Data collected for Microsoft Azure Cloud Discovery

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Data collected for Microsoft Azure Cloud Discovery

    Microsoft Azure Cloud Discovery in ServiceNow collects detailed information about cloud resources within Azure datacenters to help maintain an accurate CMDB. It requires up-to-date Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns applications, and integration with the Cloud Provisioning and Governance API for comprehensive resource identification.

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    Prerequisites

    • Ensure Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns applications are updated.
    • Create Azure cloud credentials with access to the Azure account.
    • Set up a discovery schedule within the Cloud Discovery Workspace.
    • Verify REST API permissions by using the Cloud Discovery patterns spreadsheet, which also provides pattern details and vendor documentation links.
    • Keep the discovery patterns spreadsheet updated quarterly to leverage new patterns.

    Key Features

    Discovery uses predefined patterns to identify various Azure resources and populates corresponding CMDB tables with collected data. Notable patterns include:

    • Azure Database Pattern: Discovers multiple Azure database types and populates cmdbciclouddatabase.
    • Azure LoadBalancer Pattern: Retrieves Azure load balancers for Service Mapping and populates cmdbcilbservice.
    • Azure WebSite Pattern: Retrieves Azure web servers, populating cmdbcicloudwebserver and cmdbciipaddress.

    Data Collected and CMDB Tables Populated

    The Discovery process collects data about a wide range of Azure cloud components, storing attributes in specific CMDB tables such as:

    • Azure Datacenter: Region, name, and object ID.
    • Availability Zone: Zone name.
    • Virtual Machine Instance: Name, state, CPUs, memory, disks, network adapters, and IDs.
    • Compute Security Groups, Images, Storage Volumes, Networks, Subnets, NICs: Including states, sizes, statuses, and identifiers.
    • Cloud Load Balancers, Deployments, Resource Groups: With operational and provisioning states; resource groups reflect lifecycle changes such as termination.
    • Public IP Addresses, Storage Accounts, Databases, Web Servers, IP Addresses, Databases, Compute Templates, Hardware Types: Comprehensive details including names, statuses, versions, vendors, and specific attributes relevant to each component.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Enables automated, accurate discovery and population of Azure cloud resources into the CMDB.
    • Supports lifecycle tracking of Azure components, including state changes like termination of resource groups.
    • Facilitates integration with Service Mapping for top-down discovery of load balancers.
    • Allows customers to maintain updated permissions and patterns for ongoing discovery accuracy and completeness.
    • Supports detailed asset management and operational visibility across Azure cloud environments.

    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 website 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 components 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