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Glossary#

IT speaks its own language. This glossary helps you understand what lies behind the terms in i-doit. Here you will find the most important technical terms related to the CMDB, object types, categories, and other concepts in i-doit -- sorted alphabetically with brief explanations.

Term Explanation
General Category The "General" category belongs to those categories that are an integral part of every object. Therefore, it cannot be deselected per object type. This category records important attributes such as the object title, SYS-ID, CMDB status, and condition.
Attribute An attribute is a documented value of an object. Similar attributes are grouped into categories in i-doit. Example: the CMDB status in the "General" category.
Attribute Field In the i-doit web GUI, attributes of objects are saved and edited via form fields. These fields are therefore called attribute fields. They can be of various types: single-line or multi-line text fields, date fields, HTML editors, object browsers, Dialog-Plus fields, and many more.
Custom Category A category that has been created by a user and configured with one or more attribute fields is marked as custom in i-doit. A corresponding article provides instructions for creation.
Configuration Management Database (CMDB) A Configuration Management Database, or CMDB, allows the management of and access to Configuration Items (CI). As software for IT documentation, i-doit covers important functionalities of a CMDB. More information about CMDBs is available on Wikipedia.
CMDB Status To document the lifecycle of an object, such as a server or software, i-doit uses the CMDB status. This is documented per object as an attribute of the "General" category. In the default state of i-doit, it includes important stages in a lifecycle. Examples are "In operation", "Planned", "Defective". See also Condition.
Dialog-Plus Field A Dialog-Plus field is an attribute field for selecting a preconfigured value. In web terminology, it is called a dropdown field. Any number of additional values can be added or edited. In some cases, i-doit already comes with preconfigured Dialog-Plus fields.
Extension Extensions are available free of charge and provide additional functions for your documentation. They can be downloaded via the customer portal. installation is done separately via the i-doit Admin Center.
Field See Attribute Field
Global Category A global category can in principle be assigned to any object type, so that its attributes are available to the respective objects.
i-doit The name i-doit is a play on words and originally stands for "I document IT". And yes, we know the joke with i-diot!
IT Documentation IT documentation encompasses technical documentation, administrative management, consolidation of ITSM data, and modeling of services. The technical part includes the configuration of objects and their relationships to each other. i-doit provides a multidimensional data model for this purpose, to collect, process, and reuse data in different contexts in a structured manner. IT documentation is to be understood as a discipline of IT Service Management (ITSM), which plays a significant role in every IT organization. The terms "IT documentation" and "CMDB" are often used interchangeably.
Category Thematically related attributes are grouped into categories per object. There are three types of categories: global, specific, and custom. They are further divided into single-value and multi-value categories. Some categories are backward, while others serve as views. Finally, there are special categories like "General" or the "Overview Page".
Category Folder Some thematically related categories are grouped into a folder structure. An example is the "Network" category folder, which contains the documentation of physical and logical ports as well as interfaces in dedicated subcategories. This folder structure cannot be edited, nor can only subcategories be configured per object type.
List Category See Multi-Value Category
Multi-Value Category When the attributes of a category can be documented multiple times per object, it is called a multi-value category. An example is the "CPU" category: for a multi-socket system, each CPU can be documented separately with frequency, core count, etc. The counterpart is the single-value category.
Module Modules are paid extensions with a significantly larger feature set. They are provided after purchase and can be installed via the i-doit Admin Center.
Object Objects in i-doit are all things documented in IT documentation, whether physical devices like servers or clients, or logical constructs like networks or services. An object is defined by its object type, which determines which attributes can be populated with values. In ITIL, the term "Configuration Item (CI)" is used. In asset management, the term "asset" is common. The term "object" aims to establish a more abstract and thus universally applicable definition.
Object Browser When objects are in a relationship, this relationship is often documented in i-doit via an object browser. This is an attribute field used in many categories. An example is the attribute "Purchased from" in the "Accounting" category, to document from whom an object was purchased.
Object Relationship In i-doit, IT components can not only be documented standalone but also be put into relationships. There are various preconfigured relationship types that can be customized and extended. Each relationship is a separate (non-licensed) object that is automatically created, edited, or deleted. A relationship consists of a master and a slave object. Additionally, a weighting can be assigned.
Object List Any number of objects can be stored for each object type. These are displayed in i-doit in the object list as a table. The columns and which attributes they display can be configured.
Object Title Every object in i-doit receives a title. This is documented as an attribute in the "General" category. This attribute is also synonymously called "designation" or "name".
Object Type An object type is the grouping of all objects of the same type. Examples are "Router", "Server", or "Applications". This grouping is commonly also referred to as "class". In ITIL, the term "CI Type" is used.
Object Type Group In a well-maintained and well-populated IT documentation, many object types are often in use. To present this variety in a clear manner, similar object types can be grouped. These groups appear in the main navigation bar (top area) of i-doit.
Quicklaunch Widget The Quicklaunch widget enables quick access to frequently used functions in i-doit. These can be accessed directly via the widget.
Root Location This "virtual" location is needed to assign a location to those locations that are at the top of the location hierarchy.
Backward Category When two or more objects are in a relationship with each other, this is recorded in the designated category. For example, in the "Contact assignment" category, any number of persons, person groups, etc. can be assigned as contacts for an object. So that it is also visible within these persons and person groups which objects they are assigned to as contacts, an additional category "Assigned Objects" exists. Since the same information is available there but is only stored once and displayed in a different context, it is a backward category.
Single-Value Category In a single-value category, each associated attribute can only be documented once per object. An example is the category "Accounting": information about inventory number, cost center, etc. is only needed once. The counterpart is the multi-value category.
Specific Category A specific category differs from a global category in that its attributes have a very specific focus that is typically suitable for only one or a few object types. An example is the category "Rack", which is assigned to the object type of the same name "Rack" and presents a rack view to the user.
SYS-ID SYS-ID stands for "System Identifier" and automatically assigns a unique number per object. It is stored as an attribute in the "General" category. In the default state of i-doit, the SYS-ID consists of the prefix "SYSID_" and a sequence of digits. In the object type configuration, a prefix can be assigned per object type, for example "SRV_" for servers. The attribute field for the SYS-ID can be marked as read-only under Administration > [Tenant Name] Administration > CMDB.
Overview Page The overview page is displayed when opening an object in the i-doit web GUI. It consists of the "General" category and optionally additional categories assigned to the object type. These can be selected/deselected and sorted in the object type configuration.
View Category In some categories, no attributes can be stored per object. They serve to evaluate data stored elsewhere. The processed data cannot be edited. An example is the "Object Vitality" category, an evaluation of the "CPU", "Memory", "Port", and "Software Assignment" categories.
Condition To describe the lifecycle of IT documentation, the attribute "Condition" is used, which is recorded in the "General" category per object. Every newly created object receives the condition "normal". When the documentation of an object is no longer needed, it can be "archived". The next step in the lifecycle is the condition "deleted". Up to this point, the documented data remains completely preserved in the IT documentation but is hidden. Only the final step "purge" irrevocably deletes the documentation of an object including its associated object relationships from i-doit. See also CMDB Status.