What may happen if there are no reconciliation rules for an attribute?

When there are no reconciliation rules established for an attribute in ServiceNow, multiple data sources can potentially update that attribute simultaneously without any checks in place. This lack of reconciliation means that if two or more data sources provide different values for the same attribute, one source's data could overwrite the other's. As a result, this can lead to inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the configuration item data, as the system does not have guidelines to determine which data source should prevail in the event of conflicting information.

In contrast, reconciliation rules help manage these conflicts by defining priority or criteria for which data should take precedence, ensuring that the most accurate and relevant data is preserved. Without these rules, data integrity issues may arise, leading to challenges in maintaining a reliable dataset within the ServiceNow environment.