---
sourceDocument: Brazil ServiceNow AI Platform Capabilities
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/servicenow-platform

 Release :

    - brazil

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Brazil ServiceNow AI Platform Capabilities

ft:clusterId :

    - platcap

bundleId :

    - platcap

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Components and process of Identification and Reconciliation

# Components and process of Identification and Reconciliation {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Brazil  
Updated September 10, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 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 Components and process of Identification and Reconciliation

The Configuration Management Database (CMDB) Identification and Reconciliation functionality is powered by the Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE), which uses a set of rules and tasks to uniquely identify Configuration Items (CIs) and maintain data integrity within the CMDB.
This process ensures that CIs are accurately identified as new or existing and that only authorized data sources update the CMDB, preventing duplicates and conflicts.
Show full answer Show less  

## Key Components and Processes

* **Identification:** Determines whether a CI already exists in the CMDB or if it is new, using identification rules and unique IDs provided by data sources.
* **Reconciliation:** Controls updates to CI records by permitting only designated authoritative data sources to write to specific CI attributes, enforcing real-time updates without a staging area. Reconciliation applies only to update operations after identification confirms a CI match.
* **De-duplication Tasks:** When duplicates are found during processing, IRE groups them into de-duplication tasks for review to confirm duplication and guide resolution.
* **Reclassification Tasks:** If a matched CI needs to change its classification (upgrade, downgrade, or switch class), and automatic reclassification is off, a reclassification task is created for manual review.
* **Identification and Reconciliation APIs:** Centralized APIs enable external data sources like Discovery, Monitoring, or Import Sets to enforce identification and reconciliation before data is committed to the CMDB, preventing inconsistencies.

## API Highlights

* **createOrUpdateCI():** Creates or updates a CI based on defined identification and reconciliation rules.
* **identifyCI():** Checks whether an operation would insert or update a CI without committing changes to the database.
* **createOrUpdateCIEnhanced() and identifyCIEnhanced():** Provide advanced features such as partial payload processing, partial commits, and deduplication of payload items, enhancing flexibility and control.
* **CMDBTransformUtil:** Specialized API for Import Sets to apply identification and reconciliation during data import.

## Customization and Rule Management

Predefined identification and reconciliation rules exist for many base system tables and can be customized to fit organizational requirements. New CMDB tables inherit rules from their parent tables by default, but rules can also be defined explicitly at the child or parent level to control identification and reconciliation behavior.

## Key Outcomes for ServiceNow Customers

* Ensure accurate and unique identification of CIs to avoid duplication in the CMDB.
* Maintain CMDB data integrity by enforcing authoritative updates only from designated data sources.
* Leverage centralized APIs to integrate various data sources while preserving consistency and control over CMDB data.
* Enable manual oversight of CI reclassification and duplicate resolution through dedicated tasks.
* Customize identification and reconciliation rules to align with specific organizational needs and CMDB structures.  
The CMDB Identification and Reconciliation functionality is supported by the Identification and Reconciliation engine (IRE), rules, and tasks. Identification rules, reconciliation rules, IRE data
source rules, de-duplication tasks, and reclassification tasks determine how IRE identifies and reconciles CI.

## Concepts and Components of Identification and Reconciliation

Identification
:   Process of uniquely identifying CIs, to determine if a CI already exists in the CMDB or if it is a newly discovered CI that must be added to the CMDB. Identification processes rely on [identification rules](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/paokIuIucqW~B7gJNdcX7A "Identification rules are used to uniquely identify CIs in the CMDB, as part of Identification and Reconciliation (IRE) processes. Each CMDB class can be associated with a single identification rule."), or on unique IDs for CIs that data sources can provide.

Reconciliation

:   Process of reconciling CIs and CI attributes by allowing only designated authoritative data sources to write to the CMDB at the CI table and attribute level. The CMDB is updated in real time as records are being processed. There is no staging area to verify the reconciliation activities before they are committed. Reconciliation processes
    rely on [reconciliation rules](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/0pT4QlDmKokSjVO3j6FBJw#create-reconciliation-rule "Create a static or a dynamic CI reconciliation rule.") and [IRE data source rules](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/VwgNd9UMN3Mh~b5kqOzH9w "When using Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE), you can prevent a specific discovery (data) source from inserting new CIs for a specific class. Create IRE data source rules for discovery sources that you don't trust in creating CIs but continue to trust in updating those CIs that exist.").

    Reconciliation is required only for update operations, when the identification process identifies a CI in the CMDB that matches an incoming CI in the payload. When IRE inserts a new CI, reconciliation is not applied.

