0% found this document useful (0 votes)
114 views328 pages

Admin Doc (1)

Uploaded by

Prity Choudhary
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
114 views328 pages

Admin Doc (1)

Uploaded by

Prity Choudhary
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 328

ServiceNow

ServiceNow
Fundamentals
participant guide
© COPYRIGHT 2019 SERVICENOW, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

ServiceNow provides this document and the information therein “as is” and ServiceNow
assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies. ServiceNow hereby disclaims all
warranties, whether written or oral, express or implied by law or otherwise, including
without limitation, any warranties of merchantability, accuracy, title, non-infringement
or fitness for any particular purpose.

In no event will ServiceNow be liable for lost profits (whether direct or indirect), for
incidental, consequential, punitive, special or exemplary damages (including damage to
business, reputation or goodwill), or indirect damages of any type however caused even
if ServiceNow has been advised of such damages in advance or if such damages were
foreseeable.

TRADEMARKS

ServiceNow and the ServiceNow logo are registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in
the United States and certain other jurisdictions. ServiceNow also uses numerous other
trademarks to identify its goods and services worldwide. All other marks used herein
are the trademarks of their respective owners and no ownership in such marks is
claimed by ServiceNow.

© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved


ServiceNow Fundamentals
Table of Contents

Module 1: User Interface and Navigation ................................ 7


Lab 1.1: Applications and Modules .............................................. 24
Lab 1.2: Lists and Filters ............................................................... 47
Lab 1.3: Form Configuration ........................................................ 72
Lab 1.4: Branding the Instance .................................................... 86

Module 2: Collaboration .......................................................... 91


Lab 2.1: Task Management .......................................................... 105
Lab 2.2: Notifications ................................................................... 121
Lab 2.3: Reporting ........................................................................ 139

Module 3: Database Administration ........................................ 145


Lab 3.1: Create an Extended Table ............................................. 157
Lab 3.2: Application and Access Controls .................................... 175
Lab 3.3: Import Data from Excel .................................................. 190
Lab 3.4: Configuration Management Database (CMDB) .............. 208

Module 4: Self-Service and Automation .................................. 215


Lab 4.1: Knowledge Management ............................................... 224
Lab 4.2: Create a Catalog Item ..................................................... 242
Lab 4.3: Create a Flow Designer Flow .......................................... 258

Module 5: Introduction to Development ................................. 269


Lab 5.1: Script a UI Policy and a Business Rule ............................ 280
Lab 5.2: System Update Sets........................................................ 292
Lab 5.3: Update Source – Update Sets......................................... 304

Module 6: Capstone Project .................................................... 311


Lab 6.1: Capstone Project Challenge Format ............................... 316

ServiceNow Fundamentals
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved
ServiceNow Fundamentals
The ServiceNow Story

ServiceNow Fundamentals 5
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The ServiceNow Story

“There is no better experience than giving someone a


piece of technology that lets them do something they
never thought they could do.”
– Fred Luddy, ServiceNow Founder

At the heart of ServiceNow lies Fred’s vision: to make


the world of work, work better for people.

ServiceNow makes work, work better for people.

Who better to explain what ServiceNow is than its founder, Fred Luddy.

“What is ServiceNow? It’s a platform; a piece of technology that lets people automate
workflow in a business. It was infuriating to me that IT people could make regular business
people feel so silly or ignorant. So for the first 9 months, we built a platform, showed it to a
number of people and it was received with a resounding, yawn. Now, it’s almost 15 years on,
and they’re using the platform exactly as we had envisioned.

“An entrepreneur is somebody who cares so deeply about solving a problem. I will guarantee
you that pretty much everybody that has been one of the tech-types over the past decade and
a half was more interested in solving the problem than they were in making money. That’s
entrepreneurial; doing something which is disruptive and is going to surprise the world in a
very wonderful way.

“Everything I’ve ever done in technology has been inspired by something I’ve seen somebody
doing, struggling to do, wishing they could do differently.”

