Data Foundations (CMDB and CSDM) study plan

Data Foundations (CMDB and CSDM) · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 6 hours per week

Week 1

Configuration Management Database (CMDB) Fundamentals

Define what a CMDB is and distinguish it from a configuration management system (CMS) and from asset inventory
List the core CMDB record types (CI, class, attribute, relationship) and explain each in your own words
Map the CMDB's purpose to at least three downstream IT processes such as incident, change, and problem management
Identify the common failure modes of CMDB initiatives (stale data, unclear ownership, over-scoped classes) and note one mitigation for each

A one-page written glossary of 15 CMDB terms with a one-sentence definition and a real-world example for each

Week 2

Trace the lifecycle of a configuration item from creation through retirement and identify who owns each stage
Differentiate configuration items from assets and give three borderline examples with a justified classification
Explain the role of class hierarchy and inheritance in defining CI attributes
Describe how discovery, service mapping, and manual entry each populate the CMDB and when each is appropriate

A decision table classifying 20 sample IT objects as CI, asset, both, or neither, with a one-line rationale per row

Week 3

Explain the purpose of the CMS as the broader system that contains the CMDB and supporting data sources
Describe the intended outcomes of CSDM and the business problems it was designed to solve
Contrast a CMDB built without a common data model against one aligned to CSDM
Summarize how CSDM supports service owners, application owners, and infrastructure teams differently

A 400-word comparison write-up contrasting an ad hoc CMDB with a CSDM-aligned CMDB, including three concrete risks avoided

Week 4

Name the CSDM domains and describe what each domain is responsible for
Explain the layered structure of CSDM and what belongs in each layer
Distinguish foundational data from non-foundational or optional data and explain why foundational data is prioritized
Identify the key record types in the foundational layer and how they relate to one another

A hand-drawn or text-based diagram of the CSDM layers and domains with at least 12 labeled record types placed in the correct layer

Week 5

Model a sample business service decomposed into its underlying technical and application services
Assign ownership roles (business owner, service owner, technical owner) to each record in your sample model
Describe how foundational data enables service-level reporting and impact analysis
Identify three common modeling mistakes in the foundational layer and how to correct each

A worked end-to-end example of one business service mapped down to infrastructure, with owners and relationship types annotated on every link

Week 6

Define the dimensions of CMDB health such as completeness, correctness, compliance, and currency
Design a set of health metrics and thresholds for a hypothetical CMDB and justify each threshold
Explain the difference between CI-to-CI relationships and service-to-CI relationships and when each is used
Describe how service mapping discovers and maintains application service relationships
Outline a governance model including data owners, stewardship, and review cadence

A CMDB health scorecard template with at least six metrics, definitions, targets, and an assigned owner per metric

Week 7

Draft a remediation workflow for stale or orphaned CIs including detection, notification, and resolution steps
Design a change-review checkpoint that prevents unmanaged CI creation
Model a dependency chain for a three-tier application and validate it against a described failure scenario
Explain how relationship data supports impact analysis during an incident

A one-page remediation and governance runbook covering detection, escalation, and closure of unhealthy CI records

Week 8

Identify the stakeholder questions that CMDB and CSDM data can answer for executives, service owners, and operations
Select three reports or dashboards that demonstrate value and describe the data each depends on
Connect CSDM maturity to measurable outcomes such as reduced incident resolution time or improved change success
Review your earlier deliverables and consolidate weak areas into a final self-assessment checklist

A value-realization brief with three proposed reports, the CSDM data each requires, and the outcome metric each report supports

Week 2: Can define CMDB, CMS, CI, and asset without notes and correctly classify 15 of 20 objects in your decision table

Week 4: Can name every CSDM domain, explain the layer structure, and place 10 of 12 record types correctly in your diagram

Week 6: Can explain CMDB health dimensions and produce a scorecard with at least six metrics and owners

Week 8: Can articulate the business value of CSDM and connect at least three reports to outcome metrics