Hi @Ganesh65 ,
The Problem statement which I understand, Correct me if I’m wrong
* When you create a De-duplication Template (as shown in your screenshot), date/time fields like Warranty Expiration, Order Received, etc. are not appearing under “Merge attributes.”
* But when you work on a single de-duplication task manually, those same fields are available for merge.
So → the template builder UI is filtering out certain field types (Date/DateTime) in the “merge attributes” step, but the ad-hoc remediation task UI does not.
Why this happens as per my understanding
1. De-duplication Template Attribute Filtering
* Templates currently do not list system-calculated or date/time fields for merging by default.
* This is because templates expect string, integer, and reference fields that can safely be overwritten.
* Date/DateTime fields are sometimes excluded since they can conflict with Discovery reconciliation (e.g., if Discovery tries to repopulate Warranty info).
2. Direct Task Remediation
* The ad-hoc remediation task UI fetches all attributes dynamically from the CI class, including Date/DateTime.
* That’s why you see more fields there compared to template creation.
3. Known Limitation
* This has been raised as a known gap/limitation in ServiceNow CMDB Health De-duplication.
Solutions / Workarounds which might be helpful
1. Extend Attribute List for Templates
* Navigate to:
System Definition → Tables → [CI Class] (e.g., cmdb_ci_computer)
* Open the Dictionary entries for the missing fields (Warranty Expiration, etc.).
* Check if “Exclude from De-duplication merge” attribute is enabled.
* If yes → uncheck it so the field appears in templates.
2. Use Reconciliation Definitions
* Instead of relying only on templates, configure Reconciliation Definition rules for those attributes.
* This ensures when you merge duplicates (via template or manually), the correct source system (Discovery, Asset, Procurement, etc.) is always authoritative for fields like warranty_expiration.
3. Hybrid Approach
* Continue using templates for general CI attributes (hostname, serial, model, etc.).
* Handle Date/DateTime and special fields either:
* Through manual remediation, or
* With post-merge scripts to update them based on business rules.
Recommendation
* Check the dictionary settings for those fields → likely flagged as excluded.
* If you want them in the template merge step, uncheck exclusion and reload the template builder.
* Otherwise, use Reconciliation Definitions to control precedence of Warranty/Order Received fields — that’s the ServiceNow best practice instead of always merging them via de-duplication.
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Thank You
AJ - TechTrek with AJ - ITOM Trainer
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