---
sourceDocument: Yokohama IT Operations Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/yokohama/it-operations-management

 Release :

    - yokohama

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Yokohama IT Operations Management

ft:clusterId :

    - itom

bundleId :

    - itom

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Create or customize patterns

# Create or customize patterns {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Yokohama
* 
* Updated January 30, 2025
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read

Create or modify a discovery pattern and define its basic attributes.

## Before you begin

Make sure that the application for which you want to create a pattern, has a
corresponding configuration item (CI) type and a CI classification. If the CI type
you require is not in the list, create it as described in [Create CI types for Service Mapping and Discovery](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/e4PiqLRzZadXLjV7QE7X5Q "Create CI types (or CI classes) for applications and devices, which Service Mapping and Discovery do not support by default.").

If your ServiceNow instance uses domain separation and you have access to the global domain, log in to the relevant domain. The selected domain must be a domain without any child domains.

Role required: pd_admin

Basic knowledge of programming is desirable.

## About this task

Patterns can be of the infrastructure or application type. Infrastructure patterns are used only by Discovery for creating lists of devices. Application patterns serve both Service Mapping and Discovery, which use the same application patterns for their purposes.

## Procedure

1. Navigate to AllPattern DesignerDiscovery Patterns.
2. Click New or select the relevant pattern from the list.
3. Define the basic pattern attributes on the Basic tab.  
   {#t_CreatePatternPatDef__table_wvm_h2p_ls__entry__2}

   | Field | Description |
   |-|-|
   | Pattern type | * Select Application for an application pattern. It can be used both for top-down discovery performed by Service Mapping and horizontal discovery performed by Discovery. * Select Infrastructure for an infrastructure pattern used for the horizontal host discovery performed by Discovery. {#t_CreatePatternPatDef__ul_ft2_llf_qw} |
   | Name | Enter the pattern name. This name must be unique to this pattern. Use self-explanatory names such as <kbd class="ph userinput">Apache on Unix pattern</kbd>. |
   | CI type | Select the [CI type](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/e4PiqLRzZadXLjV7QE7X5Q "Create CI types (or CI classes) for applications and devices, which Service Mapping and Discovery do not support by default.") which you want this pattern to discover. Note: Discovery can find multiple CIs that belong to the same CI type. |
   | Operating system \[Application patterns only\] | Select the operating system that the selected CI runs: * Click All if the CI runs on more than one operating system. Or * Select the relevant operating systems from the list. {#t_CreatePatternPatDef__ul_xdh_nmf_qw} |
   | Run Order \[Application patterns only\] | For an application pattern used by Service Mapping, define when the pattern runs 1. Select the order in which this pattern always runs: * Before * After {#t_CreatePatternPatDef__ul_i1l_mmf_qw} 2. Then select the other applicable pattern. This field is only relevant if a particular pattern can be confused with another pattern. {#t_CreatePatternPatDef__ol_gbd_qk1_zlb}For example, both IIS and MS Exchange applications have an HTTP entry point. However MS Exchange uses some of the components of IIS. Therefore, if the IIS pattern ran first, discovery might incorrectly identify MS Exchange as IIS. To prevent this error, in the Run Order field in the MS Exchange pattern definition, select Before and IIS. |
   | Description | Provide a description for this pattern. |
   [ ]

   {#t_CreatePatternPatDef__table_wvm_h2p_ls}
4. **Optional:** When creating an application pattern, make the MID Server run this pattern only if the process identified on a CI matches the classification criteria for this pattern, select Enforce Process Classification.  
   All simplified patterns created from generic applications, have this attribute enabled. For more information about creating process classification, see [Discovery classifiers](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/MvqMhodbwicG8cVoU5Q_CQ "A classifier tells Discovery which probes to trigger for the identification and exploration phases of discovery. Classifiers can also trigger the Horizontal Pattern probe, which launches a pattern, rather than additional probes, for identification and exploration.").
5. Define a set of identification steps for every incoming connection of a configuration item (CI) as described in [KB1698521: Create or customize patterns](https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB1698521).
6. If necessary, create more identification sections.
7. Save the pattern.
8. **Optional:** To test the pattern, select Debug Mode and enter the IP address of the host.
9. Upload the updated set of patterns onto the MID Server:
   1. Navigate to DiscoveryMID Servers.
   2. Alternatively, navigate to Service MappingMID Servers.
   3. Click Pattern Sync to Mid.
   {#t_CreatePatternPatDef__substeps_sfs_t1b_f2b}

## What to do next

For application type patterns, continue with creating a connection section as described in the KB article [KB1698521: Create or customize patterns](https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB1698521).
**Previous topic:** [Create entry point types for Service Mapping](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/I8a_fpSTDrjMoM5zjF3YIw "An entry point is a point where clients access a service instance. Service Mapping starts the mapping process for every application service from the entry point you define for it. Service Mapping includes a wide range of preconfigured entry point types that cover most commonly used applications. If your organization uses a less known or proprietary application that does not have a corresponding entry point type in Service Mapping, you must create it.")  
**Next topic:** [Discover related items together with the main CI](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/P7~pCne5ETsQymLENF70iw "Add related items to the patterns to perform horizontal discovery of configuration items with all their related items: CIs or non-CIs, like ports or serial numbers.")  
**Related concepts**   

* [Discovery for cloud environment](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/iXC8jdgXIVXh9T_QHi7P_g "ITOM Visibility cloud discovery solutions enable you to collect detailed information about your cloud-based infrastructure and your resources in major cloud service providers: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), IBM Cloud Platform, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), and Alibaba Cloud.")  
**Related topics**   

* [KB0747679: Pre/Post Processing Scripts for patterns](https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0747679)
* [KB0854603: Pattern Debugger Session Timed Out](https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0854603)

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