Configuration Management Database

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What Does Configuration Management Database Mean?

A configuration management database (CMDB) is a type of database that consists of information related to all information system components in an organization and the relationship between them.

It was initially conceived and used in Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework to identify and track the information system components in an IT infrastructure/environment.

Techopedia Explains Configuration Management Database

A CMDB contains the configuration items (CI) or information system components within an enterprise IT infrastructure. It helps identify the different components of an information system and their configuration and stores this data in the form of metadata.

The CI stored by a CMDB can be any IT component from hardware, software, network and/or IS policies and documentations. Typically, a CMDB automatically detects all components/CIs within an IT infrastructure/environment and keeps track of changes as they occur. CMDB provides data about these components in an organized way, making it easier for an organization to review and evaluate the data.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.

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