--- title: "CI Reclassification In ServiceNow: Managing Class Changes" description: Learn how Apex helps your company with CI reclassification. Upgrades, downgrades, and switches. How to manage the risks of moving data between CMDB classes image: https://www.apexconfiguration.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Polish%20Woman%20Sorting%20IT%20Hardware%20with%20Frustration-1.png --- [![APEX CONFIGURATION GROUP](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Act3%20child/images/ACG-logo.png?width=135&height=93&name=ACG-logo.png "APEX CONFIGURATION GROUP")](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/) [![APEX CONFIGURATION GROUP](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Act3%20child/images/ACG-logo.png?width=135&height=93&name=ACG-logo.png "APEX CONFIGURATION GROUP")](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/) - [Home](https://www.apexconfiguration.com) - ServiceNow - [ServiceNow CMDB](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/servicenow-cmdb) - [CMDB Health Check](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-health-check) - [CMDB Design & Implementation](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-design-implementation) - [Managed Service](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/managed-cmdb-services) - [Automation & Optimisation](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-automation-tools) - Maximising ServiceNow - [CMDB Health Dashboard](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-health-dashboard-servicenow) - [CMDB Dependency Mapping](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-relationship-table) - [CMDB Configuration Items](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-configuration-items) - [CMDB Workspace](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-workspace-servicenow) - [CMDB Best Practice](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-best-practices) - [ServiceNow Discovery](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/servicenow-discovery-setup) - [Service Mapping](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/servicenow-service-mapping) - About - [How We Help](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/about-apex) - [What is a CMDB?](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/what-is-cmdb) - [Benefits](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/benefits-of-cmdb) - Resources - [Blog](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog) - [Contact Us](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/contact-us) [Contact Us](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/contact-us) [Contact Us](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/contact-us) - [Home](https://www.apexconfiguration.com) - ServiceNow - [ServiceNow CMDB](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/servicenow-cmdb) - [CMDB Health Check](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-health-check) - [CMDB Design & Implementation](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-design-implementation) - [Managed Service](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/managed-cmdb-services) - [Automation & Optimisation](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-automation-tools) - Maximising ServiceNow - [CMDB Health Dashboard](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-health-dashboard-servicenow) - [CMDB Dependency Mapping](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-relationship-table) - [CMDB Configuration Items](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-configuration-items) - [CMDB Workspace](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-workspace-servicenow) - [CMDB Best Practice](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-best-practices) - [ServiceNow Discovery](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/servicenow-discovery-setup) - [Service Mapping](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/servicenow-service-mapping) - About - [How We Help](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/about-apex) - [What is a CMDB?](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/what-is-cmdb) - [Benefits](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/benefits-of-cmdb) - Resources - [Blog](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog) - [Contact Us](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/contact-us) [Contact Us](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/contact-us) [tel:+442080588135](tel:+442080588135)[mailto:contact@apexconfiguration.com](mailto:contact@apexconfiguration.com) [CMDB](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/cmdb)[ServiceNow](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/servicenow) [Data Model Design](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/data-model-design)[Change Management](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/change-management) # CI Reclassification in ServiceNow: Managing Class Changes Safely [![Warren O'Neill](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/hs-fs/hubfs/warren-oneill.webp?width=40&height=40&name=warren-oneill.webp)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/author/warren-oneill) by [Warren O'Neill](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/author/warren-oneill) 3 min read Jun 24, 2026, 1:41:52 PM CI reclassification is what happens when a [configuration item (CI)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-configuration-items) moves from one class in the [CMDB](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/what-is-cmdb) to another. It usually happens because a source has sent more detail about what the device actually is, and ServiceNow's Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) decides the record belongs in a different class. Most reclassifications are harmless. A few quietly remove data that incident, change and patching processes depend on, and those are the ones worth controlling. ## The three kinds of class change - **Upgrade.