“Today, ServiceNow’s customers include 850 of the Global 2000 biggest companies.” - Forbes
Magazine, May 29, 2018

ServiceNow Fundamentals 6
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Module 1: User Interface & Navigation
User Interface and Navigation Module Objectives
• Explain how users can access ServiceNow
Collaboration
• Name the tables where Users and Groups are stored
Database Administration
• Identify the three components of the Now Platform® User Interface
Self-Service and Automation • Demonstrate how to navigate to applications and modules in
ServiceNow using the Application Navigator
Introduction to Development

Capstone Project

Labs and Activities


• Lab 1.1: Applications and Modules
• Lab 1.2: Lists and Filters
• Lab 1.3: Form Configuration
• Lab 1.4: Branding the Instance

ServiceNow Fundamentals 7
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 1.1:
ServiceNow Overview

User Story

As users of ServiceNow,

We want to become familiar with the


Now Platform interface,

So we can find what we need to


complete tasks in ServiceNow
quickly and be more productive.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 8
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Now Platform®
Security Human Resources

The Now Platform® is a cloud-based


application Platform-as-a-Service (aPaaS)
that enables anyone to rapidly build, test,
and deploy applications to automate work
across the enterprise.

It uses a single data model and integrates


easily with other enterprise systems and
supports a wide variety of plug-and-play Intelligent
Applications
applications.

Customer Serv ice IT

A leader in Enterprise Service Management (ESM), the ServiceNow Service Automation Platform
provides a modern, easy-to-use, service management solution in the cloud allowing your
organization to automate manual repetitive setup tasks, manage your core IT processes, standardize
service delivery, and focus on your core business, not just ITSM infrastructure.

ServiceNow provides all of this to users from a configurable web-based user interface, built on top
of a flexible table schema.

The ServiceNow platform and the applications that run on it use a single system of record and a
common data model to consolidate your organization’s business processes.

Another advantage to this single system is that it can be leveraged to build custom applications.

The ServiceNow platform provides an Application Platform-as-a-Service (aPaaS), a cloud-based


computing model that provides the infrastructure needed to develop, run, and manage applications.

It is not limited to a specific department or function but encompasses the entire enterprise.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 9
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Now Platform® Interfaces

Now Platform® User Interface Now Serv iceNow Agent

Platform®

Serv iceNow Classic Mobile App Serv ice Portal

The Now Platform® User Interface is the primary way to interact with the applications and
information in a ServiceNow instance. To access the platform interface, a user navigates to a secure,
unique URL: https://<instance_name>.service-now.com The ability to use a custom URL is also
supported. To learn more about custom URLs, consult the ServiceNow product documentation.

The ServiceNow Classic Mobile App (currently available in the Google Play Store and iTunes)
provides the user with the ability to:
• Respond quickly to requests, no matter where they are
• Stay informed with real-time updates and information
• Save favorite lists and records to the app home screen
• Access the Service Catalog
• Use Connect Chat to collaborate with others

The Service Portal provides a user-friendly self-service experience by providing access to specific
features using widgets. When accessing the portal via web browser,
https://<instancename>.service-now.com/sp> users can:
• Search for articles, catalog items, records
• Submit requests
• Browse the corporate news feed, and more!

ServiceNow Agent introduces a true native mobile experience for IT Service Management (ITSM)
and Field Service Management (FSM) users on Android and iOS. Utilizing native phone applications
(location, camera, etc.), users can manage tasks, collaborate with team members, respond to
requests, access the knowledge base, and much more!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 10
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What is the ServiceNow Instance?
When you are accessing ServiceNow, you are accessing an instance of the platform. An
organization can have several instances (e.g. Dev, QA, Test, Prod) and each instance is a
single implementation of the ServiceNow platform.

What it is… Why it’s cool…


Independent, changeable, and highly configurable If you can dream it, you can do it!
Not shared with other ServiceNow customers (single-tenant) Your data isn’t mingled in the same database as
another organization’s data.
Each instance has applications You choose which products you want to purchase;
don’t have the overhead of the entire suite.
Each instance has customer data that can be exchanged It’s easy to migrate data from dev to QA to test to
between instances stage to production.
Upgrades are made on individual instances Upgrade a non-production instance to complete
testing before upgrading production.

A load-balanced instance is located (hosted) in one of the ServiceNow Data Centers around the
world, or for a very, very small percentage of our customers, an instance can be implemented onsite
at the customer’s location. Each ServiceNow instance has a unique URL that uses a format similar to
https://<instance name>.service-now.com

ServiceNow utilizes an advanced, multi-instance, single-tenant architecture as the default offering


for customers, meaning an instance features an individually isolated database containing data,
applications, and customizations.

The ServiceNow multi-instance architecture, organized in an instance stack, provides these distinct
advantages:
• The multi-instance architecture allows ServiceNow to perform actions on individual
customer instances such as performing an upgrade, on a schedule that fits the compliance
requirements and needs of your enterprise.
• Data is truly isolated in their own databases, making hardware and software maintenance on
these unique customer instances far easier to perform and issues can be resolved on a
customer-by-customer basis.

