Custom Objects
Custom objects allow you to represent business concepts that are not covered by the out‑of‑the‑box CMDB schema and to link them to discovered configuration items (CIs). Examples include physical and IT assets, applications, services, cost centers, operational tasks, terminated users, etc.
Cloudaware leverages the Force.com platform, so custom objects follow the same patterns as native objects: they support custom fields, relationships, page layouts, list views, and security controls.
When to Create a Custom Object
Create a custom object when:
- You need to track a concept (for example, Account Group, Business Unit, Device, etc.) that does not have a suitable standard CMDB object.
- Multiple CIs should roll up to a single business entity for ownership, risk, or reporting.
- You want to attach workflows, approvals, or change tracking to that entity.
If you only need to add a small number of attributes to an existing CI (for example, “Data Classification” on an EC2 instance), consider using custom fields instead of a new object.
Defining Fields and Relationships
For each custom object:
- Identify required fields and lifecycle (for example, status, owner, environment, criticality).
- Add custom fields using supported field types (picklists, text, dates, lookups, encrypted fields, etc.).
- Define relationships to existing CMDB objects (for example, Application ↔ Instances, Databases, Load Balancers) so you can navigate impact and dependency views.
- Decide which relationships should be maintained manually, by enrichment rules, or by automation workflows.
Custom Object with Fields Example
Custom object: Operational Task Operational_Task__c
| Field Label | Field Name | Data Type |
|---|---|---|
| Audit Method | auditMethod__c | Text |
| Created By | CreatedById | Lookup(User) |
| Driving Requirement | drivingRequirement__c | Text |
| Frequency | Frequency__c | Picklist |
| Last Modified By | LastModifiedById | Lookup(User) |
| Maturity Level | maturityLevel__c | Picklist |
| Method | method__c | Long Text Area |
| Operational Task Name | Name | Text |
| Owner | OwnerId | Lookup(User,Group) |
| Vendor | vendor__c | Text |
Ownership, Governance, and Security
Establish clear governance for custom objects:
- Define who owns each object type and who is allowed to create or modify records.
- Use role‑based access controls and field‑level security so sensitive fields (for example, data classification or regulatory scope) are only visible to appropriate users.
- Enable change tracking and history on key fields to support audits and approvals.
Over time, review custom objects and fields to retire unused elements and keep the CMDB model understandable.
Notes
To keep custom data in alignment with Cloudaware data model, prefer using defined naming conventions. See Naming & Identifiers and Normalization Rules for guidance.