Relations between objects

You can create relations between objects in ALVAO Asset Management that describe various relationships between objects (configuration items). For example, relations can define which elements of the IT infrastructure are involved in the delivery of a particular IT service. You can then use the resulting graph to assess the impact (impact analysis) of incidents, problems and changes in the IT infrastructure.

For an overview of the relations between an object and other objects, see the graphical map on the page Objects - Object - Relation map.

You can create and edit relations directly in the map, or automated via the REST API included in the ALVAO Asset Management Enterprise API module.

When an object is moved to the Recycle bin or the Discarded assets folder all its relations are automatically removed.

Types of relations

The relation type specifies the nature of the relationship between two objects in relation. The following system relation types are available:

Relation Type	Description	Categories (system cannot be removed)
Relates to - Relates to	General relation - object A is related to object B.	system
Is used by - Uses	For example, UPS "UPS1" is used by server "SERVER1". Looking from the other side: the server is using the UPS. Thus, the correct functionality of the server depends on the functionality of the UPS. Use this type of relation to define chains of dependencies between infrastructure elements going from the basic elements to complex end IT services. This type of relations is recommended for analyzing the impact of outages and changes in IT infrastructure.	system
Is parent of - Is child of	Relations of this type are determined by the object's position in the object tree and do not appear on the Relations tab.	system
Targets - Is targeted by	The relation between risk management threats and vulnerabilities.	system
Exposes - Is exposed by	The relation between risk management vulnerabilities and assets.	system
Threatens - Is threatened by	The relation between risk management threats and assets.	system
Receives cybersec parameters - Provides cybersec parameters	The relation between risk management primary and secondary assets.	system
Hosted by - Is hosted	For example, the physical server "SERVER1" hosts the virtual server "VM1". The virtual server "VM1" is hosted by the physical server "SERVER1".	custom
Is backed up - Performs back-up	For example, the backup copy "Db1.bak" backs up the "Db1" database. Looking from the other side: Database "Db1" is backed up by backup copy "Db1.bak".	custom

If the above types are not enough, create custom relation types in Administration - Asset Management - Object relation Types.

User permissions

Only authorized users can work with relations according to the following table:

Role	View the Map of relations	Adding, editing and removing relations	Manage relation types
Asset Management administrators	Yes	Yes	Yes
Relations managers	Yes	Yes	Yes
Relations readers	Yes	No	No
Asset Management readers	No	No	No
Asset managers	No	No	No
Software license managers	No	No	No
Software and hardware scan managers	No	No	No
Accountant	No	No	No

note

The right to View relations and Relations map tabs means that the user can see the Relations and Relations map tabs, respectively, of the selected object, and all its relations (even relations to objects to which has no rights) on it.

Custom fields

You can store additional information in relations between objects using relation custom fields. Each relation type can have different custom fields. Custom field values can be mandatory, i.e, require entering a value.

To create relation custom fields:

1. Go to Administration - Custom fields. Use the New field command and enter the field attributes. Choose the NodeRelationCust value in the Table field. This way, create as many custom fields as you need.
2. Go to Administration - Asset Management - Object relation types.
3. Choose a relation type and use the Edit command to add previously created custom fields to the relation type.
4. You can enter custom field values while adding a new relation or editing an existing one on the Objects - Object - Relations tab.

Ticket - CMDB diagram tab

View relations of objects that are linked to a ticket directly on the CMDB diagram tab on the Ticket page.

Configuration steps

1. In Administration - Custom fields create a new custom field:

   • Custom field name: Ticket - Show CMDB diagram command
   • Type: bit
   • Table: tHdSectionCust
   • Column: ShowLinkDiagramActive

2. In Administration - Service Desk - Services, select required services and enable the Edit - Properties - Other - Ticket - Show CMDB diagram command option.

3. Go to Administration - Applications and enable the Ticket Show Link Diagram application.

   Manual download: TicketShowLinkDiagram.xml

To view the command, the user must be a member of the service team of the ticket service.