De-duplication tasks
:   If the instance encounters duplicate CIs during the Identification and Reconciliation
    process, it groups each set of duplicate CIs into a [de-duplication task](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Bnt_Co963ZZdhScOW1Fhwg "Review details of de-duplication tasks which remediate duplicate CIs, and then potentially process a de-duplication task."). Review the
    information in these tasks to see how it was determined that these CIs are
    duplicates.

Reclassification tasks
:   During the CI identification process, a matched CI might need to be upgraded, downgraded,
    or switched to another CI class. If automatic reclassification is disabled, then the system
    generates a [reclassification task](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/wrhftITpIlMvQZYDHO6FxQ#c_CIReclassification "During the Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) CI identification process, a CI might need to be reclassified to a different sys_class_name type. By default, CIs are reclassified automatically. If automatic reclassification is disabled, then the CI is not reclassified and the system generates a reclassification task for your review."). Review the information in these tasks,
    and decide whether a manual reclassification of the CI is appropriate.

APIs

:   The Identification and Reconciliation APIs are a centralized set of APIs that can be used with different sources of data such as Discovery, Monitoring, or Import Sets. You can use it to enforce Identification and Reconciliation before data is stored in the CMDB. Data sources do not directly write to the CMDB. Instead, they call APIs first to ensure that the data being written does not introduce inconsistencies.

    Identification engine APIs are accessible in scoped apps. The Configuration Management For
    Scoped Apps (CMDB) plugin (com.snc.cmdb.scoped) allows a scoped app in scripts to use
    the prefix 'sn_cmdb.IdentificationEngine.\<method\>' to access identification engine
    APIs. The Configuration Management For Scoped Apps (CMDB) plugin is activated in base
    systems.  
    * [createOrUpdateCI()](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=c_IdentEngineScriptAPI&version=brazil&pubname=brazil-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US): A scriptable API that creates or updates a CI based on identification and reconciliation rules.
    * [identifyCI()](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=c_IdentEngineScriptAPI&version=brazil&pubname=brazil-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US): Similar to the createOrUpdateCI API, but does not commit the result to the database. Use this API with a given payload to find out if the identification engine will perform insert or update operations, without committing the operation.
    * [CreateOrUpdateCIEnhanced()](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=IdentificationEngineScopedAPI&version=brazil&pubname=brazil-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US): A scriptable API that provides the functionality of enhanced IRE features such as partial payload, partial commit, incomplete payload, and deduplication of payload items. You can select the enhanced features to use. However, if you enable partial payloads, then deduplication of payload items and partial commit are automatically enabled.
    * [identifyCIEnhanced](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=c_IdentEngineScriptAPI&version=brazil&pubname=brazil-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US): Similar to the createOrUpdateCIEnahnced API, but does not commit the result to the database. Use this API with a given payload to find out if the identification engine will perform insert or update operations, without committing the operation.
    * [CMDBTransformUtil](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=c_CMDBTransformUtilAPI&version=brazil&pubname=brazil-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US): An API to be used exclusively with Import Sets to [apply
      Identification and Reconciliation processes to data imported by Import
      Sets](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/S2lE3RnHRX~xTuFsX1GNUg "You can apply CMDB Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) processes when Import Sets are used to import CIs into the CMDB. CI identification can prevent duplicate CIs in the CMDB, which Import Sets might otherwise cause.").
    {#c_CompsandProcessIDandReconcil__ul_gsf_3vg_ht}

Predefined identification are included for many of the tables in the base system. You can customize these rules for your organization. When a new table is created in the CMDB, it derives identification and reconciliation rules from its parent table if these rules exist. To apply identification and reconciliation rules to a new table, create the rules
either at the child level or at its parent level.
Figure 1. Process flow of Identification and Reconciliation

## Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) {#c_CompsandProcessIDandReconcil__section_wk1_rk1_ljb}

[Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE)](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/7_mM9pekWtaE~OSSc8VJQA "IRE is an underlying key component in Identification and Reconciliation, providing a centralized framework to perform identification and reconciliation processes across different data sources. IRE uses identification rules, reconciliation rules, and IRE data source rules when processing incoming data before inserting that data to the CMDB.") is a rule-based engine, operating as an underlying key component in Identification and Reconciliation. IRE provides a centralized framework to perform identification and reconciliation processes across different data sources. IRE uses identification rules, reconciliation rules, and IRE data source rules when processing incoming data before inserting or updating data in the CMDB. IRE processes help maintain data integrity in the CMDB.

* IRE prevents duplicate CIs by uniquely identifying CIs.
* IRE reconciles CI attributes by allowing only authoritative data sources to write to CMDB.
{#c_CompsandProcessIDandReconcil__ul_qcp_tk1_ljb}