Which statement correctly describes a configuration item and the configuration management database?
ITIL 4 Foundation, objective 6. Purpose and key terms of 15 ITIL practices hard
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The options
Not correct A configuration item is a component that has been deployed to the live environment; a CMDB records which releases contain it
Being live is not part of the CI definition — components in test environments can be CIs. The CMDB holds configuration records, not a release manifest.
Not correct A configuration item is any financially valuable component that can contribute to delivering an IT product or service; a CMDB stores its purchase and depreciation data
Financial value is the test for an IT asset, not a configuration item. Many CIs, such as documentation or a network route, have no financial value, and some assets are not managed as CIs.
Correct A configuration item is any component that needs to be managed in order to deliver an IT service; a CMDB is a database used to store configuration records throughout their lifecycle
Correct. Both definitions match: the CI is the managed component, and the CMDB holds the records that describe CIs and their relationships across their lifecycle.
Not correct A configuration item is any component a user can request from the organization; a CMDB stores the catalogue of available service offerings
This conflates the CMDB with the service catalogue, which lists the offerings users may request. Most CIs — internal servers, network routes, supporting documentation — are never requested by a user and are still CIs, because the test is whether the component must be managed to deliver the service.
Why
The IT asset and configuration item definitions overlap but are not the same, and distinguishing them is the point of this item. Asset is a financial test ('financially valuable'); CI is a service delivery test ('needs to be managed in order to deliver a service'). A leased laptop can be both; a documented procedure can be a CI but not an asset.
Where this comes from
- Cited
- ITIL 4 syllabus clause 6
- What it says
- A configuration item is any component that needs to be managed in order to deliver an IT service; a CMDB stores configuration records throughout their lifecycle.
Practise this
Reading one question is not practice. The trainer will draw a set from objective 6 and space the ones you get wrong.