CI deletion strategies for pattern discovery

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated June 16, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of CI deletion strategies for pattern discovery

    When using pattern-based Discovery in ServiceNow, you can define how to handle configuration items (CIs) in the CMDB that Discovery previously found but cannot locate on subsequent scans. Deletion strategies apply only to patterns (not probes/sensors) and specifically target related CIs linked to a main CI identified by the pattern, such as an IIS web server or Tomcat server. These strategies help maintain CMDB accuracy by managing stale or missing related CIs after each Discovery run.

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    How Deletion Strategies Work

    • After initially discovering a main CI and its related CIs, you configure deletion strategies for each related CI type in the Related CI Types [sacitopattern] table.
    • Deletion strategies activate when Discovery successfully finds the main CI but fails to find a related CI during a subsequent scan.
    • Deletion strategies cannot be set for the main CI in Infrastructure pattern types; however, for Application or Cloud Resource pattern types, you can delete the main CI if necessary.

    Available Deletion Strategy Options

    • Keep: Retains the related CI record without any changes (default).
    • Delete: Removes the related CI record and its relationship to the main CI from the CMDB.
    • Mark as absent: Updates the related CI’s Status [installstatus] to "Absent," indicating Discovery cannot locate it. The CI and relationships remain intact. Exception: CIs in cmdbcinetworkadapter and cmdbciipaddress tables are deleted if marked absent.
    • Delete relations: Removes only the relationships between the related CI and main CI, keeping the CI record.
    • Mark as retired: Changes the related CI’s Status [installstatus] to "Retired," signaling it is no longer used by Discovery without deleting the CI or relationships.

    Key Considerations for ServiceNow Customers

    • Configure deletion strategies per related CI type to maintain CMDB integrity and reflect current infrastructure accurately.
    • Understand that deletion strategies only apply to related CIs discovered by patterns, not to related entries or probes/sensors.
    • Set appropriate deletion strategies to automate cleanup or status updates of missing CIs, reducing manual CMDB maintenance.
    • Note that deletion of the main CI is limited to Application or Cloud Resource patterns, not Infrastructure patterns.

    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
    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
    related CIs to an IIS server

    After you discover the main CI and its related CIs for the first time using a pattern, you must 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. These records are where you determine the deletion strategy for each related CI based on its type. Note that you cannot set a deletion strategy for the main CI for 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
    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.

    These deletion strategy options are available:

    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.
    Note:
    Deletion strategies are not available for related entries, which are rules that are based on related CIs. For more information, see Related entries.