AWS IAM Role pattern-based discovery

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated May 13, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of AWS IAM Role pattern-based discovery

    The AWS IAM Role pattern-based discovery feature in ServiceNow's Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application enables customers to identify and map AWS IAM Roles within their cloud environments. This discovery process helps populate both CMDB and non-CMDB tables with detailed IAM role information, supporting comprehensive cloud resource management and visibility.

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    Key Features

    • Prerequisites and Setup: Customers must verify AWS discovery prerequisites and ensure relevant AWS resources are not listed in the Resource Inclusion List to prevent duplicate discoveries. The IAM Role discovery pattern is disabled by default and requires activation.
    • Pattern Activation and Updates: From Visibility Content version 6.28.0 onward, enabling or disabling patterns is no longer treated as a customization, allowing patterns to receive updates while retaining activation status after upgrades.
    • Data Population: Discovery populates data in both CMDB and non-CMDB tables. Non-CMDB tables can be accessed via the Configuration > AWS section for review.
    • CMDB Tables: The key CMDB tables involved include:
      • AWS IAM Role [cmdbawsiamrole]: Stores IAM role details such as name, ARN (object ID), and role ID.
      • Cloud Resource [cmdbcicmpresource]: Holds generalized cloud resource data with fields like resource type (set to AWS::IAM::Role), install status, and operational status.
    • CI Relationships and References: The pattern establishes relationships such as "Hosted on::Hosts Cloud Service Account" and references between AWS IAM Role and Cloud Resource tables, supporting integrated configuration management.
    • Tag Discovery: AWS tags associated with IAM roles are collected and stored in the Key Value [cmdbkeyvalue] table, linked back to the Cloud Resource record.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    By leveraging this pattern-based discovery, customers can automate the detection and inventory of AWS IAM Roles, ensuring their CMDB reflects accurate and up-to-date cloud resource configurations. This integration facilitates better cloud governance, security management, and operational insights by linking IAM roles to other cloud resources and capturing relevant metadata such as tags.

    Activating and properly configuring this discovery pattern aligns with best practices for cloud resource management, helping avoid duplicate records and maintaining data integrity within ServiceNow’s CMDB.

    Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns finds AWS IAM Roles on your cloud environment. Discovering some of these resources may require updating to the latest version of the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application from the ServiceNow Store.

    Pattern-based discovery and mapping requirements

    Verify the AWS discovery prerequisites
    For more information, see the prerequisites section in Amazon AWS Cloud components discovery using patterns.
    Remove resources from the Resource Inclusion List table
    Verify that the relevant resource isn't listed in the Resource Inclusion List [sa_cloud_inventory_resource_whitelist] table to avoid duplicate discovery. For more information on removing resources from the Resource Inclusion List, see Amazon Web Services (AWS) Resource Inventory.
    Enable the relevant pattern
    The pattern for this service is disabled by default. Starting with Visibility Content version 6.28.0, activating or deactivating a pattern won't be considered a customization, and it will continue to receive updates. Patterns that were previously activated or deactivated will reset to the latest predefined version after upgrading while retaining the last active field value. For more information on enabling patterns, see Activate a disabled pattern.

    Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application populates data in both CMDB and non-CMDB tables.

    Data stored in non-CMDB tables

    Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application populates data in the non-CMDB table when running the Amazon AWS - IAM Role - Extended Inventory (LP) pattern.

    You can review the non-CMDB AWS tables by navigating to All > Configuration > AWS. You can also search the navigation filter for the specific pattern name.

    Table 1. AWS IAM Role [cmdb_aws_iam_role]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Name of the IAM role.
    Object ID [object_id] The Amazon Resource Name (ARN) of the IAM role.
    Role ID [role_id] The stable and unique string identifying the role.
    Configuration Item [configuration_item] References the Cloud Resource [cmdb_ci_cmp_resource] table.

    Data stored in CMDB tables

    Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application populates data in the CMDB when running the Amazon AWS - IAM Role - Extended Inventory (LP) pattern.

    Table 2. Cloud Resource [cmdb_ci_cmp_resource]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Name of the IAM role.
    Object ID [object_id] The ARN of the IAM role.
    Resource type [resource_type] Type of resource. The value is set to AWS::IAM::Role.
    Install Status [install_status] Install status of the resource. Default value is Installed.
    Operational status [operational_status] Operational status of the resource. Default value is Operational.

    CI relationships

    The Amazon AWS - IAM Role - Extended Inventory (LP) pattern creates the following relationships and references to support AWS IAM Role discovery. References link to records in other tables and don't appear in the CI Relationship [cmdb_rel_ci] table.

    Table 3. CI relationships
    CI Relationship CI
    Cloud Resource [cmdb_ci_cmp_resource] Hosted on::Hosts Cloud Service Account [cmdb_ci_cloud_service_account]
    Table 4. CI references
    CI Field Referenced CI
    AWS IAM Role [cmdb_aws_iam_role] Configuration Item [configuration_item] Cloud Resource [cmdb_ci_cmp_resource]
    Key Value [cmdb_key_value] Configuration item [configuration_item] Cloud Resource [cmdb_ci_cmp_resource]

    AWS Tag discovery

    The Amazon AWS - IAM Role - Extended Inventory (LP) pattern collects tags and populates them in the Key Value [cmdb_key_value] table.

    Table 5. Key Value [cmdb_key_value]
    Field Description
    Key [key] Tag name.
    Value [value] Tag value.
    Configuration item [configuration_item] References the Cloud Resource [cmdb_ci_cmp_resource] table.