Duplicate Configuration Items

Patrick_Bell

I'm trying to create configuration items within Service Manager that will represent matches. As it stands the format of the configuration item name is: YYSSSCC-TTT i.e. 171stPL-WHU
Where Y = Year, S = Squad, C = Competition and T = Opponent Team 

The details of the configuration item are all entered including dates/times of the match, however there can be times where there is a duplicate of the match code when the same opponent team is played in the same year, meaning I can't create the configuration item.

As we raise incidents against these configuration items I can't realistically delete the old ones as I assume it will lose its association with the incidents. Without expanding the year section to be 17/18 is there a way around this kind of situation at all?

Peter_Settle

I would personally add the month as well or would you play the same configuration in the same month.

I have however seen another question recently regarding duplicate entries, will try to locate it for you.

merlenette_jones

What would be the need to recreate the configuration item? In your setup is the configuration item unable to have an association to multiple items. As it stands configuration items have a one to many relationship.

Konstantin_Slavin-Bo

As your name format is not unique, you shouldn't be using it as the name for the CI, as that needs to be unique. You should either change your naming standard to something which can guarantee unique values each time, or use some kind of calculation on the name and e.g. match time to calculate a new value, which you can use to name the CIs.

You could append YY with a designation for spring and fall, or as Peter Settle suggested include the month. Or you could calculate the name based on your current name appended with the date/time for the match.

Yes, the relationship with the original CI and any incidents will be removed, if you delete the old CI, so that's not an option. You could also do something simple as just check if the name already exists, and just append the new CI's name with '-2' or similar?

The only way around not fulfilling the unique-name requirement would be to create a custom CI class, where you select something else to be the key of the CI (e.g. a custom property containing the hash of Name and Date/Time), and let the Name property be a simple required string.

Peter_Settle

Totally agree with all other comments your current configuration is too limiting and is prone to duplicates. As I suggested the easiest way would be to add the month into the equation and yes possibly the time as you could feasibly play 2 of the same configuration in the same month.