How does the identification and the reconciliation work when carrying out a discovery?

[SAI VENKATESH]

Hi @Abdullahi  

During Discovery, ServiceNow first uses identification rules to check if the discovered CI already exists in the CMDB based on unique attributes (like serial number) If it exists, it updates that record; if not, it creates a new one. Then, reconciliation rules determine which data sources can update specific fields, ensuring only authorized and accurate updates are made to the CMDB.

Below is the link that can give you more high-level info:

https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/zurich-servicenow-platform/page/product/configuration-managem...

thanks and regards

Sai Venkatesh

[PrashantLearnIT]

Hi @Abdullahi  

The Identification and Reconciliation Engine is a framework that processes payloads to maintain the Configuration Management Database (CMDB). This would include creating new configuration items (CIs) or updating existing CIs.

IRE is an underlying key component in Identification and Reconciliation, providing a centralized framework to perform identification and reconciliation processes across different data sources. IRE uses identification rules, reconciliation rules, and IRE data source rules when processing incoming data before inserting that data to the CMDB.

IRE processes help maintain data integrity in the CMDB.

• IRE prevents duplicate CIs by uniquely identifying CIs.​
• IRE reconciles CI attributes by allowing only authoritative data sources to write to CMDB.

ServiceNow® applications, such as Service Mapping, horizontal discovery, and pattern discovery, use APIs to apply identification and reconciliation processes. You can also apply IRE processes to data imported by import sets. When using other data sources, including third-party data sources, you can leverage REST or scriptable IRE APIs to perform identification and reconciliation.​

For More Information - https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/zurich-servicenow-platform/page/product/configuration-managem...