Each customer organization receives two instances of ServiceNow: production and sub-production.
They have the ability to obtain additional sub-production instances to be used for User Acceptance
Testing (UAT), Review, Development, or Quality Assurance (QA).

ServiceNow Fundamentals 11
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Users and Groups
Users Groups
Within a ServiceNow instance, users are: A collection of users is a group
• Updating records Groups share a common purpose such as
• Importing data users approving change requests or users
• Requesting items receiving e-mail notifications
• Implementing flows Examples of Groups include:
• Approving knowledge content • Service Desk
• Running reports • Knowledge Base Authors
• Developing applications • HR Administrators

Users are represented by a record on the A group is represented by a record on the


User [sys_user] table Group [sys_user_group] table

Manage the individuals who can access ServiceNow by defining them as users in the platform. User
names (represented by user IDs) are unique in ServiceNow.

Users are authenticated by various methods, including:


• Local database: The user name and password in their user record in the instance database
• Multifactor: The user must enter a passcode or token in addition to the password. A mobile
application, Google Authenticator, on a user mobile device generates the passcode.
• LDAP: The user name and password are accessed via LDAP in the corporate directory, which
has a matching user account in the ServiceNow database
• SAML 2.0: The user name and password configured in a SAML identity provider account,
which has a matching user account in the database
• OAuth 2.0: The user name and password of OAuth identity provider, which has a matching
user account in the database
• Digest Token: An encrypted digest of the user name and password in the user record

User credentials are matched to different saved credentials for each method. Multiple Provider SSO
allows the selection/use of several identity providers (IdPs) to manage authentication as well as
retain local database authentication.

A group is part of the user hierarchy, and a user is part of a group. Groups may be imported from a
corporate directory (LDAP) or created manually in ServiceNow.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 12
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Now Platform® User Interface
Banner Frame

Content Frame
Application
Navigator

The User Interface (UI) is the main way for users to interact with the applications and information in
a ServiceNow instance. Notable ServiceNow features include real-time form updates, user presence,
an application navigator designed with tabs for favorites and history, and enhanced activity streams
all of which you will explore in this training. This is an example of the System Administration
homepage.

The ServiceNow user interface is divided into three areas:


1. Banner Frame: The Banner Frame highlights important tools and settings that apply to your
instance.
2. Application Navigator: The components of the Application Navigator, the panel on the left
side, are based upon your assigned role(s). The navigator may be expanded (as shown
above) or collapsed. The navigator provides links to all application menus and modules,
based on your permissions.
3. Content Frame: The Content Frame displays information, such as lists, forms, dashboards,
knowledge bases, and service catalogs depending on where you navigate within the
platform. This also impacts how the information is visually represented.

NOTE: The position of these components on your screen may vary depending on your region.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 13
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Banner Frame

1 2 3 4 5 6

1. Click the logo image to return to the homepage


2. Open the User menu to access profile information and other options
3. Use Global Search ( ) to search for information across applications and records
4. Communicate with other users in real-time with Connect Chat ( )
5. Get help ( ), including product documentation and new features
6. Personalize instance settings ( )

Across the top of the platform interface, the banner frame is displayed. The banner frame contains
the following components:
1. Logo image (can be modified for the instance) returns the user to the homepage when
clicked.
2. User menu provides options to access your profile and preferences. Administrators can
impersonate users and elevate their security role.
3. Global text search icon: Finds records from multiple tables (quickest way to locate an
individual record)
4. Connect sidebar icon: Lets you begin or continue conversations. This icon is visible if
Connect is enabled.
5. Help icon: Opens the help panel with embedded help, where available. If there is no
embedded help, it offers help search options.
6. Gear icon: Opens the system settings for the user interface (UI). For more information on
system settings, search ServiceNow’s Product documentation (docs.servicenow.com) for the
article titled System settings for the user interface (UI).

ServiceNow Fundamentals 14
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Application Navigator

The Application navigator is a list


of available applications and their
corresponding modules.

The following four components


can be used to locate applications
and modules:
• Filter navigator
• All applications tab
• Favorites tab
• Your history tab

The application navigator, or left navigation bar, provides access to all applications and the modules
they contain. An application is a group of modules, or pages, that provide related information and
functionality in an instance. For example, the Incident application contains modules for creating and
viewing incidents. The Configuration Management application contains modules for configuring
servers, databases, and networks.

