CMDB Activity and Time Machine
Last Updated: September 28, 2026
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Overview
CMDB Activity shows what changed in your CMDB between completed syncs. Time Machine shows the same changes in the topology of the Dependency Map. Together they answer three questions:
- What changed, and when?
- Where does the change sit in the topology?
- Did a change request cover the change?
CMDBx compares completed syncs. It does not observe ServiceNow continuously between syncs.
CMDB Activity
Go to CMDB > Activity.
Select a Sync Run
By default, CMDB Activity shows the Latest completed sync. Use the sync run list to select an earlier completed sync. CMDBx compares the selected sync with the sync before it.
Sync Run Summary
The summary shows these counts for the selected sync:
| Count | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CIs Added | CIs that are new in this sync |
| CIs Updated | CIs with changed tracked attributes |
| CIs Removed | CIs that are no longer in the CMDB |
| Critical Changes | Changes with critical impact |
| Rels Added, Rels Removed, Rels Updated | Relationship changes |
| Health Drops | CIs whose health score went down |
Filter Changes
Use the filters to narrow the change list:
- Change domain: All changes, CI attributes, CI lifecycle, Relationships, or Health
- Impact: the impact level of the change
- CI class: for example,
cmdb_ci_linux_server - Field: a tracked attribute name
- Coverage: All coverage, Covered, or Uncovered
Click a change to open Selected change. The panel shows the evidence for the change, the CI, and links to related work.
Drift and Change Coverage
When Operational Context is on, CMDBx syncs structured change request history from ServiceNow. It then checks each attribute and lifecycle change against that history:
| Coverage | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Covered | A change request for the CI overlaps the time of the change. |
| Uncovered | CMDBx found no overlapping change request for the CI. |
| Not assessed | CMDBx cannot assess coverage, for example because Operational Context is off. |
Uncovered means that CMDBx found no overlapping change request in the configured window. It does not prove that the change was unauthorized, and it does not show what caused the change.
To turn on Operational Context, ask CMDBx support to enable it for your tenant. Then a tenant administrator turns it on for each environment in Settings > Sync Config.
Time Machine in the Dependency Map
Show Changes From a Sync
- Go to Dependency Map.
- Turn on Time Machine.
- Select a completed sync run.
- CMDBx marks the changed CIs and relationships on the map. Unchanged topology stays visible as neutral context.
From CMDB Activity, you can open a changed CI in the Dependency Map. CMDBx keeps the sync run and the CI selection.
Rebuild Historical Topology
Time Machine can also rebuild the topology around a CI at an earlier time.
- Go to Dependency Map.
- Select the CI.
- In the Time Machine controls, select a mode:
- Reconstruct shows a snapshot of the topology at one time.
- Compare shows the difference between two times.
- Set the time and the depth.
- Click Run & show.
In Compare mode, the canvas has three views:
- Before: the topology at the earlier time
- After: the topology at the later time
- Changes: both, with added items in green, removed items in red, and changed or reclassified CIs in amber
A time resolves to the nearest completed sync at or before that time. The panel shows the resolved sync and the completeness of the result.
Blast Radius, Exposure Analysis, and Focus mode use the current CMDB mirror. CMDBx turns them off while the map shows historical topology. Click Return to live topology to use them again.