When computer objects in an OU are scanned, will a placeholder for the asset get added to the database if the asset does not have the appropriate ports open, and is not able to be pinged?
yes - it will make ones for ones that don't exist anymore either. I prefer using active scanning versus OU scanning, and you just add an OU filter to the active scanning domain, so whatever it scans (or doesn't scan), it's at least alive, and authenticating to the domain.