what happens when Asset tracking strategy is set to "Leave to Category"? how asset is created?

[sahithg]

Hi,

I am kind trying to debug why an asset is created when we set on Hardware Model record, asset tracking strategy as "leave to Model category" ?

When discovery creates a new windows server a model is to it and a new asset is created. I would like to know how this "asset tracking strategy" field really operates in backend, what scripts are involved in creating assets. Documentation or support Kbs do not provide any detailed info on it. Any help is appreciated.

[Maik Skoddow · Accepted solution]

Hi @sahithg 

The Asset tracking strategy field on Hardware Model records controls whether assets are automatically created when Configuration Items (CIs) are linked to that model. When set to "Leave to Model category," the system defers to the model category's asset class configuration to determine if an asset should be created.

How Asset Tracking Strategy Works

The Asset tracking strategy field has three main options that control asset creation behavior:

• Leave to Category: The model is transparent and the category defines the asset class

• Create Consumable Asset: The model forces the asset class to be consumable, regardless of what the category defines

• Don't create assets: The model blocks asset instantiation, regardless of what the category defines

When you select "Leave to Model category," the system looks at the model category associated with your Hardware Model to determine the appropriate asset class and whether assets should be created automatically.

Backend Scripts and Business Rules Involved

Several key business rules and scripts handle the asset creation process when CIs are created:

• Primary Business Rule: The "Create Asset on insert" business rule is triggered when a CI is inserted into the cmdb_ci table or any of its child tables. This business rule examines the Asset-CI field mapping table under Asset > Administration > Asset-CI field mapping and creates assets based on the configured mappings.
• Model Category Synchronization: When models are created or model categories are changed, the "Sync model category" business rule can trigger automatic asset creation. This explains why you're seeing assets created when Discovery creates new Windows servers with associated models.
• Transform Maps: The system uses transform maps like "Create Assets from ASN template import" to handle asset creation logic, including data quality validations such as checking for matching Purchase Orders and validating model numbers.

Why Assets Are Created with "Leave to Model Category"

When Discovery creates a new Windows server and assigns a model to it, the following sequence occurs:

1. The CI is created and linked to a Hardware Model

2. The "Create Asset on insert" business rule triggers

3. Since the Asset tracking strategy is set to "Leave to Model category," the system checks the model category configuration

4. If the model category is configured to create assets for that CI class, an asset is automatically generated

5. The Asset-CI field mapping table determines which fields are populated on the new asset

Troubleshooting Asset Creation

To control this behavior, you have several options:

• Change the Asset Tracking Strategy: Navigate to Product Catalog > Models (cmdb_model) table, open the specific model record, and change the Asset tracking strategy field to "Don't create asset" if you want to prevent automatic asset creation.
• Review Model Categories: Check your model category configurations to understand which CI classes are set to automatically create assets.
• Examine Field Mappings: Review the Asset-CI field mapping table to see what triggers asset creation and ensure mappings are tied to specific fields rather than the Asset or CI records directly, as direct mappings can cause duplication issues.

The reason documentation doesn't provide detailed backend information is that this functionality involves multiple interconnected business rules and transform maps that work together to maintain the relationship between CIs and assets based on your organizational asset management strategy.

Hope that helps.

Maik

[sahithg]

Thank you very much 🙂 👌, this is by far great details i have.