Embodiments herein include systems, methods, software, and data structures to generate and render visualizations of configuration items (CIs) represented in a Configuration Management Database (CMDB). One embodiment includes receiving a request for a CI graph from a client including a focus CI identifier represented in a CMDB. The focus CI may be used to retrieve data of related CIs, the data including CI identifiers. A process is then executed for each retrieved CI identifier to retrieve CI data as a function of the received CI identifier and to build a node XML and an edge XML representation of relations between the CIs. This method also includes aggregating the node and edge XML representations into a single XML document and then translating the document into a markup language document capable of being rendered in a graphical user interface. The markup language document is then transmitted to the requestor.