Hey @NegiSNOW
Assets and Configuration Items (CIs) are related but represent different aspects of the same object in ServiceNow.
Configuration Item (CI): Represents the operational component in the CMDB (for example, a server, laptop, application, or network device). It is primarily used by Incident, Change, Problem, Discovery, Service Mapping, and other ITSM/ITOM processes.
Asset: Represents the financial and lifecycle record of that item. It is used for procurement, ownership, inventory, contracts, depreciation, stock management, and asset lifecycle tracking.
How are Asset and CI linked?
Out of the box, the relationship is maintained using reference fields on both records:
Asset (alm_asset) → ci (Reference to cmdb_ci)
CI (cmdb_ci) → asset (Reference to alm_asset)
When an Asset and CI represent the same physical or logical object, these reference fields point to each other, allowing IT Asset Management and CMDB processes to work together.
How is the relationship created?
The linkage can be established in several ways:
- Automatic CI creation from an Asset (based on the model category configuration).
- Hardware Asset Management lifecycle processes.
- Discovery or integrations that identify an existing CI and associate it with an Asset.
- Manual creation using the Create CI or Create Asset UI Actions.
- Custom Business Rules, Flows, or integrations.
How can the linkage be removed?
If you need to break the relationship, clear the reference fields on both records:
- Open the Asset record and clear the CI field.
- Open the corresponding CI record and clear the Asset field.
- Save both records.
Alternatively, the same can be done through a Background Script if multiple records need to be updated.
Will ServiceNow recreate the link automatically?
Simply clearing the reference fields does not usually recreate the relationship by itself. However, the link may be re-established if any of the following processes are active in your instance:
- Discovery reconciliation
- Hardware Asset Management synchronization
- Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE)
- Integrations importing Asset or CI data
- Custom Business Rules or Flow Designer automations
If the relationship keeps returning, I would recommend checking these areas before assuming it's an out-of-the-box behavior.
Best Practice
Before removing the relationship, verify why the Asset and CI were linked in the first place. If they represent the same device or infrastructure component, they should generally remain associated. Breaking the relationship is typically appropriate only when correcting incorrect associations, handling duplicate records, or following a specific business requirement.
If your goal is to permanently prevent Asset and CI from being linked again, it would be helpful to know how the records are being created (Discovery, Hardware Asset Management, Integration, manual creation, etc.), as the approach may differ depending on the source.
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Regards
Vaishali Singh
Servicenow Developer
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaishali-singh-2273361bb
