Understanding Configuration Management System (CMS) and Configuration Management Database (CMDB) – Part 3

Supplier Management is the ITIL V3 process responsible for defining and maintaining the Supplier and Contracts Database (SCD), which is a database or structured Document used to manage supplier contracts throughout their lifecycle. The SCD contains key attributes of all contracts with suppliers, and should be part of the Configuration Management System (CMS), which is a subset of the overall Service Knowledge Management System (SKMS).

As mentioned in my previous post, a CMDB is a database within a CMS. At the data level, the Configuration Management System (CMS) may take data from several physical CMDBs, which together constitute a federated CMDB. Other data sources will also plug into the CMS such as the definitive media libraries (DML).

Ideally, a SCD (Supplier and Contracts Database) which stores information on supplier and contracts used in service management is also a database within the CMS. Relationship information between a Service to Suppliers of outsourced or externally supported components that supports that specific Service should be defined and captured in the CMS. In addition, the relationships between the Service, any Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Underpinning Contracts (UCs) linked to that Service ought to be captured as well. These information forms part of the Logical Configuration Model of that Service. Using this Logical Configuration Model, any Service Management staff can easily trace the components used to support the Service, related SLAs and contracts and also finds information about the related suppliers.

Be careful of the inconsistency in the naming of the terms. A “gotcha” if you are taking the ITIL examinations. There is no “Supplier Management Information System” or SMIS, unlike the new ITIL V3 terms Availability Management Information System (AMIS) or Capacity Management Information System (CMIS) which are information systems used to support Availability Management and Capacity Management respectively. The information system to support Supplier Management is simply called SCD (like the old ITIL V2 Availability Database or ADB and Capacity Database or CDB). By the way, there is a SMIS in ITIL V3 but it stands for Security Management Information System.