CI Types and Attributes

A Configuration Item (CI) Type characterizes the asset and defines the attributes for the asset Type. While there are certain CI types which are pre-shipped, SapphireIMS also provides an option to create new types of CI.

CI Types are grouped into modules. The pre-defined modules include 'Assets' which contain all asset related CI, 'Contract' which contain all kinds of agreements and 'CI' which is a generic module for any other type of CI. You can add additional modules. Refer to Settings->Service Desk->Assets->Add Asset Module for details.

CI Type

The first step before assets can be entered into SapphireIMS is to define the CI type which includes various attributes of the CI.

In the case of assets, each CI type definition, includes a set of fixed fields from among a set of pre-defined fields. These are grouped into components which are related to Hardware and OS, Make and Manufacturer, Purchase Details, AMC/Warranty Details and Cost Details for the purpose of depreciation. These fixed fields are not applicable to other CI or Contracts. Fixed fields can be selected from any of the component groups.

Apart from fixed fields, you can also define additional fields which contain other parameters for all CI Types.

The pre-shipped CI Types include the following types under the 'Asset' module:

Desktop
Firewall
Laptop
Mobile Device
Printer
Projector
Router
Scanner
Server
Switch
Tablet

In addition, under 'Contract' module, the CI types for 'Purchase Order', 'Service Contract' and 'Warranty Document' are pre-defined. There is a generic 'CI' module under which the 'Business Service' CI type is defined.
You can add more modules and define new CI Types. In the example shown below a separate module for 'Non IT Assets' has been created and a new CI Type for 'Air Conditioner' has been defined.
To view the CI which are configured, Click the 'Settings' tab. Click on 'Assets'. Click on ‘CI Types and Attributes’ which will display the different CI Types which could be assets, contract documents or configuration items. Both the pre-shipped and custom CI are displayed here.

You can control the displaying of pre-shipped or custom CI using Global Settings. In the Global Settings, select 'Asset Configurations CI Types Display' and set the value. If the value is set to '0', then only the custom CI (current CI) are displayed. If the value is set to '1', then only the pre-shipped CI are displayed. If the value is set to '2' then both the pre-shipped and custom CI are displayed.

Adding a new CI Type

The CI Type must be defined before assets can be added under the CI Type. To add a new CI Type follow the steps below.

Click the 'Settings' tab. Click on 'Assets'. Click on ‘CI Types and Attributes’ which will display the different CI Types which could be assets, contract documents or configuration items.
Click on 'ADD' to add a new CI. The screen for entering the CI Type details is displayed.

The fields are described in the table below.

