Data collected for Microsoft Azure Cloud Discovery

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
  • Summarize
    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 Data collected for Microsoft Azure Cloud Discovery

    This document explains how ServiceNow Discovery collects detailed information about cloud resources within Microsoft Azure datacenters. It outlines the prerequisites, data collection methods, and the various configuration items (CIs) discovered in Azure environments. The discovery process relies on the Cloud Provisioning and Governance API and Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns.

    Show full answer Show less

    Prerequisites

    • Application updates: Ensure the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application is up to date from the ServiceNow Store to access the latest patterns.
    • Azure Credentials: Create Microsoft Azure cloud credentials with appropriate access to the Azure account for discovery operations.
    • Discovery Schedule: Configure a discovery schedule within the Cloud Discovery Workspace to automate resource discovery.
    • API Permissions: Verify REST API permissions by using the Cloud Discovery patterns spreadsheet, which details required permissions, pattern names, CI classes, and vendor documentation. This spreadsheet is updated quarterly to reflect new patterns.

    How Discovery Finds Microsoft Azure Resources

    Discovery uses predefined patterns to identify and collect data on Azure resources. These patterns cover a broad range of resource types including databases, load balancers, web servers, virtual machines, networks, storage, and more.

    Key Resource Types Discovered and Data Collected

    Discovered resources are stored in various CMDB tables, each capturing specific attributes relevant to the resource type. Examples include:

    • Azure Datacenters: Name, region, object ID.
    • Virtual Machine Instances: State, CPUs, memory, disks, network adapters.
    • Compute Security Groups: Name, state, object ID.
    • Storage Volumes: Size, type, state, object ID.
    • Cloud Networks and Subnets: Name, state/status, CIDR blocks.
    • Resource Groups: State, operational status, install status, with lifecycle tracking on termination.
    • Public IP Addresses: IP address, DNS name, object ID.
    • Cloud Databases: Fully qualified domain name, type, vendor, version, operational status.
    • Cloud Web Servers and IP Addresses: Installation and operational statuses, vendor, IP and DNS details.

    Additional tables capture deployment details, storage accounts, compute templates, hardware types, and more, allowing comprehensive visibility into Azure cloud infrastructure.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Provides automated discovery of Azure cloud resources, ensuring your CMDB remains accurate and up to date.
    • Enables better asset and configuration management by capturing detailed attributes for diverse Azure services.
    • Supports governance and operational workflows by tracking resource states, operational statuses, and lifecycle changes.
    • Integrates with Service Mapping for enhanced visibility of load balancers and service topologies.
    • Allows scheduling and permission management to align discovery with organizational policies and security requirements.

    Next Steps

    • Ensure all required ServiceNow applications and patterns are current by checking the ServiceNow Store regularly.
    • Create and configure Azure credentials and discovery schedules to begin collecting cloud resource data.
    • Review and apply the necessary REST API permissions using the provided Cloud Discovery patterns spreadsheet.
    • Leverage discovered data within CMDB for improved cloud service management and governance.

    Discovery collects information about cloud resources in Microsoft Azure datacenters. Discovering some of these resources may require updating to the latest version of the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application from the ServiceNow Store.

    Request apps on the Store

    Visit the ServiceNow Store to view all the available apps, and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.

    Prerequisites

    Verify that the applications are up to date
    • Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns
    • CMDB CI Class Models
    • Visibility Content
    Create Azure cloud credentials
    Create Microsoft Azure credentials that can access the Microsoft Azure account. For more information, see Create Azure cloud credentials.
    Configure a discovery schedule
    Create a discovery schedule in Cloud Discovery Workspace

    Verify the REST API Permissions

    Download the Cloud Discovery patterns spreadsheet so you can grant user permissions required for running the Discovery patterns. In addition to permissions, the spreadsheet also includes useful information such as pattern names, types, CI Classes, and links to vendor documentation. New patterns are available quarterly, so check periodically to be sure you have the latest version of the spreadsheet.

    How Discovery finds Microsoft Azure resources

    Discovery uses the Cloud Provisioning and Governance API and Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns to find cloud resources.

    Table 1. Default patterns
    Pattern Description
    Azure DataBase (LP)
    Discovers database types of:
    • Microsoft.sql/servers
    • microsoft.sql/managedInstances
    • microsoft.dbformysql
    • microsoft.documentdb/databaseaccounts
    • microsoft.cache/redis
    • microsoft.dbforpostgresql/servers
    • microsoft.dbformysql/servers
    • microsoft.dbformysql/flexibleservers
    • microsoft.dbforpostgresql/flexibleservers

    Populates the [cmdb_ci_cloud_database] table.

