As a plethora of tools becomes available touting the ultimate in CMDB technologies, many companies are asking themselves which one to purchase. Proverbially, this is like putting the cart before the horse. To jump directly into purchase of a tool makes little sense until requirements and processes have been fully defined. This paper explores some of the considerations and pitfalls for purchasing a CMDB tool before taking the final leap and provides a common sense approach to evaluating the direction in which your company is heading.