There are four components in the application navigator which help a user quickly find information
and services:
• Filter navigator
• All applications
• Favorites
• Your history

Tip: Double-click the All applications icon to expand or collapse all applications in the navigator

ServiceNow Fundamentals 15
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Application Navigator: Filter Navigator
Above the application list, use the Filter navigator to
quickly navigate to applications and modules

Simply begin typing the application or module name*

View the results:


• All modules with the keyword display
• All modules within an application that contains the
keyword display

*All, or part, of any module name

Using the Filter navigator, a user can:


• Quickly navigate to applications or modules by typing all, or part, of the application or
module name (e.g. Typing ge ba in the filter navigator displays the Knowledge Bases module)
• Navigate directly to a table using:
• <table name>.list – displays a list of records in the table
• <table name>.form – displays a blank form for creating a new record in the table

Just for fun! Try kb_knowledge.CONFIG in the filter navigator. Notice a separate tab opens in your
browser window. What kind of information is shown for the table?

ServiceNow Fundamentals 16
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Application Navigator: Favorites tab

The Favorites tab, represented by a


star icon, displays items you have
added as favorites.

Favorites can be re-


ordered, edited, or
removed from the
Favorites display Favorites tab by
as icons in the clicking on the edit
collapsed view (pencil) icon.

Favorites can be added when you:


• Click the star icon by a module
• Click the star icon by an application
• Select Create Favorite from a list or form context menu
• Drag a breadcrumb to the Favorites tab of the application navigator

Every user can collapse and expand the application navigator by clicking on the arrow icon at the
bottom left of the application navigator. When the application navigator is collapsed, the filter
(funnel) icon and the favorites icons are displayed at the left of the user interface. To expand the
application navigator, click the filter icon or the arrow icon.

More information for adding/editing favorites can be found by searching ServiceNow’s product
documentation (docs.servicenow.com) for the article titled Use the UI16 navigator.

Tip: Admins can view favorites set by any user by navigating to System Definition > Bookmarks.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 17
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Application Navigator: Your History

Your History, represented by a clock icon, is a


scrolling view of recent activities including:
• Forms and lists accessed
• Catalog items
• Homepages visited

Click on any recent activity to open the item


in the Content Frame.

By default, the maximum number of activities displayed in the history tab of the application
navigator is 30. Administrators can configure this setting in the system properties table
(sys_properties.list) by modifying the value in the glide.ui.nav.history_length property.

The system creates history entries for many types of content, including lists, records, and
homepages. Some content types are not tracked in the history, such as UI pages and other non-
standard interfaces.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 18
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Content Frame: Common Types of Interfaces

Homepage List Form

Dashboard Knowledge Base Service Catalog

ServiceNow Fundamentals 19
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ServiceNow Classic Mobile App

• Respond quickly to requests, no matter


where you are
• Stay informed with real-time updates and
information
• Save favorite lists and records to the app
home screen
• Access the Service Catalog
• Use Connect Chat to collaborate with others
• Share your location

Mobile Favorites – Favorites display as icons on the homepage and provide links to records in the
system. Favorites automatically synchronize between the mobile UI and the desktop UI. Long press a
favorite to edit the following properties:
• Label
• Text and icon color
• Icon image

Mobile Lists – Lists appear as a single column of records on the mobile app UI display. Each row
represents a separate record. Live list updates are not available on mobile devices when other users
make changes. Mobile lists automatically reload when a record change is made by the currently
logged in user.

Mobile Service Catalog – Browse the service catalog using a browser on your mobile device or with
the ServiceNow Classic mobile app. The mobile UI for Service Catalog contains the following
elements:
• Current catalog
• Back button
• Search
• Application navigator button
• Shopping cart

Mobile Connect Chat – Communicate with coworkers using the ServiceNow Classic mobile app.
Many features supported in the desktop interface are available in the mobile app.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 20
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ServiceNow® Agent

ServiceNow Agent is a mobile-


first, fully native experience
where mobile users can:

• Update records
• Coordinate with co-workers
• Receive push notifications
• Track their location
• Work offline

Documentation regarding ServiceNow Agent can be found by searching ServiceNow’s product


documentation (docs.servicenow.com) for the article titled Getting started with the mobile app.

