A **configuration management database** (**CMDB**) is a repository that acts as a data warehouse for [[IT organization|information technology organizations]], storing information about hardware and software assets, commonly referred to as [[Configuration item|configuration items]] (CIs), and the relationships between them. The CMDB provides a unified view of an organization's IT infrastructure and services, enabling [[Information technology service management|IT service management]] (ITSM) processes such as [[Change management (ITSM)|change management]], [[Incident management (ITSM)|incident management]], and [[Problem management|problem management]] to access accurate and current information about the IT environment. The concept of the CMDB originated from the [[ITIL|Information Technology Infrastructure Library]] (ITIL) framework, which defines it as a fundamental component of [[Configuration management|configuration management]]. According to ITIL, a CMDB should contain not only information about individual configuration items—such as [[Server (computing)|servers]], [[Software application (CSDM)|applications]], [[Computer network|networks]], and [[Database|databases]]—but also the dependencies and relationships between them. This relational data allows organizations to understand how changes to one component may affect others, supporting [[Impact analysis (ServiceNow)|impact analysis]] and [[Root cause analysis|root cause analysis]] during service disruptions. Implementing and maintaining an accurate CMDB presents significant challenges for organizations, including data quality issues, the complexity of tracking dynamic and [[Virtualization|virtualized]] environments, and the difficulty of keeping information current as infrastructure changes. Modern CMDB solutions often incorporate [[Discovery (computing)|automated discovery]] tools to scan networks and populate the database, as well as [[Federation (information technology)|federation]] capabilities to integrate data from multiple sources. Major vendors of CMDB software include [[ServiceNow|ServiceNow]], [[BMC Software|BMC Software]], [[Micro Focus|Micro Focus]], and [[IBM|IBM]], with many solutions forming part of broader IT service management platforms.