Entity Relationships
Visualize your IT infrastructure dependencies
KaliaOps automatically infers relationships between CMDB entities from existing data (foreign keys, VLANs, applications). The interactive dependency map visualizes these connections and enables multi-level impact analysis before changes.
How relationships work
KaliaOps automatically infers relationships between entities from existing data.
Inference principle
Instead of requiring manual relationship entry, KaliaOps analyzes:
- Foreign keys: An asset linked to an application
- VLAN assignments: Assets using the same network
- Hierarchies: Organizations, teams, sites
- ITSM links: Incidents, problems impacting assets
Benefits
- No double entry: Relationships are derived from existing data
- Always up to date: Relationships update when data changes
- Consistency: No orphan or obsolete relationships
Example
When you assign an asset to application "CRM":
- A runs_on relationship is automatically inferred
- The dependency map reflects this link
- Impact analysis includes this asset
Relationship types
KaliaOps supports 12 relationship types:
Technical relationships
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| runs_on | Application runs on asset | CRM runs on SRV-WEB-01 |
| hosts | Asset hosts application | Hypervisor hosts VMs |
| connects_to | Network connection | Server connects to switch |
| uses_vlan | Asset uses a VLAN | Server on VLAN 100 |
| contains | Physical containment | Rack contains server |
| located_at | Physical location | Server at Paris datacenter |
Business relationships
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| covered_by | Under a contract | Server covered by support contract |
| funded_by | Budget source | Project funded by IT department |
| owns | Ownership | Finance owns CRM application |
| belongs_to | Organizational assignment | Employee belongs to IT team |
| parent_of | Hierarchy | IT department parent of Dev team |
| provided_by | Service provider | Support provided by Vendor X |
Dependency map
The dependency map provides an interactive visualization of relationships.
Access
- Open any entity detail page (asset, application, etc.)
- Click "Dependency Map" or the "360°" button
Display
The map shows:
- Central node: Selected entity
- Connected nodes: Related entities
- Edges: Relationships with type labels
- Colors: Entity types (assets, applications, etc.)
Interactions
- Zoom: Scroll wheel or +/- buttons
- Pan: Click and drag the canvas
- Select: Click a node for details
- Expand: Double-click to show more relationships
Filters
Refine the visualization:
- Show/hide entity types
- Filter by relationship type
- Limit traversal depth
Impact analysis
Impact analysis uses the dependency map to assess the scope of a change.
Use case
Before a change (update, migration, decommissioning):
- Open the target entity's dependency map
- Identify all dependent entities
- Assess impact on services and users
Downstream analysis
Answers: "What depends on this asset?"
- Applications running on the asset
- Services depending on these applications
- Users impacted by these services
Upstream analysis
Answers: "What does this asset depend on?"
- Network infrastructure (VLANs, switches)
- Storage systems
- Power and cooling
Export
Export the analysis for change documentation:
- List of impacted entities
- Relationship diagram
- Communication list (impacted users)
Historical queries
Analyze relationships at a point in time:
- Select a date in the filters
- The map shows the state at that moment
- Useful for post-incident analysis
- Relationships automatically inferred from foreign keys (no manual entry)
- Interactive visualization of the dependency map
- Multi-level traversal for impact analysis
- Point-in-time historical queries supported