Patent ID: 8560543

Claim:
A method for reconciliation of a configuration item with a configuration management database, the method comprising: providing a first property of a first configuration item, the first property in a first class of a plurality of classes for properties of configuration items, wherein different classes of the plurality of classes include a first unique identifier having a one-to-one relationship with a configuration item, a first general identifier having a many-to-one relationship with a configuration item, and a first differentiator having a one-to-many relationship with a configuration item; and using at least one computer comprising a processor to: compare the first general identifier to other general identifiers from configuration items in a configuration management database when the configuration item includes a general identifier; determine a match between the first configuration item and a second configuration item when the first general identifier matches a second general identifier associated with the second configuration item; combine the first configuration item with the second configuration item when the first and second general identifiers match; and create a new configuration item for the first configuration item when the first property does not match any of the plurality of properties and the first class indicates that a non-match with all of the plurality of properties corresponds to a new configuration item.