---
schema_version: "1"
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title: How CMDB and Discovery Work Together to Improve Asset Management
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/service/264-0-0/it_srvcs_cmdb_discovery_flow.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.it_srvcs_cmdb_discovery_flow.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 450519892dc09c6cbf1aa5a1129a8a14032a592fb8464ff645c62eebad5fc7d7
description: Understand how Configuration Management Database (CMDB) and discovery integrate to automate asset tracking, reduce data entry, and keep configuration data current across your IT environment.
products:
  - Service Cloud
  - Agentforce IT Service
release: "264"
---
# How CMDB and Discovery Work Together to Improve Asset Management

Understand how Configuration Management Database (CMDB) and discovery integrate to automate asset tracking, reduce data entry, and keep configuration data current across your IT environment.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: Lightning Experience</td></tr><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, and <strong>Unlimited</strong> Editions with Agentforce IT Service.</td></tr></tbody></table>

CMDB and discovery work together to give your organization a dynamic and trustworthy view of all assets across your IT environment. CMDB serves as the structured system of record for configuration items (CIs). Discovery scans your network to detect devices, applications, services, and cloud infrastructure. After identifying assets, discovery sends the collected data to CMDB to create new CIs or update existing CIs. CMDB stores each CI with a defined type, relevant attributes, and any relationships to other components.

The integration between CMDB and Discovery helps reduce manual data entry, maintain accurate records across systems, and keep asset information aligned with changes in your environment.

![Example](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-service-it_service-264-0-0-production-enus/0a574a10-4c7a-4681-aacf-0767f8beaad4/images/icon_example.png)

Example

Consider the scenario where an IT admin wants to track all workstations in a distributed network and ensure that CMDB reflects the latest configuration details. Instead of entering data manually, the admin sets up a discovery scan to target IP ranges across all office locations. Discovery detects workstations, captures data such as hostname, IP address, operating system, and logged-in user, and sends the information to CMDB.

CMDB either creates a workstation CI or updates an existing one based on your defined identification rules. The attributes of each CI, such as OS version and assigned user, are updated based on the scan results.

You can also define relationships that connect each workstation to installed software or to the network devices it uses. Discovery updates these links during each scan. CMDB organizes the information into structured records and maintains accurate relationships between components.