The map is not the estate

Every configuration database starts out accurate and immediately begins lying. Not because anyone is careless — because the estate keeps moving and the record doesn’t.

The useful question isn’t “is the CMDB correct?” It’s “how quickly does it notice when it stops being correct?”

Freshness beats completeness

A database covering 60% of the estate, refreshed nightly, is worth more than one covering 95% that was last verified in March. The first tells you something you can act on. The second tells you something you have to verify before acting on, which is the same as telling you nothing.

If a record has to be double-checked before use, it isn’t a record. It’s a rumour.

Things worth measuring

• Percentage of assets seen by discovery in the last 7 days
• Assets with no owner
• Assets that appeared and disappeared inside one month

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