Removing obsolete or inactive CIs from the CMDB must be handled carefully to avoid data loss, audit issues, and unintended operational impact. In ServiceNow, the recommended and governed approach is to use an archive policy.
Archive policies are designed to manage CI lifecycle cleanup based on defined conditions such as class, last updated date, lifecycle status, or operational state. In this scenario, the condition would target Linux Server CIs that have not been updated in six months. Archive policies can either archive or permanently delete records in a controlled, auditable manner, ensuring compliance with data retention and governance standards.
Creating a business rule (Option A) is strongly discouraged for bulk CMDB cleanup because it introduces technical debt, upgrade risk, and unpredictable side effects. A scheduled job (Option C) may automate execution but lacks governance logic and lifecycle awareness on its own.
Archive policies integrate with CMDB Data Manager, provide visibility into actions taken, and support approval and rollback where appropriate. This aligns fully with Data Foundations best practices for maintaining a lean, accurate, and trusted CMDB.
Therefore, the correct and recommended action is B – Create an archive policy.
