How the dependency mapping works
Overview
When you run the Show Dependency Map action for a selected object, a wizard opens. It displays a diagram of relations between the selected record and other records that are eligible for dependency tracking.
Show Dependency Map action
The Show Dependency Map action is available in the actions menu and in a dialog of an object.
The following map example shows the dependencies for the Ticket that has Services and Assets associated with this activity:
Right-click on any item to open the context menu, where you can select one of the 5 layouts:
- Standard. The default layout distributes items evenly across the chart and uses links of a consistent length.
- Organic. Multiple components are grouped into circular arrangements with larger components in the center.
- Sequential. It is a display of a clear parent-child relationship between elements to convey a level of each element.
- Lens. Highly-connected items are put in the center while the less connected ones pushed into the periphery.
- Structural. The layout puts items with similar attributes together in fans.
- Radial. The root node is placed in the center, and dependency nodes are arranged in a concentric circle.
If you right-click on an item and then select Show Details, the preview of this item will open.
The red highlight of Configuration Items (CI) is applied once a Ticket, Incident, or Service Request, regardless of its status, is associated with the CI on one of the relations SPSActivityClassIncident.Asset, SPSActivityClassIncident.AssetAffected, SPSActivityClassBase.Service or SPSActivityClassBase.ServiceAffected .
It is not applied to any other type of activity, like Change Requests or Problems.
Options Panel
Starting with version 1.2.0023, the Options panel was added to the dependency map:
This panel provides the following:
Search
Text search in the nodes lets you quickly locate Configuration Items (CIs), incidents, or services by keyword. The search results are highlighted and zoomed in on the map:
The search allows:
- Instantly filter and highlight relevant objects on the map
- Supports names, IDs, and other keyword matches
- Saves time in large environments with dense dependency structures
This usability enhancement helps administrators and support teams pinpoint issues and dependencies faster within the CMDB:
Dependency Level and Dependency Sibling Level
The Dependency Map now includes configurable options to define the depth of your analysis. The following filtering properties allow flexible scoping of the visualization, from a high-level overview to a deep dive into detailed dependencies, based on your investigative needs:
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Dependency Level lets you control how many levels of related items are visualized outward from the selected object (range 1-20).
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Sibling Level defines how many horizontal relationships between related items are displayed (range 1-10).
Filtering
Filtering the nodes and links displayed by choosing what Layers, CIs, or Types should be displayed.
The available filtering options are based on the dependency mapping configuration. For details, see Configuring the dependency mapping page.
By CIc
You can now dynamically control the visibility of CI types within the Dependency Map directly from the UI.
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Instantly show or hide CIs such as Incidents, Computers, Services, People, Network Devices, etc.
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No need to change global configuration, filters are applied in real time per session
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Makes it easier to focus on the relevant layers of infrastructure or business context
The CIs filtering option enhances clarity and gives more flexibility when analyzing complex service dependencies:
By Types
Adjusting filtering by Types, helps reduce visual noise and focus on relevant connections. It gives you more control over what relationships are visualized; toggle visibility for specific link types, such as:
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Depends On
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Affects / Affected By
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Peer-to-Peer
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Installed On
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Client / Server, and more
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Export
Export of the current view or the whole chart for reporting, documentation, or offline analysis in different formats (PNG, JPEG, PDF), adjusting content extents to the current view (default) or exporting the entire chart, and additionally adjusting the image resolution in the range from 1,000 to 5,000 pixels (default 3,000 pixels)