With the Madrid release, ServiceNow introduces a true native mobile experience for IT Service
Management and Field Service Management users on Android and iOS. Utilizing native phone
applications (location, camera, etc.), users can manage tasks, collaborate with team members,
respond to requests, access the knowledge base, and much more!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 21
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Product Documentation: Docs and Community

https://docs.servicenow.com

https://community.servicenow.com

Tip: Bookmark these sites!

If anything in this class seems interesting, we highly encourage you to explore the topic in more
detail through either of the following websites:

docs.servicenow.com is the official documentation resource for ServiceNow, with content produced
by ServiceNow. From features to functionality, and even release notes, this resource should have all
of the information needed to get the most out of the platform.

community.servicenow.com is similar to the Docs website, in that it provides useful information


about the ServiceNow platform. However, where Community really excels is by bringing together
actual ServiceNow users to collaborate, share, and produce ideas, content, and even answers to
questions you may have!

This is a great resource to learn from users with real-life experience on the platform!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 22
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 1.1:
Applications and
Modules

As users of ServiceNow,

We want to become familiar


with the Now Platform
interface,

So we can find what we need


to complete tasks in
Time Pages ServiceNow quickly and be
10-15m 24-29 more productive.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 23
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Applications and Modules 1.1
610-15m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Log on to your training instance
• Use the Application Navigator and its filter to access different areas of ServiceNow
• Add Knowledge and Service Catalog modules to Favorites

Scenario

This course builds on a scenario where you work for a division of a fictitious electronics
company called Cloud Dimensions.

Upon the reveal of their Infinity product, a portable holographic projector, you support a team
of department Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) with the implementation of ServiceNow.

ServiceNow will initially be used by Cloud Dimensions for tracking Infinity inventory, order
fulfillment, and customer support.

You will be required to impersonate various user personas – representing Cloud Dimensions
employees – throughout this course’s labs.

To start, you will assume the system administrator identity to accomplish a series of tasks.

A. Log on to Your Student Instance


1. Navigate to your assigned ServiceNow Lab Instance in the web browser of your
choice.

Note: Your instructor will provide you with a registration URL for requesting a student instance

2. Log on using the System Administrator (admin) credentials provided when you
requested your student instance using the registration URL.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 24
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
B. Use the Filter Navigator
1. Take some time to scroll through the Application Navigator and notice the available
application menus and modules.

2. Set the Application Navigator view to display all applications in an expanded view
(double-click the All applications navigator icon to expand/collapse all), then locate
the Incident application to view the 9 incident modules.

3. Navigate to Incident > Open.

Note: The Application Menu > Module Name


formatting indicates the navigation path to use in the
expanded Application Navigator. This shorthand will be
used in the lab instructions going forward. For this step,
select the Incident Open module.

Notice how the user interface changed in the Content


Frame from the System Administrator homepage to a
list of open incident records.

4. Incident > Create New.

Note: Notice how the user interface has changed in the Content Frame from a list of incident
records to an individual incident record/form.

5. From the Application Navigator, use the Filter navigator to filter the list of
application menus and modules by typing self-service into the Filter navigator.

Note: A single application menu, Self-Service, appears with many modules. Scroll down to see
all of the modules under the Self-Service application.

6. Self-Service > Service Catalog.

Note: Notice yet another user interface type displayed in the Content Frame.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 25
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
7. From the Application Navigator, type the keyword service into the Filter navigator.

Note: Scroll to see all of the applications and modules that contain the text “service” display.

C. Set Module Favorites


1. Open the User menu on the Banner Frame, then select Impersonate User.

2. Impersonate the Cloud Dimensions employee Joe Employee by typing their name
into the Search for user field.

Note: After selecting their name from the drop-down list, ServiceNow should reload and you
are now impersonating Joe Employee:

3. Take some time to scroll through the Application navigator and notice the available
application menus and modules compared to those seen by the system
administrator.

4. Filter the Application Navigator using the keyword self.

5. Self-Service > Knowledge.

6. Open the ServiceNow Fundamentals Class Knowledge Base.

7. Download the necessary lab files for class by selecting the Class Lab Files article.

Note: Selecting the Class Lab Files article will download a zip file to your local machine titled
ServiceNow Fundamentals Class Lab Files. At your convenience, unzip the file.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 26
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
8. Hover over the Knowledge module, then add the Knowledge module as a favorite
by selecting the Add to Favorites icon (star) to the right of Knowledge.

Note: Upon selection, the Add To Favorites star will appear filled in.

