Making CSDM Feel Like Home: A Practical Analogy

Demystifying CSDM with a Home Analogy

When I first started working with the Common Service Data Model (CSDM) framework, I had a few questions of my own about how to relate it to something outside of my normal IT world. To make it more tangible, I tried applying the concepts and structures to something I know well—my home.

If you think of your home as an organization, then each room could represent a function of that home, serving a specific purpose, similar to a Business Application. For example, a bedroom serves a dedicated function: providing a space for rest. Without it, your home's usefulness would be diminished—and so would your sleep!

Breaking It Down Further

Taking the analogy a step further, let’s consider Application Services. These represent the instances of that room or function within the home. In my case, I have a master bedroom and two smaller bedrooms for my kids. Each one could represent an instance of the Bedroom Business Application, just as we track Application Services by region, environment, or department in CSDM.

Next, we have Technical Services, which are the foundational utilities that keep the home running. Think of electricity, central air (if you’re lucky!), and water. These are essential for the home’s operations, just as Technical Services support multiple Application Services in IT. If one of these services goes down, it impacts multiple rooms, requiring a specialist to fix it.

Adding the Final Layer: Infrastructure

Now, what about the items that roll-up to our Application Services? This is where things get more detailed, but sticking with the home analogy makes it easier to grasp. In this case, the appliances and fixtures in each room represent the infrastructure supporting the Application Services.

For the bedroom example, these could be:

• Bed = core infrastructure component (essential for functionality)
• Outlets = supporting components (powering devices)
• Ceiling lights = enabling components (enhancing usability)
  
  

Just like in CSDM, these infrastructure elements are necessary for the room (Application Service) to be fully operational or simply make sense.

Bringing It All Together

So, there you have it:

• A Business Application is like a room in your home
• Application Services are the individual instances of that room type
• Technical Services are the underlying utilities keeping the home functional
• Infrastructure includes the appliances and fixtures that support the room’s operations
  
  

The Next Challenge

If this analogy helped clarify CSDM concepts, great! But now, here’s a challenge:
How would you fit Business Services and their Service Offerings into this home analogy? Would they represent shared spaces, amenities, or something else entirely? 🤔

Interested in learning more? Reach out to chat@rapdev.io.