In the context of the project TANGO at Siemens IT Solutions and Services a federated CMDB (Configuration Management Database) shall be developed. During this procedure a global access via web-services on distributed and heterogeneous source systems with widely defined functionality shall be made possible. The CMDB architecture shall

• Offer a preferably transparent global access,

• Allow short response times at the global layer,

• Keep redundant data in different source systems consistent,

• Minimize maintenance efforts due to system extensions and modifications.
  

The above mentioned aims go partly in opposite directions. That is why compromises have to be found for the concrete architecture. For the demand-oriented optimization of the architecture especially questions regarding identity matching and data replication on the global layer have to be answered.
In the context of the research project the following goals shall be achieved:

• An overview over the available scientific literature is created.

• A common glossary for disambiguation is created.

• A classification of architectural variants (Which existent systems support which particular architectural variants?) and combination possibilities (Which combination possibilities are supported by which existent systems?) is created.

• A check list is developed to valuate the advantages and disadvantages of design decisions and product choices for the next five years.

• A realistic architectural framework for future CMDBs is developed

• The results of the project are published by the involved project parties.

Finally, different possible nuances for integration variants shall be clarified and a check list for a cost-benefit analysis shall be developed to valuate different migration strategies.