Module B

Introduction

With CMDBuild the system administrator can build and extend its own CMDB, modeling it according to the company needs. The Administration Module allows you to progressively add new classes of items, new attributes and new relations, to define filters, "views" and access permissions limited to rows and columns of every class.

The management of a Configuration Database (CMDB) means keeping up-to-date and available to your organization the database related to the configuration items in use, their relations and their changes over time. The update and the consultation of the CMDB are made through the Management Module.


Topics

The Module B is designed to introduce:

  • what is it and what is the usefulness of a CMDB
  • the philosophy of CMDBuild about the database structure, based on the choice of leaving every user the ability to configure from scratch your own data model based on their own needs
  • the working methodology suggested to perform this work, based on the design through an external editor of the E-R conceptual database model and the subsequent creation of the physical model in CMDBuild
  • the logical mechanisms implemented in CMDBuild to support this philosophy, including in particular:
    • the concepts of "class" and "attribute" (including special attributes "lookup" and "reference")
    • the concept of "domain"
    • the concept of "inheritance" between classes
    • the concept of “full versioning” of the data
  • the guidelines suggested to configure a data model with the right level of detail, optimized to produce a user interface more "usable", simple to interrogate via SQL, arranged for successive evolutions
  • the CMDBuild Administration Module, and in particular the features through which to configure or change a custom data model
  • the pgAdmin tool (tool "client" of the PostgreSQL database), through which access to the physical database and run the queries for use them in reports, in the dashboard, in the views or to perform the massive import of the initial data
  • the physical mechanisms implemented in the PostgreSQL database to support the logical mechanisms provided by CMDBuild: database schemas, table structure, historicizing tables, triggers and trigger functions, system classes
  • the management of documents and files that could be attach to cards
  • the use of georeferences on the territory, on 2D floor plans, on 3D IFC models
  • the Management Module, and in particular the features through which use the model configured with the Administration Module to insert, update and consult the information on the assets (data, relations, history, documents, georeferences)
  • the suggested guidelines for the initial population of the database
  • the guidelines suggested for maintaining the validity of a CMDB, both organizational (definition of roles, responsibilities, operating procedures) and technical (automatic data synchronization through connectors, workflow to ensure the data update in a guided and controlled mode, audit reports)

Duration

4 sessions of 4 hours each


Prerequisites

The training session requires as a prerequisite a good knowledge of relational databases and of the SQL language.


Teaching Methodology

The course will be conducted by:

  • frontal lessons
  • explanation of use of the proposed tools
  • individual and group exercises


Other conditions

Training activities can be carried out using remote collaboration tools, in Italian or English during the working days, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (CET) in 4 hours per session.

The training requires the trainees have:

  • a working CMDBuild installation, including the Liferay portal, on a physical or virtual server that meets technical requirements
  • one or more PC clients (depending on the number of people involved) with access to:
    • the CMDBuild application (using a web browser)
    • the PostgreSQL database (using the PgAdmin tool)

Every course would have a maximum of three persons attending.


Aims

At the end of the course the trainees:

  • will know the philosophy of CMDBuild about the structure of the database and the basic mechanisms made available by the system
  • will be able to design a data model according to the best practices suggested
  • will be able to configure the data model using the CMDBuild Administration Module
  • will be able to use the data model using the CMDBuild Management Module
  • will be able to use the pgAdmin tool to operate on the physical database, and in particular to write and execute queries and functions, create simple trigger, run checks on the data


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