ACC Software Installations with Discovery Source "ServiceNow" and Removal of Non-Discovered SoftwareSummary<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } .kb-wrapper{font-family:'Lato',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;line-height:1.7;color:#000;max-width:100%} .kb-wrapper p{margin:0 0 12px 0} .kb-wrapper ul{margin:0 0 12px 0;padding-left:24px} .kb-wrapper li{margin-bottom:8px} .kb-wrapper h2{font-size:14pt;font-weight:900;border-bottom:2px solid #e8fce4;padding-bottom:4px;margin:28px 0 10px 0} .kb-wrapper h3{font-size:12pt;font-weight:900;border-bottom:2px solid #e8fce4;padding-bottom:4px;margin:20px 0 8px 0} .kb-wrapper .note{border-left:4px solid #52B8FF;background:#e6f4ff;padding:10px 14px;margin:14px 0} .kb-wrapper .warning{border-left:4px solid #e6a817;background:#fff4e0;padding:10px 14px;margin:14px 0} .kb-wrapper code{background:#e6f0f5;color:#032D42;border:1px solid #b8cfd8;padding:1px 4px;border-radius:3px;font-family:monospace;font-size:11pt} .kb-wrapper pre{background:#e6f0f5;color:#032D42;border:1px solid #b8cfd8;padding:12px 16px;overflow-x:auto;font-family:monospace;font-size:11pt;line-height:1.5;margin:10px 0 16px 0;border-radius:3px} .kb-wrapper ol.steps{list-style:none;padding:0;counter-reset:step-counter} .kb-wrapper ol.steps>li{counter-increment:step-counter;display:flex;align-items:flex-start;margin-bottom:16px;list-style:none} .kb-wrapper ol.steps>li::before{content:counter(step-counter);flex-shrink:0;width:28px;height:28px;border-radius:50%;background:#032D42;color:#63DF4E;font-weight:900;font-size:11pt;text-align:center;line-height:28px;display:block;margin-right:16px} .kb-wrapper ol.steps>li>div{flex:1} .kb-wrapper ol.sub-steps{list-style:lower-alpha;padding-left:24px;margin:10px 0 4px 0} .kb-wrapper table{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;margin:14px 0;font-size:12pt} .kb-wrapper th{background:#032D42;color:#fff;padding:9px 12px;text-align:left;font-weight:700} .kb-wrapper td{padding:8px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid #ddd;vertical-align:top} .kb-wrapper tr:nth-child(even) td{background:#e8fce4} .kb-wrapper p.disclaimer{font-size:10pt;font-style:italic} Software Asset Management (SAM) uses the Software Installation [cmdb_sam_sw_install] table to track software found on your devices. When a Discovery scan or an Agent Client Collector (ACC) check runs successfully and returns a current list of installed software for a device, ServiceNow compares that list against the software installation records already recorded for the device. If a device no longer reports a specific piece of software that was previously recorded, ServiceNow removes the existing software installation record for that software. The platform deletes the record. It does not mark the record inactive or flag it as absent. This removal only happens after a scan returns data. If a scan or check fails, times out, or returns no data at all, for example because the device could not be reached, ServiceNow makes no changes to the existing software installation records for that device. A failed or empty scan is treated as no information, not as evidence that software was removed, so it cannot unintentionally remove previously recorded software. Discovery and ACC share the same reconciliation source This removal behavior is consistent whether software was originally found through classic Discovery, for example the Windows - Installed Software probe, or through the ACC installed_software check. Both methods use the same underlying reconciliation process. By default, both methods record the same discovery source value, ServiceNow, on the software installation record. Because both methods share this discovery source value, a rescan performed through either method can remove a record that the other method originally created. Discovery and ACC do not act as separate, isolated sources of truth for the same device. Software installation records created by an integration with a distinct discovery source value, such as Microsoft SCCM or a custom third-party integration, are not affected by a classic Discovery or ACC rescan. Removal only applies to records that share the same discovery