Why is Cloud discovery putting MS SQL databases in the cmdb_ci_database table?

[KevinD691869774]

Why is Cloud discovery putting MS SQL databases in the cmdb_ci_database table? When doing database discovery (not cloud) 

[Its_Azar]

Hi there @KevinD691869774 

That's expected . Cloud Discovery adds MS SQL databases to the cmdb_ci_database table because it’s the standard CI class for all database instances in CMDB, whether from cloud or on-prem. This keeps data normalized and ensures relationships and modeling work consistently.

If this helps kindly accept the solution thanks much.

Kind regards,
Azar

[AJ-TechTrek]

Hi @KevinD691869774 ,

As per my understanding Root Cause / Explanation is

Cloud Discovery is typically infrastructure-focused, not application-layer focused like traditional database discovery.
When Cloud Discovery discovers a SQL Server resource (e.g., Azure SQL DB), it:

* Recognizes it as a "Database" service,
* Doesn't have full access (no direct DB credentialing),
* Lacks detailed DB instance metadata (ports, schemas, configs),
* Hence, it defaults to using the cmdb_ci_database table.
This table is a generic database CI class meant for cases where the exact DB engine/subtype isn’t fully known or detailed info isn’t collected.

Difference Between Cloud Discovery and Traditional DB Discovery

Feature	Cloud Discovery	Traditional DB Discovery
Discovery Method	API-based (e.g., Azure Resource Graph)	Credential-based (JDBC/SNMP/WMI)
Class used for DBs	cmdb_ci_database	cmdb_ci_db_mssql_instance (etc.)
Access to DB engine internals	No direct DB access	Yes (connects to DB directly)
Use of Probes/Patterns	No	Yes (patterns like "MS SQL")

Recommendation / Solution
Option 1: Let Cloud Discovery populate cmdb_ci_database
* Accept that Cloud Discovery creates high-level CIs.
* Later enrich these entries using:
* Traditional Database Discovery (with credentials),
* Service Mapping,
* Custom Reclassification Logic (via Business Rules or IRE Transform).

Option 2: Use Database Discovery (Credentialed)
* Setup horizontal discovery targeting the hosts with SQL Servers.
* Use valid SQL credentials.
* The pattern will place discovered DBs in the cmdb_ci_db_mssql_instance table (or equivalent).
* This gives more complete CI data (schemas, ports, configs).

Option 3: Post-processing via IRE/Transform
* After cloud ingestion, use Business Rule or Script Action to:
* Move CIs to correct class (cmdb_ci_db_mssql_instance) if sufficient data is available,
* Or flag them for enrichment.

Optional: Class Normalization
You can use Class Normalization Rules to automatically reclassify cmdb_ci_database to a more specific subclass based on detected attributes like:
Database type: MSSQL
Port: 1433
Engine version: SQL Server 2019
But this requires sufficient metadata, which is often not provided by Cloud Discovery alone.

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Thank You
AJ - TechTrek with AJ - ITOM Trainer
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