Converting Custom Data to Managed Assets

By default, Axonius correlates data from multiple sources into unified, managed asset profiles. Custom data -entered manually or via custom fields - is excluded from this pipeline: unlike adapter-sourced data, custom data is stored directly on the asset record rather than as an independent asset entity, which means it is not processed by the correlation engine and does not participate in preferred field logic.

This has three important consequences:

• No correlation: When a manually created asset later appears in a real adapter (such as Active Directory or an EDR agent), the two records are not joined. The result is duplicate entries for the same physical asset.
  • Example: You manually create an asset for a device that hasn't been onboarded yet. At some point, that same device checks into your EDR, and Axonius treats it as a new, separate asset - leaving you with two records for one machine.
• No merging: Custom data is not merged with matching records from AD, EDR, vulnerability scanners, or any other adapter source.
• No retention: Custom data tied to an asset is deleted when all adapters stop reporting that asset. This follows each adapter's configured retention policy ("Delete assets that have not been returned from the source in the last X hours").

Custom Data Asset Source

To address these limitations, Axonius provides an built-in mechanism called Custom Data Asset Source, which converts custom data into a first-class adapter source. After the conversion:

• The data is ingested, normalized, and run through the correlation engine exactly like data from any third-party adapter.
• The data becomes visible as a genuine adapter source on the main Assets page, rather than being confined to the Custom Data tab of an individual asset's Profile page.
• The data can be used for correlation, preferred field logic, and cross-source merging.
• Because the Custom Data Asset Source has no defined retention period, assets backed by it are retained indefinitely - even when all other adapters stop reporting them.

Converting a Manually Created Asset

1. From the relevant Assets page, select one or more assets that were created manually.
2. Click the Actions (3-dot) icon above the Assets table and select Enforce > Create Enforcement.
3. The Create Enforcement Set drawer opens. This Enforcement Set is saved for futuer use. Learn more about Creating Enforcement Sets.
4. Under Select Action, search for and select Axonius - Convert Custom Data to Managed Asset.
5. Fill in any required fields as explained in the Axonius - Convert Custom Data to Managed Asset page.
6. Click Save & Run. It might take a few minutes for the changes to apply.

After the run is complete, a new adapter row appears under each converted asset on the Assets page. The Custom Data Asset Source icon is shown under Adapter Connections, and all custom fields are populated just as they would be for any standard adapter row.

See the example below - the Custom Data Asset Source icon is highlighted in red.