Standard CMDB - quick start guide
Standard CMDB - quick start guide
Your team needs a CMDB that tracks servers, maps service dependencies, and tells you who to call when something breaks at 2 AM. But building one from scratch means weeks of schema design, arguments about attribute naming, and the creeping fear that you will get the structure wrong and have to migrate live data later. The Standard CMDB skips all of that.
With JSM LaunchPad, you deploy a complete 12-object-type, ITIL-aligned Configuration Management Database in a minute or two. This guide walks you through everything: what each object type does, how to populate it, and the queries that make it useful day-to-day.
What's in this guide
This guide starts with schema architecture and prerequisites on this page, then continues across two companion pages. Read the overview below first, then work through each page in order or jump straight to whatever you need.
| Page | What it covers | Reading time |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment and population guide | Step-by-step deployment, first records to add, population sequence, and scoping advice | ~8 min |
| AQL queries, integration patterns, and FAQ | Operational queries, discovery tool integration, cloud sync, and frequently asked questions | ~10 min |
When to use this schema
The Standard CMDB is the most versatile schema in the JSM LaunchPad catalogue, covering traditional IT infrastructure with ITIL alignment. Deploy it in these scenarios:
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Mid-size IT operations: You manage 50-500 servers, multiple databases, and network devices and need structured tracking with service dependency mapping.
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ITIL Configuration Management: You are implementing ITIL practices and need a CMDB that aligns with CI categories for change management and impact analysis.
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Hybrid infrastructure: You run a mix of physical servers, virtual machines, and cloud resources and need a single schema that covers all three.
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Service desk integration: You want incident and change management tickets linked to Configuration Items for faster resolution and impact assessment.
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Software licence tracking: You need basic licence tracking alongside infrastructure management without deploying a separate SAM schema.
Choose this schema if you are a mid-size IT organisation (50-500 employees) with traditional infrastructure, need ITIL-aligned Configuration Management, and want a single comprehensive schema. It includes its own organisational objects (Person, Team, Vendor, Location), so it does not require the Core Schema.
Not quite right? If you have fewer than 10 servers and just need basic tracking, use the Basic CMDB schema. If you have 500+ servers with microservices, Kubernetes, APIs, and certificate management, use the Enterprise IT schema. If you need deep domain coverage for security, SAM, or vendor management, deploy the domain-specific schema alongside the Core schema.
Schema architecture
ITIL alignment
The Standard CMDB follows ITIL Configuration Management principles, organising Configuration Items into logical categories that support service management processes.
| ITIL Category | Schema Object Types |
|---|---|
| Hardware CIs | Server, Network Device |
| Software CIs | Application, Database, Software License |
| Service CIs | Business Service |
| Documentation CIs | Document |
| Organisational CIs | Person, Team, Location, Vendor |
| Cloud CIs | Cloud Resource |
Three-tier object hierarchy
The schema organises its twelve object types into three tiers based on their role in service delivery:
Tier 1 (Foundation): Location, Vendor, Team, Person. These objects provide organisational context and ownership for all other CIs.
Tier 2 (Infrastructure): Server, Database, Network Device, Cloud Resource. These objects represent the physical and virtual infrastructure that hosts services.
Tier 3 (Service): Business Service, Application, Software License, Document. These objects represent the services and applications delivered to the business.
Relationship architecture
The Standard CMDB defines key relationships that enable service dependency mapping and impact analysis:
| Relationship | From Object | To Object | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member Of | Person | Team | Organisational structure |
| Located At | Person, Server, Network Device | Location | Physical placement |
| Supplied By | Server, Software License | Vendor | Vendor accountability |
| Hosted On | Database, Application | Server | Infrastructure dependencies |
| Uses Database | Application | Database | Data dependencies |
| Part Of Service | Application, Cloud Resource | Business Service | Service composition |
| Owned By | Business Service | Person | Service accountability |
| Supported By | Business Service | Team | Operational support |
| Licensed For | Software License | Application | Licence allocation |
| Documents | Document | Business Service | Documentation links |
Screenshot coming soon
Prerequisites
Before deploying, make sure you have the following in place:
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Jira Service Management Premium or Enterprise licence (Assets requires Premium tier minimum)
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Object Schema Manager or Jira Admin permissions
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Familiarity with basic Assets concepts (object types, attributes, references)
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Understanding of ITIL Configuration Management fundamentals
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Access to infrastructure discovery tools (optional but recommended)
Ready to deploy? Head straight to the Deployment and Population Guide section above if you already know this is the right schema for you.
Related documentation
This guide is part of the Standard CMDB Schema v2.1 documentation suite:
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Standard CMDB - Governance Playbook → Data governance framework including ownership model, review cadences, and RACI matrix
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Standard CMDB - Forms Specification → Detailed form configurations for CI creation and updates
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Schema Documentation → Browse all available JSM LaunchPad templates
For platform documentation: