Asset/CI Relationship Map

This introduction article will help support staff view and manage relationships between assets and configuration items using the TDNext interface.

This introduction article will help support staff view and manage relationships between assets and configuration items using the TDNext interface. The user must have access to the Assets/CIs application.

Overview

When an outage occurs or is planned, communication with impacted users is critical. The relationship map allows supporting staff to view the upstream and downstream impacts of a planned change or an unplanned outage in a graphical format. It also allows supporting staff to communicate with the owners of the configuration items (CIs) who may be impacted.

Where to Find This

This feature appears in the TDNext and TDAdmin interfaces.

TDNext is where support staff can view the relationship map and modify relationships between CIs.

TDAdmin is where administrators can create and modify the relationship types that appear in TDNext.

Navigate to the relationship map by following this path:

• TDNext > [application menu] > [Assets/CIs application] > Assets or Configuration Items > [click an asset or CI] > Relationships tab > View Relationship Map

Navigate to the relationship types by following this path:

• TDAdmin > Applications > [Assets/CIs Application] > Configuration Item Relationship Types

Using the Asset/CI Relationship Map

Viewing the Relationship Map

The relationship map shows up automatically once you define CI relationships, and is available from Asset Details, Service Details, and CI Details pages within TDNext.

To view the relationship map:

1. In TDNext, navigate to the Assets/CIs Application > Assets or Configuration Items.
2. Click the Name or Serial Number of the desired Asset or Configuration Item.
3. In the Asset Detail window, click the View Relationship Map button.
   • Note that this button will only appear if a relationship has been established.

Using the Relationship Map

When the relationship map opens, it will display the CI that you launched it from, plus every directly related CI.

The relationship map will only load in the same direction as the original relationship to the center CI. For example, if there are additional assets that Another Laptop depends on in the image above, they will not be loaded because the center asset was AB12474.

Elements of a Relationship

1. CI Type
2. CI Display Name
3. Move icon – Click and drag here to manually reorganize the relationship map.
4. Link to CI Details or Asset Details page.
5. Relationship type – Operational Dependencies show in red and bold, and other relationships show in a thinner black line.
6. Expand icon – Click here to expand the relationship map by loading additional CIs related to this item.
7. Tickets icon – Click here to view related open tickets for this CI. 

The relationship map toolbar allows you to zoom in and out, auto-arrange CIs, select CIs, and filter the CIs and relationships that display. The toolbar has the following options: 

Relationship Map Toolbar Items

The top of the relationship map includes buttons and icons that you can use to navigate the map. These items include:

1. ID – Displays the ID of the asset or configuration item you are currently viewing.
2. Display Name – Displays the name of the asset or configuration item you are currently viewing.
3. Zoom Out
4. Zoom In
5. Zoom to Fit – Changes the zoom level so all elements of the map appear on the screen.
6. Center – Moves the view to the central CI from which you launched the relationship map.
7. Auto-Arrange – Arranges the elements of the map on the screen.
8. Select Configuration Items – Click here to enter Select Mode and select one or more CIs. 
9. Item Count – The number of CIs displayed. When filtering, the item count will indicate how many are visible out of the total number loaded. 
10. Filter – The Filter menu allows you to filter the relationship map by name, CI Type, Active/Inactive, Relationship type, and Operational/Non-Operational Relationships.

Contacting CI Owners Using the Relationship Map

Once you've found the relevant CIs to a specific situation, you can use the relationship map to contact the owners and owning groups for those CIs.

To contact the owner of a CI:

1. TDNext > [application menu] > [Assets/CIs application] > Assets or Configuration Items > [click an asset or CI] > Relationships tab > View Relationship Map
2. Click Select Configuration Items on the toolbar. 
3. Select the appropriate CIs, using either the Select All button, the checkboxes on individual items, or by clicking and dragging to select multiple CIs at once.
4. As you select CIs, the toolbar will indicate how many items you've selected. When you've selected the appropriate items, click the [Number] items selected button to the left of the Select All button. 
5. On the Configuration Item Notification page, click the Generate Notification button to write a message to the owners or owning groups for the selected CIs.
6. Enter the Subject and Body of the email and indicate if the same message should be sent to all the Owners or Owning Groups using the Notify checkboxes.
7. Click Send.