Exception and Error Handling in Asset and Configuration Item Synchronization

Key Exception Categories

The synchronization engine monitors specific categories of exceptions to prevent incorrect links and data corruption between configuration items (CIs) and assets.

Linking and Matching Exceptions

• Multiple Asset Matches: If a discovered CI matches more than one asset record based on active matching rules, the system skips the linking process. This restriction prevents incorrect associations. The engine flags the CI for review and generates an automated log entry.
• Missing Mandatory Fields: If a CI matches exactly one asset but lacks fields required for asset creation, the system still generates the asset record. The framework marks the record as incomplete and flags it for administrative review.

Mapping and Value Exceptions

• Unmapped Field Values: If a CI field changes to a value that lacks a corresponding mapped asset value, the system skips the update for that specific field. This safety feature prevents data corruption from invalid or unknown data.
• Missing Mapping Configurations: If an asset or CI field changes but no valid mapping configuration exists for that attribute, the system skips the update and logs a warning.

System and Operational Exceptions

• System and API Errors: These occurrences include failures due to technical issues, such as configuration management database API timeouts or platform connectivity problems.
• Out-of-Order Events: If data events arrive out of sequence, the system uses timestamps to identify and discard stale updates. The engine deletes stale data instead of placing those updates in a retry queue.

Protective System Behaviors

When the system detects an exception, it runs specific workflows to protect platform stability and minimize administrative notification overhead.

Batched Notifications

To reduce alert volume during mass failures, the engine doesn't send individual real-time alerts for every failed record. Instead, the system aggregates notifications into summaries, such as "Sync job failed with 5,000 errors."

Log Deduplication

To keep error counts clear, the system doesn't create duplicate logs for the same repeated error on a single asset. Instead, the framework updates the Log Timestamp on the existing log record.

Non-Blocking Operations

The synchronization process relies on partial batch processing. Errors encountered on a specific CI or asset don't stop the overall sync job from processing the remaining valid records in the batch.

Exception Data Model

All exceptions populate records within the Configuration Item Synchronization Log. This structured audit trail tracks these parameters:

• Log Title and Log Description: High-level summaries and detailed debugging context.
• Status: Categorized states including Success, Warning, Error, or Action Required.
• Identifiers: Direct lookups to the Related Object, Configuration Item Id, and the specific Configuration Item Change Event that triggered the processing failure.