Forrester’s Definition Of A CMDB

Forrester defines a CMDB as a fundamental component of the information technology infrastructurelibrary (ITIL) framework that provides a unified repository of data about configuration items (CI) — any system component with configurable attributes — and describes the relationships between those CIs. From this, we can derive the main characteristics of a CMDB:

A CMDB is a repository of information about all configurable IT components. This repository should include all the physical, logical, and human elements used in the production of IT services.

A CMDB component has configuration attributes. Configuration attributes are all the parameters that determine the behavior of a component during production. They could be characterized as physical, logical, organizational, or financial.

A CMDB contains component relationships. The components are linked together to provide a service, and it is the service that links these components to the business process.The service may be as simple as an application, but it may also include several applicationsthat are logically grouped to provide a complete service to support the business process.

A CMDB is a fundamental component of the ITIL framework. All information recorded inthe CMDB exists solely to support the information technology service management (ITSM) processes described by ITIL. Therefore, a complete CMDB contains information dictated byITIL. Because its content is guided by ITIL, building a CMDB must start with the management process to the CI, the CI attributes, and its relationships to other CIs.

For more information on Forrester’s Definition Of A CMDB please refer to the following document -
http://www.bmc.com/USA/Corporate/attachments/TEI_CMDB_FINAL_Case_Study_to_BMC-USA_Version_12-27-06.pdf