9. Repeat this step for the Service Catalog module.

Note: In addition to application menus and modules, the Filter navigator will display favorites
based on keywords:

10. Clear the Filter navigator keyword by selecting the X to the right of the Filter
navigator.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 27
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
11. Next, navigate to the Favorites tab of the Application Navigator to see the module
favorites you have created:

12. On the bottom-right of the Application Navigator, select the Edit Favorites (pencil)
icon.

Note: The Set up your favorites screen displays in the Content Frame. A favorite can be
customized to have any name, color, and icon.

13. Select the Self-Service - Knowledge favorite in the Application navigator.

14. Select any color and icon for the Self-Service > Knowledge favorite.

15. Repeat steps 12 and 13 to add Self-Service > Service Catalog as a favorite.

16. Click the Done button:

17. Minimize (collapse) the Application Navigator by selecting the Minimize Navigator
icon (circled arrow) at the bottom of the Navigator:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 28
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
18. From the minimized Application Navigator, notice that
the two favorites appear in the color and icon you have
selected:

Note: Your color and icon choices may vary from what is
shown here for demonstration purposes.

19. Navigate to the homepage by selecting the Home favorite displayed on the
minimized Navigator:

20. Select Maximize Navigator at the bottom of the minimized Navigator:

Lab Verification
Note: The Lab Verification section displays one, or more, screenshots of what you should have
created during this lab. Sometimes the lab verifications have been shown in earlier steps – as is
the case below.

Self-Service Favorites

Congratulations on completing the Applications and Modules lab!

Now you know how to create and maintain application and module favorites!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 29
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

What are the different interfaces for What are the components of the
accessing a ServiceNow instance? Application Navigator?
- Now Platform® User Interface - All applications
- Service Portal - Favorites
- ServiceNow Mobile Classic - Your history
- ServiceNow Agent - Filter navigator

What is a collection of users who


What are the three components of share a common purpose?
the Now Platform® User Interface? - Group
- Banner Frame Where can you locate product
- Application Navigator documentation?
- Content Frame - docs.servicenow.com

ServiceNow Fundamentals 30
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 1.2:
Lists and Filters

User Story

As the Service Desk Manager,

I want my team to be able to view a


filtered list of Infinity incidents
containing specific data

So they can update records directly


from the list of incidents.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 31
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Roles

A role is a collection of permissions used to: catalog_admin


Role
• Grant access to applications and other parts permissions
of the platform, and contains
• Assign security rights. user_criteria_admin
Role
permissions
It can be assigned to a group* or a single user; contains
a user can have more than one role. catalog
Role
permissions

Roles are represented by a record on the


Role [sys_user_role] table

Once access has been granted to a role, all of the groups or users assigned to that role are granted
the same access.

Additionally, a role may contain other roles and any access that is granted to one role is
automatically granted to any role that contains it. By assigning a role to a group, all the users in the
group inherit all of the roles within that role.

*TIP: Rather than adding roles to individual users, add the user to a group and assign the role to the
group. This method of role assignment makes maintenance easier when people transfer to different
roles in the organization. A user can be removed from one group and added to a new group;
inheriting all the permissions needed to perform their duties.

NOTE: You cannot delete roles that are assigned to the group from a user record. You must remove
the user from the group record.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 32
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Roles

In this example, we see the catalog_admin role contains two roles:


the catalog role and the user_criteria_admin role.

Application/Module access is controlled by roles.


Roles may contain other roles.
Application > Module catalog user_criteria_admin catalog_admin
access role role role
Service Catalog
Service Catalog > User Criteria
Knowledge > User Criteria
Contextual Search
Item Designer
Service Creator

The table illustrates the following:


• A user who is assigned the catalog role only has access to the Service Catalog application
and its associated modules.
• A user with the user_criteria_admin role only has access to two modules: Service Catalog >
User Criteria and Knowledge > User Critera.
• A user with the catalog_admin role has access to all of the applications and modules of both
roles plus any permissions (access) specific to the catalog_admin role.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 33
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Base System Roles

System Specialized Fulfiller Approver Requester


Administrator Administrator
The admin role Users with specialized Users with the fulfiller The approver_user role Also known as
provides access to all administrator roles may (itil) role may fulfil ITIL can perform all Employee Self Service
platform features, manage specific activities associated requester actions and (ESS) users, these users
applications, functions, functions or with the ITIL workflow, allow users to view or do not have roles but
and data applications, including: including incident and modify approval can submit and manage
change management records directed to their own requests,
Assignment Rules them access public pages,
Knowledge Base etc.
Human Resources
Reports
Web Services

ServiceNow baseline includes many base system roles; some of which are shown here. To get more
information on base system roles, please search ServiceNow product documentation and search for
the title, Base system roles.