** A CI moves to a more specific class, for example a generic Server identified as a Linux Server. This is the normal, healthy case. - **Downgrade.** A CI moves to a less specific class, for example a Windows Server re-identified as generic Hardware. This is rare, and it usually points to a data error in the incoming source. - **Switch.** A CI moves sideways between sibling classes, for example a device recorded as a Linux Server that is actually a Unix Server. ## What changes, and what doesn't The record itself survives. Its sys\_id stays the same, so incident, change and relationship history remain attached to it. What changes is the class, and with it the set of attributes the record can hold. Move a CI from a class with many fields, such as a server, to a simpler class, such as a PC, and any field that doesn't exist in the new class is dropped. That's where the risk sits. If a downgrade removes the operating system version or the support group, patch reports and incident routing lose that data, and nothing raises an error. ## Frequent class changes are a symptom If the same CIs keep changing class, the problem isn't reclassification itself. It's two sources, or a discovery pattern and an [identification rule](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/servicenow-identification-rules-how-cmdb-duplicate-prevention-really-works), disagreeing about what the device is. One run moves the CI one way, and the next run moves it back. Before you change any rules, list the CIs that have changed class more than once in recent months and note which source triggered each change. That usually points to a single integration or pattern. ## How Apex manages reclassification safely **Assess and baseline.** We review reclassification tasks and class-change history to find CIs that move repeatedly, then trace each one back to the discovery pattern, integration or identification rule causing it. **Put governance around critical classes.** For the classes that matter most, such as databases and production servers, we require a manual review before a class change is finalised. That stops a critical database being downgraded to a software record by one bad payload. **Fix the source data.** We normalise incoming data so every source describes the same thing the same way. If your cloud provider calls a device a compute instance and an on-premise tool calls it a virtual machine, both should map to the same target class, so the record doesn't flip between them. ## How Apex helps Our two-week [CMDB health baseline](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/cmdb-health-assessment-what-it-involves-and-what-it-risks) includes class placement and class-change history, and scores which of your CIs you can trust. Where reclassification is a symptom of wider identification problems, our data quality assessment measures where de-duplication, normalisation and reconciliation are failing, and why. Book a [CMDB diagnostic call](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/cmdb-diagnostic-call) if you want a consultant to look at what you have, or [book a meeting](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/book-a-meeting) to talk through scope. [![\CMDB Diagnostic Call\](https://hubspot-no-cache-eu1-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/147949153/interactive-378363509978.png)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJ1OAzi%2BDltz2v1TvqccSbA6XxSCaByrJq8Sqa2ypNPcRZoMHk3nZAZULEW5m6V13GJyM6fpAlmgkNHBwnRGqArNgqXpC5HmOFnPHLPpNpF%2FZivpfW5qeareSUMn2rRiabua90R3sj2T6CiVSAfiIitSppGnBB1Nrbkoc8LDp3FPZUkJEO%2BnAIyePd4hbx1LWSxUaFXr8OQjPg%3D&webInteractiveContentId=378363509978&portalId=147949153) ## Frequently asked questions ### Does the sys\_id change when a CI is reclassified? No. The record stays the same. Only the class and the attributes available to the record change. ### Can I block reclassification? Yes. You can configure the IRE to reject class changes for specific high-value CIs, so a change needs a human decision first. ### What is a reclassification task? It's a record ServiceNow creates to ask a person to approve or reject a suggested class change, instead of applying it automatically. ### Is a class upgrade ever a problem? Rarely. An upgrade adds detail. The risk sits with downgrades and switches, because those are the changes that can drop attributes. - Recent - Topics - Archive Recent ### Recent Topics ### Topics - [ServiceNow (25)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/servicenow) - [CMDB (22)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/cmdb) - [CMDB Data Quality (10)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/cmdb-data-quality) - [Change Management (4)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/change-management) - [Agentic AI (3)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/agentic-ai) - [CI Ownership (3)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/ci-ownership) - [Compliance & Audit (3)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/compliance-audit) - [Incident Management (3)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/incident-management) - [Service Mapping (3)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/service-mapping) - [Vulnerability Management (3)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/vulnerability-management) - [Cyber Security (2)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/cyber-security) - [Data Model Design (2)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/data-model-design) - [Duplicate CIs (2)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/duplicate-cis) - [Enterprise Risk