Restrict Discovery of specific CI classes

[Uttam Sai]

Hi,

I received a requirement to restrict discovery of some CI classes as the data is not used by concerned Teams.
Could you please tell is there a way we can achieve this?
If yes, what are the risks involved.
If not , what are the reasons .

Thank you

[AJ-TechTrek · Accepted solution]

Hi @Uttam Sai ,

As per my understanding the Solution is:


Yes, it is possible to restrict discovery of specific CI classes. You can achieve this by:

1. Modifying or disabling specific patterns / probes / sensors
– Identify which probes or patterns are discovering the CI classes you don’t want.
– Disable those patterns in Discovery Patterns or remove them from the Discovery Schedule.

2. Creating custom discovery schedules
– Scope your discovery schedules to specific IP ranges or device types that exclude the CI classes not needed.

3. Using Classification Rules
– Adjust classification rules so that certain devices are not classified into the unwanted CI classes.

4. Post-Discovery Filtering (least recommended)
– Let discovery run, then use business rules or transform maps to filter out the unwanted CIs so they don’t reach the CMDB.

Risks involved are below:

* Incomplete CMDB: You might miss discovering related CIs or dependencies which could affect service mapping, impact analysis, and incident/problem/change processes.

* Future demand: If later the team needs data for those CI classes, you’ll need to re-enable discovery, which may take effort.

* Support and upgrades: Customizing discovery behavior (e.g., disabling patterns) can make upgrades harder and reduce support from ServiceNow.

* False sense of completeness: Other processes relying on a holistic view of the infrastructure might work incorrectly due to missing data.

If not recommended, why?

* Discovery is designed to collect a complete and accurate view of infrastructure.

* Selective discovery may break relationships in the CMDB, affecting Service Mapping, Event Management, and impact analysis.

* The CMDB Health dashboard and data quality might degrade because of missing or partial data.

Best practice:


If the data isn’t useful, it’s usually better to still discover it and control its visibility (e.g., exclude from reports, dashboards, or downstream integrations) rather than stop discovery entirely.
If you do restrict discovery, document it clearly and inform stakeholders about potential blind spots.

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Thank You
AJ - TechTrek with AJ
LinkedIn:- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajay-kumar-66a91385/
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ServiceNow Community MVP 2025

[Uttam Sai]

Thank you so much for your help!!

[SK Chand Basha]

Hi @Uttam Sai 

To restrict the discovery 

Navigate to  All -> Discovery Definition -> Discovery Console. 

Disable the classes which won't scan

https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/yokohama-it-operations-management/page/product/discovery/conc...

Mark it helpful and Accept Solution!! if this helps you to understand.