The System Administrator (admin) role has almost all roles and access to all platform features,
functions, and data, with some exceptions such as HR and Security Operations constraints. Grant
this privilege carefully.

Users holding the admin role can create and modify user roles, as well as impersonate other users.
However, not even users with the admin role can impersonate a security_admin role user and
elevate privileges while impersonating to access higher security functionality.

• Specialized Administrator roles have broad access but generally manage specific functions
or applications.
• Fulfiller/Process users have clearly defined paths and workflows in the platform and have
one or more roles, including the itil and approver_user roles. They can access all
functionality based on assigned roles.
• Approvers have the approver_user role, but no other roles.
• Requesters use the Service Catalog and Self Service applications. They can make requests
only on their own behalf, and are not assigned roles.

NOTE: The impersonator role can be assigned to a user to allow impersonation of other users,
excluding admins, for testing and visibility purposes.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 34
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Impersonate a User
Users with the admin or impersonator
1
role can impersonate other users for
testing purposes.
2

To impersonate a user:
1. Open the user menu by clicking your
user name
2. Select Impersonate User
3. Select a user from the recent
impersonations list or enter the user’s 3
name to search for the user

When impersonating a user, the impersonator can*:


• Access exactly what that impersonated user can access (applications, modules, data)
• Test what different users can do in ServiceNow

NOTE: Impersonations are logged in the System Log.

*Not all users can be impersonated. If an admin attempts to impersonate a user with an specialized
administrator role for Human Resources or Security Incident Response, they will not be able to
access features granted by that role.

TIP: It is recommended to create logins for the following roles to effectively test the system:
• admin – to do work
• itil – to test as a fulfiller
• ess – to test as an end user

ServiceNow Fundamentals 35
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Viewing Table Data: Lists
A list displays a set of records from a table within the content frame of ServiceNow

Each row represents


one record

Each column
represents one field

Lists and forms are the most common ways to interact with data. A list displays a set of records from
a table. Lists can be filtered and customized to display the information you need.

In this example, the system administrator is accessing the User Administration application and a list
of users through the Users module. Other roles, such as user_admin, grant users the permissions to
manage users, groups, and roles.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 36
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
List Anatomy
1
1. Title Bar:
Displays the list title and, in 2
some cases, the view name as 3
well as search list values and a 4
record count
2. List Filters/Breadcrumbs:
Offers a quick form of filter 5
navigation
3. Column Headings:
Displays column (table field)
names and provides some list
controls
4. Column Header Search:
Provides a search within a
specific column
5. Field Values:
Right-click on a field value to
access additional actions

Although lists display data captured in different tables, their interface remains consistent with
common features.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 37
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Context Menus
Context menus provide
1
different levels of controls
for a given list view 2

1. List Context Menu

2. Column Context Menu


3
3. Record Context Menu*

Context menus can be accessed


by clicking the list menu icon or
by right-clicking the list header
and column headers respectively

*Right-click in a row’s cell

List Context (or control) menus, also sometimes called Additional Actions, can be accessed from
lists, columns, or on records by using right-click menus which provide different levels of controls:
• List Context Menu: Click the list context menu icon next to the title of the list (Incidents in
this example) to access options related to viewing and filtering the entire incidents list.
• Column Context Menu: Click the column context menu icon in the desired column header to
display actions related to that column, such as creating quick reports, configuring the list,
and exporting data.
• Record Context Menu: Right-click in a row’s cell to see a menu with actions related to the
values in that cell, such as filtering options, assigning tags, and more.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 38
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
List Filters
A filter is a set of conditions applied to a table list to isolate a subset of the data

Three components that make up a


filter condition include:

1. Field

2. Operator
1 2 3

3. Value

Click the show / hide filter icon ( ) to add, remove, or edit filter conditions and apply

Tip: Add filters to your Favorites by dragging


the breadcrumb to the navigator

All users can apply, create, modify, and save filters. You may start with a list of all incidents but filter
those records to view only active incidents assigned to you.

Select Run to see the results of your filter, displayed in the list. To save a filter, click Save. A new field
will appear where you can name your filter. After naming the filter, click the Save button to the right
of the name field. The new filter will be available by selecting Filters from the list context menu.

