Reclassify Ci by moving the class

[seroucherah]

hi there,

we need to move a class by downgrade i.e. moving it level higher in the hierarchie. By doing this it will loose 3 attributes that are not in use anyway. I am wondering if there is a tool out there supported by ServiceNow that would do the job ?

[Tarun Rekandar]

Hi @seroucherah ,

Yes, ServiceNow supports this out of the box, and no extra tool is needed. What you describe is a CI reclassification of type downgrade: the CI moves to a class higher in the hierarchy, and the new class is a parent of the current one. You can upgrade, downgrade, or switch the class of a CI by modifying its Class attribute.

What happens during a downgrade

• The attribute set is adjusted to match the new class. Attributes that exist only on the old class are lost.
• A new record with the CI’s current sys_id is inserted into the new class’s table, so the sys_id is retained.

So with your 3 unused attributes, the loss shouldn’t matter. Before you run it, check that nothing references those attributes (business rules, reports, integrations, discovery/IRE mappings, ACLs).

How to do it

1. Open the CI list for the class (for example cmdb_ci_server.list).
2. Personalize the list to show the Class column if it isn’t there.
3. Double-click the Class value for the CI, select the new class, and confirm with the green check mark.

The roles required are those that can generally update a CI, such as sn_cmdb_editor, asset or itil.

Recommendations

• Test on one or two CIs first. Downgrades and switches are immediate and irreversible, and most data-loss incidents come from testing directly in production. Back up the affected records first, for example with an XML or CSV export of the CIs and the 3 attributes.
• Watch the IRE. ServiceNow itself says to avoid downgrades and switches because they can lead to data loss, and automatic reclassification by the Identification process is enabled by default. After you downgrade, Discovery or an integration could push the CIs back to the child class, or reclassify others. Review the IRE reclassification properties (see “Configure CI reclassification during IRE processing” in the docs) before you start.
• Check relationships and dependent data. Relationships, asset links and task references follow the sys_id, which is retained. Class-specific CI relationship rules, dependent views and class-based business rules or flows still need a review.
• Large volumes. For many records, do a list-based update of the Class field in batches, again after testing. Check the CI history and the system logs afterwards.

Refer this:
Reclassify a CI (ServiceNow docs)

Accept the solution if it assisted you with your question & Mark this response as Helpful.

Regards,
Tarun

[seroucherah]

Hi Tarun, thanks a lot for your answer. To be more specific I need to move the Class itself from one hierarchie to another. The Class it self has to go one level higher in the hierarchie. I guess I need to delete the CI records first and then remove the class, recreate it at the new level and then import the CIs. Doing so would the CI still have theire relationship to the Asset table ? Since we are not yet live no process such as incident or change are involved and we do not have any scripts or rules attached to the Class.

[Tarun Rekandar]

Hi @seroucherah,

Thanks for clarifying.

In this case, I would recommend using the Table Transformation Tool rather than deleting and recreating the class manually. It is designed to change a table's position in the hierarchy while preserving the existing table structure and data.

Deleting the CI records and recreating the class may introduce additional risks. Also, the relationship between CI records and Asset records should not be assumed to remain intact if you delete and recreate the records. You would need to validate the CI–Asset associations and references before proceeding.

Since you are not live yet and have no dependent processes, scripts, or business rules, this is a good opportunity to make the hierarchy change. However, take a backup and test the transformation in a non-production instance first.

Accept the solution if it assisted you with your question & Mark this response as Helpful.

Regards,

Tarun

[seroucherah]

Hi Tarun,

where can I found the Table Transformation Tool ?

Thanks

Regards