NinjaOne IT Asset Management (ITAM): Manage Asset Relationships

Topic

This article explains how to configure entity relationships for the NinjaOne IT Asset Management (ITAM) tool to manage your asset relationships from the Asset tab on the organization and device dashboards.

Environment

NinjaOne ITAM

Description

Before proceeding, ensure you have read NinjaOne ITAM: Getting Started.

You can use NinjaOne ITAM to create global entity-to-entity relationships, which provide the ability to extend the functionality of a traditional database through connections between assets.

From the Entity relationships tab, you can create, read, update, and delete custom relationships between assets. You cannot edit or delete automated relationships, but you can deactivate them.

After you configure the entity relationships, use the Asset → Asset Relations tab on the organization and device dashboards to associate entities with the organization and define the relationship between the organization and the entity.

Index

Select a topic to learn more.

About Entity Relationships
Create a Custom Entity Relationship
Manage Asset Relations
- View Relationships
Additional Resources

About Entity Relationships

Entity relationships use configuration items (CIs) to denote the device, component, or other table entry that could be related to another device, component, or entry. You may notice CIs referred to as "entities" by other applications.

In this context, a relationship is a type of connection between devices that is typically directional, which means the relationship has a source and a target. You can use relationships to monitor the following reports:

Impact analysis
Root cause analysis
Change management
Service mapping

NinjaOne provides the following relationship types by default:

Relationship Type	Description or Purpose
Depends on; Used by	This indicates that a CI depends on another to function (App→ Database).
Runs on; Hosts	This indicates that a CI runs on another CI (App→ Server or VM → Host).
Connected to	This is a generic connection, often used for networking hardware.
Contained in; Contains	This indicates that a CI is part of a larger CI (VM → Cluster, File → Folder).
Backs up; Backed up by	This defines the data backup or recovery relationship.
Monitored by; Monitors	This indicates a CI is being monitored (App → Monitoring Tool).
Installed on; Installs	This shows deployment (Software → Machine).
Owned by; Owns	This links CI to an owner, such as a person, team, or department.
Connected via	This describes a CI connected through a specific path or medium, which could be a cable.
Part of; Has Part	This is used in hardware to show a component structure (Disk → Server).
Impacts; Impacted by	This defines service dependencies for impact analysis.
Requires; Required by	This is similar to depends on, used in service design.
Relates to	This is a catch-all for non-hierarchical associations.
Accessed by; Accesses	This shows user or system access to a CI (User → System).
Deployed on	This indicates that a CI is deployed on another CI (Docker container → Kubernetes node).
Supports; Supported by	This indicates support structure or fallback (Primary server → Secondary server).
Replaces; Replaced by	The CIs have been retired and replaced by a new CI.

Create a Custom Entity Relationship

You can create custom relationships to define or add custom capabilities. You will provide the capability and then build the out-of-the-box functionality within the tool.

Creating an entity relationship in the NinjaOne ITAM app will make the relationship accessible on the dashboards, where you can define relationships and entity types for specific organizations and devices. Refer to the section Manage Assets from the NinjaOne Dashboards within this article for more information.

To create an entity relationship, perform the following steps:

Open the Entity relationships tab and click + Add relationship.

itam_entity relationship_add.png — **Figure 1**: Add an entity relationship

The Add relationship configuration dialog appears.

Assign the Relationship name a unique identifier.
When you select the Includes a reciprocal relationship checkbox, an additional field appears for Reciprocal relationship name. Assign the Reciprocal relationship name a unique identifier.
In the Description field, explain how to use the relationship type.
Click Add.

ITAM_edit relationship.png — **Figure 2**: Add details for a new custom entity relationship

To edit, deactivate, or delete the custom relationship, move your mouse cursor over the row and click the actions menu.

itam_entity relationships_edit or delete.png — **Figure 3**: Manage a custom entity relationship

Manage Asset Relations

To manage entity relationships from the dashboard, refer to the following steps:

Open the Assets tab and select Asset Relations.
Click Add related entity.

ITAM_org dashboard_asset_add related entity.png — **Figure 4**: Add a related entity to an organization dashboard

Select the relationship type from the top drop-down menu. For an explanation of system relationships or instructions for creating custom relationships, refer to Getting Started With NinjaOne IT Asset Management.
Select the Entity type. Your selection in this drop-down menu affects the configuration fields that will appear in the dialog. For the purpose of this example, we will use the Device entity type. Refer to the following table for a list of resources if you need to set up the entity.

Entity Type	Required Data
Apps & Services document	Organization, template, and document. For more information, refer to NinjaOne Documentation: Apps & Services.
Checklist	Organization, template, and checklist. For more information, refer to NinjaOne Documentation: Checklists.
Contact	Organization and contact name. Create new contacts at Administration → Accounts → Contacts.
Credential	Organization and credentials. For more information, refer to NinjaOne Organizations: Credential Exchange.
Device	Organization and device name.
End user	End user name. For more information, refer to User Management: Resource Catalog.
Knowledge Base article	Source and article name. For more information, refer to NinjaOne Documentation: Knowledge Base Feature.
Location	Organization and location. For more information, refer to Organizations: Locations.
Organization	Organization name. For more information, refer to NinjaOne Platform: How to Find an Organization ID.
Technician	Technician name. For more information, refer to User Management: Resource Catalog.

add related entity_relationship and type.png — **Figure 5**: Select the entity relationship and type

Complete the rest of the fields as applicable and then click Add.
Click the hyperlink in the Name column to navigate to the entity detail page in NinjaOne.

To edit or remove this entry, move your cursor over the row and click the ellipsis button.

ITAM_edit or remove related entity.png — **Figure 6**: Edit or remove a related entity

View Relationships

Reading or viewing relationship types, along with the settings, is important to understand their functional capabilities. You can review specific details and allow others to understand why they exist and how they work.

To view a list of all relationships related to the organization, end user, or device, click View relationships. These relationships are recorded on their related dashboards.

itam_view relationship map.png — **Figure 7**: View the entity relationship map

If the asset has multiple related entities, you can use the drop-down menus to filter the relationship and entity type. Click the diagram to expand more data.

Figure 8: Filter entity relationship map

Additional Resources

Refer to the following resources to learn more about the NinjaOne ITAM feature: