--- title: Configuration Management description: The Configuration Management Database \(CMDB\) application is a centralized source that gives you full visibility into your IT environment. By storing information about your organization's infrastructure and how it is configured, this system allows you to monitor your network and help improve stability and best performance. Other ServiceNow applications enhance the effectiveness of the CMDB application or closely overlap to enable needed business goals. locale: en-US canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/servicenow-platform/configuration-management-database-cmdb/manage-cmdb.html release: australia product: Configuration Management Database \(CMDB\) classification: configuration-management-database-cmdb topic_type: concept last_updated: "2026-03-12" reading_time_minutes: 2 breadcrumb: [Extend ServiceNow AI Platform capabilities] --- # Configuration Management The Configuration Management Database \(CMDB\) application is a centralized source that gives you full visibility into your IT environment. By storing information about your organization's infrastructure and how it is configured, this system allows you to monitor your network and help improve stability and best performance. Other ServiceNow® applications enhance the effectiveness of the CMDB application or closely overlap to enable needed business goals. ## Overview of CMDB \[Omitted video\] Description: CMDB Overview ## Configuration Management Database \(CMDB\) Create models of your infrastructure using Configuration Management. Store your infrastructure data, represented by configuration items \(CI\)—all the computers, servers, routers, database instances, and services in your network. Analyze trends, reduce problems, and handle incidents by monitoring relationships between CI. ## Common Service Data Model \(CSDM\) Ensure your data is consistent across every database and ready for every ServiceNow product. The CSDM provides standard terms and definitions for your CI, and any IT services you use. Map your data to CMDB tables clearly using this modeling to provide it to the apps that use it, across the entire ServiceNow AI Platform. ## Application services Use application services to represent and manage operations of various ServiceNow business units and products. An application service is a set of interconnected applications and hosts which are configured to offer a service to the organization such as an organization's internal email system. The various CIs and the relationships between them comprise an application service and are stored in the CMDB. ## Data integration Populate the CMDB by importing and integrating third-party data into the CMDB, in bulk. Use Service Graph connectors to specify process parameters and any needed conversions to be applied to the imported data. Such integrations utilize robust CMDB processes, such as Identification and Reconciliation, to ensure the integrity of the CMDB after third-party data integrations. ## Troubleshoot and get help - [White Paper: ServiceNow CMDB - Unlocking the Power of Configuration Management](https://www.servicenow.com/community/servicenow-ai-platform-forum/white-paper-servicenow-cmdb-unlocking-the-power-of-configuration/m-p/3037771) - [Whitepaper: CMDB Design Guidance](http://www.servicenow.com/content/dam/servicenow/documents/whitepapers/wp-cmdb-design-guidance.pdf) - [CMDB 101 - What is a configuration management database and why do you need one?](https://community.servicenow.com/community?id=community_blog&sys_id=e913125fdbd9d7404837f3231f9619de) \(ServiceNow® Community post\) - [Search the Known Error Portal for known error articles](https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0597477) - [Contact Customer Service and Support](https://support.servicenow.com/now?draw=case)