Identifying and mitigating configuration item flapping

A method comprising:

• maintaining, by one or more server devices of a computational instance, a persistent storage that contains a plurality of configuration item (CI) records corresponding to a set of computing devices within a managed network, a set of software applications configured to execute on the set of computing devices, and a network-based service that is provided by execution of the set of software applications, and wherein the managed network is associated with the computational instance, wherein the persistent storage contains a definition of a service model that represents the set of computing devices, the set of software applications, and relationships therebetween that facilitate providing the network-based service;
• receiving, by the one or more server devices from the managed network, an indication of a change to a CI record of the plurality of CI records, wherein the indication specifies a new value for a field of the CI record, wherein the new value comprises a first list of sub-values;
• adding, to a flapper candidates table in the persistent storage, the new value for the field of the CI record, wherein the flapper candidates table stores at least one old value for the field of the CI record, wherein the at least one old value comprises a second list of sub-values;
• determining, by the one or more server devices using a flapper detection strategy, flapper strategy data based on the new value for the field of the CI record and at least one old value for the field of the CI record, wherein determining the flapper strategy data comprises comparing the first list of sub-values and the second list of sub-values for equality, ignoring ordering of the sub-values within the first list of sub-values and the second list of sub-values;
• and
• determining, by the one or more server devices based on the flapper strategy data, whether to trigger a re-computation of the service model.

An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by one or more server devices of a computational instance of a remote network management platform, cause the one or more server devices to perform operations comprising:

• maintaining a persistent storage that contains a plurality of configuration item (CI) records corresponding to a set of computing devices within a managed network, a set of software applications configured to execute on the set of computing devices, and a network-based service that is provided by execution of the set of software applications, and wherein the managed network is associated with the computational instance, wherein the persistent storage contains a definition of a service model that represents the set of computing devices, the set of software applications, and relationships therebetween that facilitate providing the network-based service;
• receiving, from the managed network, an indication of a change to a CI record of the plurality of CI records, wherein the indication specifies a new value for a field of the CI record;
• adding, to a flapper candidates table in the persistent storage, the new value for the field of the CI record, wherein the flapper candidates table stores at least one old value for the field of the CI record;
• determining, using a flapper detection strategy, flapper strategy data based on the new value for the field of the CI record and at least one old value for the field of the CI record, wherein determining the flapper strategy data comprises:
• determining an amount of times the value of the field of the CI record has changed during a time period,
• determining whether the amount of times exceeds a threshold, and
• adjusting a confidence level in accordance with whether the amount of times exceeds the threshold;
• and
• determining, based on the flapper strategy data, whether to trigger a re-computation of the service model, wherein determining whether to trigger the re-computation of the service model comprises determining whether the confidence level exceeds a threshold confidence.