Serial No	Field Name	Description
1	Name	Provide the user friendly name for the asset type
2	Description	Brief description of the asset type
3	Type	Select the Type as appropriate. Asset: contains information about any kind of physical asset. Contract Document: any document type may be added. CI: can be any other item type.
4	Asset Type	If you select the Type as Asset, you can select the module under which the CI Type is grouped. This is not applicable for Contract Document or CI.
5	Attach Image	Click '' sign to upload an image. Select an image from the images provided or ‘Browse’ to select the image of your choice. This image will be associated with the CI type added.
6	Format	Enter the name to appear in Asset Number Format. The string is used in building up the asset number.
7	Method	If 'New Template' is selected, the parameters have to be defined. If 'Use Template' is selected, then it displays a field to select the 'Template'. Select from among the template. The fields from the selected template is pre-populated and you can modify or add to the existing parameters.
	Fixed Field Definitions	This section allows you to add the fixed fields. Note that you must define at least one fixed field. Fixed Fields are present only for Asset CI Type. Note that for adding Fixed Fields in Custom CI, the Global Settings to display assets should be 2.
8	Component Type	Select the component type from the list. The fields are grouped into components as follows: Hardware and OS Components: Contain the fields pertaining to the hardware and OS parameters. Make and Manufacturer: Contains the details like Make, Model and Serial Number of the asset. Purchase Details: Pertains to purchase information like vendor, PO number and date, Invoice Number and date, Goods Received Note (GRN) number and date. AMC/Warranty Details: Pertains to AMC and Warranty periods and date of deployment. Cost Details: Fields related to the financial information needed for calculating depreciation.
9	Field Name	Based on the selected Component, you can select among the fields defined.
10	Is Mandatory	Check the box if the field is mandatorily required to be entered while creating the asset.
11	Is Visible MyAsset	Check the box if the field is to be displayed when the asset details are viewed under MyAsset. This may be used when hiding certain information like the cost etc., when the asset is allocated to a user.
		Click on 'Add Field' to add the fixed field. Repeat steps 8-11 to add more fixed fields.
	Field Definitions	This section allows you to add the additional fields.
12	Parameter Name	The attribute name that needs to be added for the asset. For example, for a new asset type called 'Air Conditioner' there could be an attribute called 'Capacity' which is used to capture the capacity of the air conditioner.
9	Field Option	The field option can be used to define if it will be a new field or an existing field. New Field - This lets you enter a new parameter name, a custom specific one that needs to be associated with the asset type added. Follow the steps below to add a new field. Select the 'Macro'. You can select from the various form fields which are available. The form fields are either in-built or user defined. Refer to Settings-> Service Desk Configuration->Form Fields for details on Form Fields. For example, a custom form field called 'A/C Capacity' can be defined as a select box with the capacity options statically defined from which a selection can be made. Alternatively the macro 'Generic Text Box' can be used and set as 'Is Numeric' to allow any number to be entered. Note: Please note that depending upon the macro selected some more fields will be displayed and will have to be entered. The commonly used macros along with the additional fields are given in the section 'Commonly used Macros' Existing Field - An existing field already defined for another asset type can be re-used. If you select Existing Field then the following fields are displayed: 'Asset Type': Select from among the Asset Types. 'Asset Fields': Select from among the Asset Fields which have been defined for the selected Asset Type.
10	Is Mandatory	Check this box if the attribute is mandatory as part of the asset creation.
11	Is Visible MyAsset	Check this box if the attribute has to appear in the 'My Asset' tab under CMDB.
12	Is Visible In	Select from among the component groups if this field has to appear under a component group. Otherwise do not select anything in which case the field will be displayed at the end.
	Dependent Fields	Depending on the macro selected, there could be other dependent fields which appear. These are described in the section Commonly used Macros and Dependent Fields.
14	Roles	Select the specific roles for which the field will be accessible.
15	Access Permission	Select ‘Editable’ or ‘Read only’ access permission for the field.
16	Add Permission	Click to add the selected roles and access permission. Repeat steps 14 and 15 to add more permissions.
17	Add Parameter	Add the parameter that is defined above in the ‘Field Definition’ section. Repeat to add more parameters for the asset.
18	Asset Reconciliation Type	In the case of IT assets connected to the network, they can be identified using their Host Name, BIOS address or MAC address, or the Agent tag. You can specify the reconciliation rule, to map the asset explicitly with the device discovered in the inventory. Select ‘Host Name’/ ‘BIOS or MAC’ / 'Agent Tag' depending on which identifier is to be used for the reconciliation.

Click on 'Save' to add the new CI Type.
After saving the CI Type you can edit the CI type to define the dependent field queries, the Relationship parameter and configure the Depreciation methods.

Editing CI Types

Click on any of the CI to edit. The CI details screen is displayed.

The fields are described in the section Adding a new CI Type.
Apart from modifying any fields, you can also configure the dependent fields, relationship parameter and depreciation.
To configure dependent fields, select the parameter which is a dependent field by clicking on the edit button displayed. A pop-up with the parameter details is displayed.

Check the ‘Is Dependant’ box.
Select the 'Dependant Field' from the list. All fields which are defined as a single select, multi select, searchable multi select or radio button fields are displayed.
Enter the MySQL query for retrieving the value based on the dependant field in the 'Query' field. This query will get executed once the Dependent field value is selected and the value returned by the query will be used to populate this field.

Select the ‘Relationship Parameter’. This parameter is used for display in the tree view. If this field is empty, then the asset number is displayed in the tree view. If the value is selected as some other parameter, then that parameter is displayed. In the following example, 'Make' has been selected. If the Make field is not empty then that value will be shown in the tree view for that asset.

Click ‘Update’ to save changes.
Depreciation is described in the topic Settings->Service Desk->Asset->Depreciation Configuration.

Deletion of a CI

To delete a CI Type, click ‘Delete’. A screen to select the CI is displayed.

Select the CI type which you want to delete and click on 'DELETE'.

Note: If an Asset Type/ CI Type/ Contract Type is deleted then the respective assets/ CI’s/ Contracts and its relationships will also be deleted

Commonly used Macros and dependent fields

The commonly used macros and the dependent fields are described in the table below. Note that many other macros which are there in the selection list are not relevant for CMDB.

Serial No	Macro Name	Description	Dependent Fields
1	Generic Text Box	Text Box to hold strings, numbers	'Max Length' - Max number of characters 'Min Length' - Min number of characters required 'Max Display Length' - Number of characters which are visible in the screen. You can scroll left or right to view the remaining characters. 'Is Numeric' - Field needs to be treated as a number 'Is Dependent' - Field is dependent on the value selected in a parent field which is a single select, multi select, searchable multi select or radio button fields. A MySQL query has to be written to populate the dependent field values based on the value selected in the parent field. Uncheck this box while defining the parameter. This has to be updated after the parameter is added. 'Place holder' - Not supported
2	Generic Text Area	Text Area for holding multiple lines of text.	'Max Length' - Max number of characters 'Min Length' - Min number of characters required 'Max Display Length' - Number of characters which are visible in the screen. You can scroll left or right to view the remaining characters. 'Enable HTML Rich Text' - Not supported 'Is Numeric' - Field needs to be treated as a number 'Is Dependent' - Field is dependent on the value selected in a parent field which is a single select, multi select, searchable multi select or radio button fields. A MySQL query has to be written to populate the dependent field values based on the value selected in the parent field. Uncheck this box while defining the parameter. This has to be updated after the parameter is added. 'Place holder' - Not supported
3	Generic Date Field	Date Field	None
4	Generic Title	Not supported
5	Generic Sub-Title	Not supported
6	User List	Select Box populated with list of users	'Max Display Length' - Number of characters which are visible in the screen. You can scroll left or right to view the remaining characters. 'Is Searchable' - Not supported 'Is Asset Field' - Not supported 'Enable Asset Search' - Not supported 'Is Dependent' - Field is dependent on the value selected in a parent field which is a single select, multi select, searchable multi select or radio button fields. A MySQL query has to be written to populate the dependent field values based on the value selected in the parent field. Uncheck this box while defining the parameter. This has to be updated after the parameter is added.
7	Request Listing	Select Box with a list of records in Service Desk	'Max Display Length' - Number of characters which are visible in the screen. You can scroll left or right to view the remaining characters. 'Is Searchable' - Not supported 'Is Asset Field' - Not supported 'Enable Asset Search' - Not supported 'Is Dependent' - Field is dependent on the value selected in a parent field which is a single select, multi select, searchable multi select or radio button fields. A MySQL query has to be written to populate the dependent field values based on the value selected in the parent field. Uncheck this box while defining the parameter. This has to be updated after the parameter is added.
8	Yes/No CheckBox	Used for a Yes/No check box control	None
9	Approval Manager List	Select Box populated with list of Approval Managers	'Max Display Length' - Number of characters which are visible in the screen. You can scroll left or right to view the remaining characters. 'Is Searchable' - Not supported 'Is Asset Field' - Not supported 'Enable Asset Search' - Not supported 'Is Dependent' - Field is dependent on the value selected in a parent field which is a single select, multi select, searchable multi select or radio button fields. A MySQL query has to be written to populate the dependent field values based on the value selected in the parent field. Uncheck this box while defining the parameter. This has to be updated after the parameter is added.
10	Field prefixed with INV-	Text Box to hold strings pertaining to asset inventory	'Max Length' - Max number of characters 'Min Length' - Min number of characters required 'Max Display Length' - Number of characters which are visible in the screen. You can scroll left or right to view the remaining characters. 'Place holder' - Not supported
11	Dependent Select Box	This can be used when a dependent Select Box is required.	'Max Display Length' - Maximum number of characters which the field can hold as you select multiple items. 'Is Searchable' - Not supported 'Is Asset Field' - Not supported 'Enable Asset Search' - Not supported 'Is Dependent' - Field is dependent on the value selected in a parent field which is a single select, multi select, searchable multi select or radio button fields. A MySQL query has to be written to populate the dependent field values based on the value selected in the parent field. Uncheck this box while defining the parameter. This has to be updated after the parameter is added.
12	Dependent Searchable Multi Select Box	This can be used when a dependent Select Box is required.	'Max Display Length' - Maximum number of characters which the field can hold as you select multiple items. 'Number of rows' - Number of rows which are displayed. 'Enable Asset Search' - Not supported 'Is Dependent' - Field is dependent on the value selected in a parent field which is a single select, multi select, searchable multi select or radio button fields. A MySQL query has to be written to populate the dependent field values based on the value selected in the parent field. Uncheck this box while defining the parameter. This has to be updated after the parameter is added.
13	Department List	Select Box populated with list of Departments	'Max Display Length' - Number of characters which are visible in the screen. You can scroll left or right to view the remaining characters. 'Is Searchable' - Not supported 'Is Asset Field' - Not supported 'Enable Asset Search' - Not supported 'Is Dependent' - Field is dependent on the value selected in a parent field which is a single select, multi select, searchable multi select or radio button fields. A MySQL query has to be written to populate the dependent field values based on the value selected in the parent field. Uncheck this box while defining the parameter. This has to be updated after the parameter is added.
14	Location List	Select Box populated with list of Locations	'Max Display Length' - Number of characters which are visible in the screen. You can scroll left or right to view the remaining characters. 'Is Searchable' - Not supported 'Is Asset Field' - Not supported 'Enable Asset Search' - Not supported 'Is Dependent' - Field is dependent on the value selected in a parent field which is a single select, multi select, searchable multi select or radio button fields. A MySQL query has to be written to populate the dependent field values based on the value selected in the parent field. Uncheck this box while defining the parameter. This has to be updated after the parameter is added.
15	Yes/No Radio Button	Used for a Yes/No radio button control	None