Identifying and mitigating configuration item flapping

1. A computational instance comprising:

a persistent storage that contains:

a plurality of configuration item (CI) records corresponding to a set of computing devices disposed 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, wherein the managed network is associated with the computational instance, and 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; and

a set of program instructions;

a processor configured to execute the program instructions; and

one or more server devices configured to:

receive, 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,

add, 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,

determine, 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

determine, 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.

2. The computational instance of claim 1 , wherein the one or more server devices are configured to determine, based on a field type of the field of the CI record, that the flapper detection strategy is applicable to the field of the CI record.

3. The computational instance of claim 1 , wherein the flapper strategy data comprises a confidence level that is indicative of a level of confidence in results determined using the flapper detection strategy.

4. The computational instance of claim 3 , wherein determining whether to trigger the re-computation of the service model comprises determining whether the confidence level exceeds a threshold confidence.

5. The computational instance of claim 1 , wherein the at least one old value comprises a plurality of old values, and wherein determining the flapper strategy data comprises:

identifying, using the plurality of old values for the field of the CI record, a repeating pattern of a set of values; and

determining whether both the new value and a most recent old value of the plurality of old values are part of the set of values.

6. The computational instance of claim 1 , wherein determining the flapper strategy data comprises determining, using a case-insensitive string comparison, whether a most recent old value of the at least one value and the new value are different representations of the same value.

7. The computational instance of claim 1 :

wherein the one or more server devices are configured to verify that the CI record is associated with the network-based service, and

wherein adding the new value to the flapper candidates table comprises adding the new value to the flapper candidates table based on the verifying that the CI record is associated with the network-based service.

8. The computational instance of claim 1 , wherein the one or more server devices are configured to:

determine, based on notification-helper data in the persistent storage, that the change to the CI record is an un-planned change; and

based at least on the determining that the change to the CI record is an un-planned change, send, to a change management system, an un-planned change notification.

9. 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.

10. The method of claim 9 , comprising determining, based on a field type of the field of the CI record, that the flapper detection strategy is applicable to the field of the CI record.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the flapper strategy data comprises a confidence level that is indicative of that is indicative of a level of confidence in results determined using the flapper detection strategy.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining whether to trigger the re-computation of the service model comprises determining whether the confidence level exceeds a threshold confidence.

13. The method of claim 9 , 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; and

determining whether the amount of times exceeds a threshold.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one old value comprises a plurality of old values, and wherein determining the flapper strategy data comprises:

identifying, using the plurality of old values for the field of the CI record, a repeating pattern of a set of values; and

determining whether both the new value and a most recent old value of the plurality of old values are part of the set of values.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining the flapper strategy data comprises determining, using a case-insensitive string comparison, whether a most recent old value of the at least one value and the new value are different representations of the same value.

16. 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.