    Azure LoadBalancer TD Retrieves Microsoft Azure load balancers and populates the cmdb_ci_lb_service table. This pattern is only used by Service Mapping for top-down discovery, not by the Discovery application for horizontal discovery.
    Azure WebSite (LP) Retrieves Microsoft Azure web servers and populates the Cloud WebServers [cmdb_ci_cloud_webserver] and IP address [cmdb_ci_ip_address] tables.

    Data collected by Discovery during horizontal discovery

    Table 2. Azure Datacenter [cmdb_ci_azure_datacenter]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Region region
    Object ID object_id
    Table 3. Availability Zone [cmdb_ci_availability_zone]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Table 4. Virtual Machine Instance [cmdb_ci_vm_instance]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    State state
    Object ID object_id
    CPUs cpus
    Disks disks
    Disks size (GB) disks_size
    Memory memory
    Network adapters nics
    VM Instance ID vm_inst_id
    Table 5. Compute Security Groups [cmdb_ci_compute_security_group]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Object ID object_id
    State state
    Table 6. Images [cmdb_ci_os_template]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Object ID object_id
    Guest OS guest_os
    Image source image_source
    Table 7. Storage Volume [cmdb_ci_storage_volume]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    State state
    Object ID object_id
    Storage type storage_type
    Size size
    Table 8. Cloud Networks [cmdb_ci_network] and VMware vCenter Network [cmdb_ci_vcenter_network]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    State* state
    CIDR* cidr
    *Not found on VMware vCenter networks.
    Table 9. Cloud Subnets [cmdb_ci_cloud_subnet]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Status status
    CIDR cidr
    Table 10. Cloud Provisioning and Governance Network Interfaces [cmdb_ci_nic]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Netmask netmask
    MAC Address mac_address
    MAC Manufacturer mac_manufacturer
    Status install_status
    Table 11. Cloud Load Balancers [cmdb_ci_cloud_load_balancer]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Object ID object_id
    State state
    Table 12. Azure Deployments [cmdb_ci_azure_deployment]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Provisioning state provisioning_state
    Note:
    This table is only available for Discovery when the Cloud Provisioning and Governance plugin is activated.
    Table 13. Resource Groups [cmdb_ci_resource_group]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Object ID object_id
    State state
    Operational Status operational_status
    Install Status install_status
    Note:
    • When a resource group is discovered for the first time, the State field is set to Available, operational_status=Operational, and Status=Installed; based on the response mapping.
    • When a resource group is terminated on Microsoft Azure, the CMPReconciler scripts set the State field to Terminated, and operational_status=Non-Operational and Status=Absent.
    Table 14. Public IP Addresses [cmdb_ci_cloud_public_ipaddress]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Object ID object_id
    Public IP address public_ip_address
    Public DNS public_dns
    Table 15. Storage Accounts [cmdb_ci_cloud_storage_account]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Object ID object_id
    Sku Name sku_name
    State state
    Table 16. Cloud Databases [cmdb_ci_cloud_database]
    Label Field Name
    Fully qualified domain name fqdn
    Name name
    Object ID object_id
    Operational Status operational_status
    Type type
    State state
    Vendor vendor
    Version version
    Note:
    For NoSQL and MSSQL Managed Instances, the API responses for these databases do not return version data.
    Category* category
    * Populated only by the Azure SQL Managed Instance license pattern extension. For more information, see the "Azure SQL Managed Instance license discovery" section in Microsoft Azure Cloud discovery using patterns.
    Table 17. Cloud WebServer [cmdb_ci_cloud_webserver]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Install status install_status
    Vendor vendor
    Fully qualified domain name fqdn
    Operational status operational_status
    State state
    Table 18. IP Address [cmdb_ci_ip_address]
    Label Field Name
    Fully qualified domain name fqdn
    Install status install_status
    IP Address ip_address
    Name name
    Netmask netmask
    Operational status operational_status
    Vendor vendor
    Table 19. Database [cmdb_ci_database]
    Label Field Name
    Life-cycle Stage Status life_cycle_stage_status
    Name name
    Status status
    Serial Number serial_number
    Type type
    Table 20. Compute Template [cmdb_ci_compute_template]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Object ID object_id
    VCPUS vcpus
    Table 21. Hardware Type [cmdb_ci_hardware_type]
    Label Field Name
    Name name
    Object ID object_id
    Provider provider
    vCPUs vcpus