source value. Software installation records created by patterns Some software installation records come from an installed application pattern rather than from a standard Discovery probe or the ACC check. Standard Discovery and ACC reconciliation does not remove these pattern-created records. Patterns maintain a separate discovery run history and use it to determine whether to remove a previously created record on a later run. A pattern-created software installation record that a pattern no longer detects is still expected to be removed, through the pattern's own process rather than through standard Discovery or ACC reconciliation. Software Asset Management does not run a separate cleanup job SAM does not run a separate, scheduled process that removes software installation records because they have not been rediscovered recently. Removal of these records is driven entirely by the Discovery and ACC reconciliation process described in this article, not by a SAM housekeeping job. What this means for you If software disappears from a device's software installation list shortly after a successful Discovery scan or ACC check, this is expected behavior. It typically means the software was uninstalled or is no longer detected, and ServiceNow removed the corresponding record during normal reconciliation.If software installation records disappear unexpectedly and you do not believe the software was removed from the device, check whether the Discovery scan or ACC check for that device completed successfully and returned a full, current list of software. Confirm the scan did not return partial results.Records seeded by an application pattern behave differently from records created by standard Discovery or the ACC check. If you use custom or base system software-detecting patterns, review how that pattern manages its discovery run history to understand when it removes a stale record. Related Links<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } .kb-wrapper{font-family:'Lato',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;line-height:1.7;color:#000;max-width:100%} .kb-wrapper p{margin:0 0 12px 0} .kb-wrapper ul{margin:0 0 12px 0;padding-left:24px} .kb-wrapper li{margin-bottom:8px} .kb-wrapper h2{font-size:14pt;font-weight:900;border-bottom:2px solid #e8fce4;padding-bottom:4px;margin:28px 0 10px 0} .kb-wrapper h3{font-size:12pt;font-weight:900;border-bottom:2px solid #e8fce4;padding-bottom:4px;margin:20px 0 8px 0} .kb-wrapper .note{border-left:4px solid #52B8FF;background:#e6f4ff;padding:10px 14px;margin:14px 0} .kb-wrapper .warning{border-left:4px solid #e6a817;background:#fff4e0;padding:10px 14px;margin:14px 0} .kb-wrapper code{background:#e6f0f5;color:#032D42;border:1px solid #b8cfd8;padding:1px 4px;border-radius:3px;font-family:monospace;font-size:11pt} .kb-wrapper pre{background:#e6f0f5;color:#032D42;border:1px solid #b8cfd8;padding:12px 16px;overflow-x:auto;font-family:monospace;font-size:11pt;line-height:1.5;margin:10px 0 16px 0;border-radius:3px} .kb-wrapper ol.steps{list-style:none;padding:0;counter-reset:step-counter} .kb-wrapper ol.steps>li{counter-increment:step-counter;display:flex;align-items:flex-start;margin-bottom:16px;list-style:none} .kb-wrapper ol.steps>li::before{content:counter(step-counter);flex-shrink:0;width:28px;height:28px;border-radius:50%;background:#032D42;color:#63DF4E;font-weight:900;font-size:11pt;text-align:center;line-height:28px;display:block;margin-right:16px} .kb-wrapper ol.steps>li>div{flex:1} .kb-wrapper ol.sub-steps{list-style:lower-alpha;padding-left:24px;margin:10px 0 4px 0} .kb-wrapper table{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;margin:14px 0;font-size:12pt} .kb-wrapper th{background:#032D42;color:#fff;padding:9px 12px;text-align:left;font-weight:700} .kb-wrapper td{padding:8px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid #ddd;vertical-align:top} .kb-wrapper tr:nth-child(even) td{background:#e8fce4} .kb-wrapper p.disclaimer{font-size:10pt;font-style:italic} Discovery with Software Asset ManagementSoftware discovery and normalizationSoftware reconciliation for complianceCI deletion strategies for pattern discoveryUsing push-based Discovery and SAM together