Record removal process in Service Graph Connector for GCP

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated October 12, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Record Removal Process in Service Graph Connector for GCP

    The Record Removal Process in the Service Graph Connector for GCP manages the deletion of records through soft and hard deletion methods, ensuring that data no longer needed is handled appropriately. This process is crucial for maintaining an accurate Configuration Management Database (CMDB) by updating the Install Status of Configuration Items (CIs) related to discovered resources.

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    Key Features

    • Soft Deletion: This method marks records as retired without permanently deleting them, allowing for future reference or restoration. It is implemented from version 1.11.0 and relies on the Source [sysobjectsource] table.
    • Hard Deletion: In contrast, hard deletion permanently removes records from the system, making them irretrievable. This method is specifically used for the SG-GCP Software Inventory data source.
    • Connection Properties: The Use Record Removal and lookbacktimeindays properties are essential for managing soft deletion, with default settings established after an upgrade to version 1.11.0.
    • Supported Data Sources: Soft deletion is enabled for various GCP data sources, including Kubernetes components, VM instances, and storage volumes.

    Key Outcomes

    By utilizing the record removal process, ServiceNow customers can effectively manage their CMDB, ensuring that outdated or retired records are accurately reflected. This not only enhances data integrity but also improves the overall efficiency of asset management within GCP environments.

    The Service Graph Connector for GCP uses soft deletion and hard deletion to manage the removal of records.

    Record removal is the process of handling data that is no longer needed. For any discovered resources that are deleted later after pulling data, the Service Graph Connector for GCP automatically updates the Install Status field of the associated CMDB CI classes to indicate any retired or deleted records.

    Soft deletion

    Soft deletion involves marking the install status of a record as retired rather than permanently deleting it from the system. The record remains in the database, making it possible to reference or restore it later.

    Integration Commons Record Removal is implemented from Service Graph Connector for GCP version 1.11.0 to mark the Install Status and Operational Status of configuration items (CIs) as retired if they aren't discovered during the latest pull​. This implementation verifies the Last Scan attribute of the CIs in the Source [sys_object_source] table to identify CIs that aren't discovered during the latest pull​. Additionally, the source native keys (SNKs) for all CIs are modified to include the connection alias ID to identify the connection that discovered specific CIs.

    Soft deletion for the Service Graph Connector for GCP 1.11.0 version relies on the Source [sys_object_source] table and the Use Record Removal and lookback_time_in_days connection properties. Soft deletion for the Service Graph Connector for GCP 1.10 version and earlier relied on the SG-GCP Extension Attributes [sn_gcp_integ_extension_attributes] table.

    After upgrading to version 1.11.0, the value of the Use Record Removal connection property is set to true when the import is run for the first time. Consequently, the latest SNKs for the CIs are included in the Source [sys_object_source] table. Record removal is implemented from the subsequent run.

    After upgrading to version 1.11.0, the value of the lookback_time_in_days connection property is set to null by default. During the initial run after the upgrade, the Source [sys_object_source] table is queried for all records that the connection discovered. By default, the value is set to 15 after the initial run. Two weeks after the initial run, the Source [sys_object_source] table is queried for all records that weren't discovered in the past 15 days. All records that weren't discovered in the past 15 days are marked as retired.

    Soft deletion is enabled for the following data sources in Service Graph Connector for GCP:
    • SG-GCP Folder
    • SG-GCP Project
    • SG-GCP Network
    • SG-GCP Subnet
    • SG-GCP Storage Volume
    • SG-GCP Storage Volume Snapshot
    • SG-GCP Security Group
    • SG-GCP VM Instance
    • SG-GCP Load Balancer Pool
    • SG-GCP Load Balancer Pool Member
    • SG-GCP Load Balancer Health Service
    • SG-GCP Load Balancer
    • SG-GCP Load Balancer Service
    • SG-GCP Cloud Database
    • SG-GCP Cloud Function
    • SG-GCP Cloud Object Storage
    • SG-GCP Kubernetes Cluster
    • SG-GCP Kubernetes Node
    • SG-GCP Kubernetes Pod
    • SG-GCP Kubernetes Service
    • SG-GCP Kubernetes Namespace
    • SG-GCP Kubernetes Deployment
    • SG-GCP Kubernetes Replicaset
    • SG-GCP Kubernetes Cluster Roles
    • SG-GCP Kubernetes Cluster Role Binding
    • SG-GCP Kubernetes Node Pool

    From Service Graph Connector for GCP version 1.10.0, the SG-GCP Generic Resource data source uses the post-script method for soft deletion, which relies on the Source [sys_object_source] table. For more information about the post-script method, see Post-script method.

    Hard deletion

    Hard deletion involves permanently deleting a record from the system. The record is removed from the CMDB and can't be referenced or restored later. The SG-GCP Software Inventory data source uses the hard deletion method for the deletion of records.