Management (2)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/enterprise-risk-management) - [IT Cost Optimisation (2)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/it-cost-optimisation) - [IT Governance (2)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/it-governance) - [ServiceNow Discovery (2)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/servicenow-discovery) - [CI Reconciliation (1)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/ci-reconciliation) - [CMDB Remediation (1)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/cmdb-remediation) - [Case Studies (1)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/case-studies) - [Configuration Management (1)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/configuration-management) - [Dependency Views (1)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/dependency-views) - [IRE (1)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/ire) - [IT Asset Management (1)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/it-asset-management) - [Operational Efficiency (1)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/operational-efficiency) - [Problem Management (1)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/problem-management) - [Service Graph Connectors (1)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/service-graph-connectors) - [ServiceNow Advisory (1)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/servicenow-advisory) See all Archive ### Archive - [September 2026 (14)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/archive/2026/09) - [August 2026 (2)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/archive/2026/08) - [July 2026 (4)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/archive/2026/07) - [June 2026 (3)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/archive/2026/06) - [May 2026 (2)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/archive/2026/05) ### Subscribe by email Share this [Share on X](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/ci-reclassification-in-servicenow-managing-class-changes-safely&text=CI+Reclassification+In+ServiceNow%3A+Managing+Class+Changes) [Share on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/ci-reclassification-in-servicenow-managing-class-changes-safely&t=CI+Reclassification+In+ServiceNow%3A+Managing+Class+Changes) [Share on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/ci-reclassification-in-servicenow-managing-class-changes-safely&t=CI+Reclassification+In+ServiceNow%3A+Managing+Class+Changes) Previous story [← The 3 Cs of a CMDB: Completeness, Correctness and Compliance](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/the-3-cs-of-a-cmdb-completeness-correctness-and-compliance-in-practice) Next story [How AI-Powered Incident Management Reduces MTTR In ServiceNow →](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/ai-powered-incident-management-reduces-mttr) ![Warren O'Neill](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/hs-fs/hubfs/warren-oneill.webp?width=64&height=64&name=warren-oneill.webp) By [Warren O'Neill](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/author/warren-oneill) Co-owner and Technology Director at Apex Configuration Group, based in Bath, UK. Warren specialises in ServiceNow CMDB and CSDM, ITOM Discovery, Service Mapping and pattern development, with a focus… [Full profile & credentials →](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/author/warren-oneill) ## You May Also Like These Related Stories [ServiceNow Identification Rules: How CMDB Duplicate Prevention Works](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/servicenow-identification-rules-how-cmdb-duplicate-prevention-really-works) ![ServiceNow identification engine screen showing matching criteria used to prevent duplicate configuration items in the CMDB](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Configuration%20Manager%20Deduplicating%20CMDB%20Data.png?width=480&name=Configuration%20Manager%20Deduplicating%20CMDB%20Data.png) [CMDB](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/cmdb) ### ServiceNow Identification Rules: How CMDB Duplicate Prevention Works Sep 15, 2026, 8:33:27 AM 7 min read [ServiceNow Reconciliation Rules: Which Source Wins](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/servicenow-reconciliation-rules-which-source-wins) ![ServiceNow CMDB reconciliation engine screen showing which data source wins when two feeds report different values for the same configuration item](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Reconciliation%20Rules%20in%20CI%20Configuration.png?width=480&name=Reconciliation%20Rules%20in%20CI%20Configuration.png) [CMDB](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/cmdb) ### ServiceNow Reconciliation Rules: Which Source Wins Sep 16, 2026, 8:52:45 AM 5 min read [Unknown CI Owners Are Driving Up IT Spend](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/unknown-ci-owners-are-driving-up-it-spend) ![Finance manager frowning at a printed invoice beside a tall stack of paperwork and an open laptop](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Stressed%20Manager%20Reviewing%20Invoices%20In%20Modern%20Finance%20Office.png?width=480&name=Stressed%20Manager%20Reviewing%20Invoices%20In%20Modern%20Finance%20Office.png) [CMDB](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/blog/tag/cmdb) ### Unknown CI Owners Are Driving Up IT Spend May 31, 2026, 2:14:44 PM 8 min read ### Get Email Notifications [![APEX CONFIGURATION GROUP](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Act3%20child/images/ACG-logo.png?width=135&height=93&name=ACG-logo.png)](https://www.apexconfiguration.com/) ServiceNow CMDB specialists delivering enterprise-grade implementation, remediation, and managed services. 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