SCCM Service Graph - Stop updating my serial numbers!

[MarkD]

We've recently enabled SCCM service graph connector as part of a Software Asset Management deployment and found that it likes to update some hardware records in our CMDB that we'd really wish it wouldn't.

For example, if a member of our IT staff swap a hard drive into another laptop due to a hardware defect, SCCM will report that the CI now has a new serial number.

Since ServiceNow is talking to SCCM it'll update the CI, and as a result the related Hardware Asset will receive a new serial number.

With the broken laptop now off the network it won't be updating SCCM.

The result is that we'll have two CIs and Assets with the same serial number in ServiceNow.

I'm trying to figure out the correct way to address this.  

Ideally the IT staff member would have decommission the machine in SCCM to prevent this from occurring, but we won't always see that ideal scenario, and we don't want the serial numbers updated when they don't follow best practices.

Would CMDB reconciliation rules be the recommended route to deal with this?

Alternatively I've thought about creating an onBefore business rule to prevent the update if the same serial number already exists.  I just don't want to create a customization that I'll regret down the road.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Ratnakar7]

Hi @MarkD ,

One possible solution to prevent SCCM service graph from updating the serial number of hardware assets in ServiceNow is to create a CMDB reconciliation rule that checks if the serial number of the CI in SCCM matches the serial number of the corresponding hardware asset in ServiceNow. If there is a mismatch, the reconciliation rule can be configured to prevent the update of the hardware asset's serial number in ServiceNow.

To create a reconciliation rule, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to "CMDB > Reconciliation > Rules" in the ServiceNow menu.
2. Click "New" to create a new reconciliation rule.
3. In the "Conditions" section, select the appropriate conditions to identify the CI and hardware asset records that need to be checked. For example, you may want to check CIs with a specific "CI Class" value, and hardware assets with a specific "Asset Tag" value.
4. In the "Actions" section, select "Set values on CI" and choose the "Serial Number" field.
5. In the "Value" field, select the "CI Serial Number" value from the "CI Source" list.
6. In the "Advanced" section, select the "Update CI if CMDB sync changes the CI" option, and choose "Do nothing" from the "Set Value" list.
7. Save the reconciliation rule.

With this configuration, the reconciliation rule will check if the serial number of the CI in SCCM matches the serial number of the corresponding hardware asset in ServiceNow. If there is a mismatch, the hardware asset's serial number in ServiceNow will not be updated, even if SCCM service graph sends an update.

Alternatively, you could also create an onBefore business rule that prevents updates to the serial number of a hardware asset if another hardware asset with the same serial number already exists. This would require some custom scripting to check for the existence of other hardware assets with the same serial number, and could potentially have some performance impact. However, this approach would be more flexible than the reconciliation rule, as it would allow you to customize the behavior of the rule as needed.

If my response helps you to resolve the issue close the question by ✅Accepting solution and hit 👍thumb icon. From Correct answers others will get benefited in future.

Thanks,

Ratnakar

[daware-madhu103]

Hello @Ratnakar7 ,

In our instance we have SG-JAMF which is importing computer assets and it is updating the serial number which is not expected behaviour. Is there a way to fix this?

[MarkD]

We're maybe missing a product or subscription because I am unable to find the reconciliation rules module noted above.

I have proceeded with the business rule which at the very least should be simple and easy to maintain.

Thanks for your suggestions.

[Daniel Peel]

I'm sure this is old... but for anyone that finds this... the Reconciliation rules are configured via the CI Class Manager