in. Normalized model out. What changed and why.
Follow a cmdb_model record through the HAM normalization engine. Watch it match (or fail to match) against the product catalog, see the normalization status flip between Normalized, Not Normalizable, and Review, and trace what happens to the asset-to-model link when the original model gets remapped to a normalized record.
What it teaches
- Normalization statuses: Normalized, Not Normalizable, Review
- cmdb_model → cmdb_hardware_product_model remapping
- Asset model reference rebinding after normalization
- Impact on HAM reports and asset accuracy
CMDB — Configuration Management
Discovery, reconciliation, lifecycle stages, and CI relationships
IRE Factory
Two sources disagree. Set the rules. Watch who wins.
Two discovery sources push conflicting values for the same CI. You configure the IRE — set identification rules, define data source precedence, adjust reconciliation priorities, and watch the engine either converge or flap.
What it teaches
- IRE identification rules and matching criteria
- Data source precedence and priority ordering
- Reconciliation rules and conflict resolution
- Flapping detection and how to stop it
CSDM Lifecycle
Design → Build → Operate → Retire. Every stage has rules.
Walk a CI through the four CSDM lifecycle stages and their substatus values. See which fields lock, which downstream records update, and what happens when you skip a stage or set a status that doesn't belong.
What it teaches
- life_cycle_stage and life_cycle_stage_status fields
- Valid stage → status combinations
- Impact on CMDB health scoring and compliance
- How lifecycle stage drives asset and service visibility
Asset ↔ CI Sync
One record changes. Does the other follow?
Modify fields on an alm_hardware record and watch which values propagate to the linked cmdb_ci — and which don't. Then do it in reverse. See exactly which fields are synced, which direction they flow, and what breaks the link entirely.
What it teaches
- alm_hardware ↔ cmdb_ci field synchronization rules
- Which fields are source-of-truth on which side
- What breaks the asset-to-CI reference link
- How disposal and retirement cascade across both records
ITAM/AMDB — IT Asset Management (SAM)
Software licensing, entitlements, normalization, and compliance