--- sourceDocument: Australia IT Operations Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-operations-management Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia IT Operations Management ft:clusterId : - itom bundleId : - itom workflow : - Technology --- # CI deletion strategies for pattern discovery # CI deletion strategies for pattern discovery {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated November 5, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of CI deletion strategies for pattern discovery When using pattern-based Discovery in ServiceNow, you can manage configuration items (CIs) that exist in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) but are no longer found by Discovery. This functionality is specific to pattern-based discovery and is not available for probes or sensors. Patterns identify a main CI type (e.g., IIS web server), and Discovery also finds related CIs, populating the CMDB with both main and related CIs. Show full answer Show less ## Setting Deletion Strategies After initially discovering a main CI and its related CIs via a pattern, you must manually configure deletion strategies for each related CI type in the **Related CI Types \[sacitopattern\]** table. These deletion strategies dictate what happens to related CIs when Discovery no longer finds them in subsequent runs but does find the main CI. Note that deletion strategies cannot be set for the main CI with Infrastructure pattern types, and strategies are not applicable to related entries (rules based on related CIs). ## Available Deletion Strategies for Related CIs * **Keep**: Default option; preserves the related CI record and its relationships without changes. * **Delete**: Removes the related CI record and its relationship to the main CI from the CMDB. * **Mark as absent** : Updates the CI's `installstatus` field to "Absent," indicating Discovery cannot find it; the CI and relationships remain. Note: For `cmdbcinetworkadapter` and `cmdbciipaddress` tables, CIs are deleted when marked absent. * **Delete relations**: Deletes only the relationships between the related CI and the main CI, leaving the CI record intact. * **Mark as retired** : Sets the CI's `installstatus` to "Retired," signifying it is no longer used by Discovery; the CI and relationships remain. ## Key Considerations * Deletion strategies apply only to related CIs, not to the main CI except when the main CI is discovered by an Application or Cloud Resource pattern. * For Infrastructure pattern types, you cannot configure deletion strategies for the main CI. * Choosing the appropriate deletion strategy helps maintain accurate CMDB data by appropriately handling CIs that Discovery no longer detects. When you perform discovery with a pattern, you can choose what to do with configuration items (CIs) that are in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) but Discovery can no longer find. Note: Deletion strategies are available only with patterns, not probes/sensors. When you use a pattern to perform discovery, you identify a CI Type, which is the main CI you're trying to find, such as an IIS web server or Tomcat server. Discovery can also find related CIs and populate the CMDB accordingly. For example, after Discovery finds an IIS server with the IIS pattern, it can also find these related CIs: * The Windows machine that hosts the web server * The configuration files for the IIS server * The website that the IIS server hosts {#deletion-strategy__ul_twt_lwh_vz} The dependency map on the main CI also shows the related CIs, as illustrated by the following graphic:Figure 1. An example of an IIS server main CI and its related CIs After you discover the main CI and its related CIs for the first time using a pattern, manually configure an entry in the Related CI Types \[sa_ci_to_pattern\] table for each relation between the main CI and a related CI type. Each record determines the deletion strategy for a related CI based on its type. You cannot set a deletion strategy for the main CI when using the Infrastructure pattern type. You can view a list of the relations as the following image illustrates:Figure 2. Example CIs related to an IIS server The deletion strategy on a related CI takes effect when both of these conditions occur: * After you run Discovery with the pattern again. * Discovery successfully finds the main CI but cannot find the related CI. {#deletion-strategy__ul_qdp_2x5_zz} These deletion strategy options are available: {#deletion-strategy__table_xl2_jwf_5z__entry__2} | Value | Description | |-|-| | Keep | Preserves the configuration file CI record and makes no other changes to the record. This option is the default setting. | | Delete | Deletes the configuration file CI record from the CMDB, and the relationship to the main CI. | | Mark as absent | Marks the Status \[install_status\] field of the configuration file CI record as Absent, meaning that Discovery cannot find the tracked configuration file. This status does not instruct the system to delete the actual CI or the relationship. Note: There are two tables that do have their CIs deleted if marked as absent: cmdb_ci_network_adapter and cmdb_ci_ip_address. | | Delete relations | Deletes only the CI relationships between the related CI and the main CI. | | Mark as retired | Marks the Status \[install_status\] field of the configuration file CI record as Retired, meaning that Discovery no longer uses this configuration file. This status does not instruct the system to delete the actual CI or the relationship. | [ ] {#deletion-strategy__table_xl2_jwf_5z} Note: Deletion strategies are not available for related entries, which are rules that are based on related CIs. For more information, see [Related entries](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=c_IdentificationRules&version=australia&pubname=australia-servicenow-platform&ft:locale=en-US#section_ftc_tg4_j1b). * **[Set a deletion strategy](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/l~raf5kuuQZtlrkVh4JUXw)** Set a deletion strategy when you want to take action on a related configuration item (CI) that Discovery can no longer find through pattern discovery. You can delete the main CI only when it is an Application or Cloud Resource pattern type.