Filter conditions applied to the list are summarized in the breadcrumbs, shown in blue letters across
the top of the list. Not only do the breadcrumbs provide an “at-a-glance” view of the filter’s
conditions, but you can modify conditions and add to your favorites directly from the breadcrumbs .

The three parts of a filter condition are:


1. Field: A choice list based on the table and user access rights. The choice list includes fields
on related tables by dot-walking.
2. Operator: A choice list based on the field type. For example, in the incident table, the
greater than operator does not apply to the Active field but it does apply to the Priority field.
3. Value: A text entry field or a choice list, depending on the field type. For example, in the
incident table, the Active field offers a choice list with the values true, false, and empty,
while the Short description field offers a text entry field.

Filter operators will change depending on field data type. Example field operators include:
• Text value: is, is not, contains, is one of, starts with, ends with
• Numeric: is, is not, greater than, less than, greater than or is, less than or is
• Date: on, before, after, between, is more than, is less than

ServiceNow Fundamentals 39
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
List Editing
The List Editor allows a field value to
be edited in a list without opening the
record
1
Locate a record with the field value to
change:
1. Double-click in an empty area of
the field
3
2. Enter the appropriate value(s)
3. Save the record by clicking the 2
save icon
– Clicking the cancel icon or pressing the
Escape key retains the original value

Users can edit data in lists using various methods but certain field types cannot be edited.
Additionally, list editing is disabled for some tables.

The list editor is the quickest method to update a field on multiple records.

Procedure
1. Select the records to be edited.
2. Open the list editor by double-clicking (or clicking, depending on setup) in an empty area of
the field. The number of selected rows that will be edited is indicated. If any rows cannot be
edited due to security constraints, that is indicated. Administrators can configure the list
editor and by default, list editing is disabled for some tables.
3. Enter the appropriate values and click the save icon.

Quick edit functions may also be used to edit records. Right-click a field and select the appropriate
function:
• Assign to me: For records that use assignments, places the logged-in user's name into the
Assigned to field
• Approve: For records that use approvals, changes the approval state of the record
to Approved
• Reject: For records that use approvals, changes the approval state of the record to Rejected
• Assign tag: For records that are to be tracked based on a user-defined label

ServiceNow Fundamentals 40
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Tags
Use tags to categorize, flag, and locate records

Tags can be created against any record from a


list or form view

New tags can be made visible to:


• The current logged in user (Me)
• Groups and Users
• Any user (Everyone)

Edit personal tags by using the My Tags or


My Tagged Documents modules.

There are a few ways to assign tags to records:


• From the list view using inline field editing
• From a list using the record context menu
• Configuring tags to assign automatically

Use the Viewable by field when editing a tag to control how it is shared: visible only to the owner
(Me), visible to the owner and specific groups or users (Groups and Users), or visible to everyone
(Everyone).

To use the Everyone option under Viewable by, a user must have the admin or tags_admin role.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 41
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Views
A view is a version of a customized list or form which defines which fields appear
and in what order. Different views can be created and used for different roles.

For list views, the same number of records for that particular table display, but
different fields may be visible and display in a different order.

Views: Views enable users to quickly display the same list or form in multiple ways. System
administrators can create views for lists or forms. For example, different views can be created and
used on Incident for an ESS user, an ITIL user, and a mobile user.

To switch between the different views of columns on a list (as shown here), open the List Context
Menu then select View. Then, select the name of the desired view.

The view name appears in brackets beside the table list title and form record type when a view
other than the Default view is selected.

NOTE: Switching views on a form will attempt to save all changes made to the record. A message
displays asking to save or discard all changes made to the record, before the form reloads and
displays the selected view.

Sort Controls: A list that is displayed to a user for the first time will be sorted by one of the
following:
• The order field, if one is present in the table
• The number field, if one is present in the table
• The name field, if one is present in the table
• The field specified as the display field for the table

ServiceNow Fundamentals 42
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Views: Layout Configuration (all users)
Configure the List Layout to show or
hide fields from a view and change
the list column order

Click any column context menu icon


and select Configure > List Layout

Slushbucket

Users with the admin or personalize_list role can add or remove columns (fields) from a list or
change the order in which the columns appear in the list for all users.

To configure the List Layout for a table:


1. Navigate to the list
2. Click any column context menu
3. Select Configure > List Layout

The slushbucket opens and has two sections: the available items on the left, and the selected items
on the right. Items from the available section can be added to the list and items from the selected
section can be removed from the list.

Once items are in the selected box, you can adjust their order (up or down) on the list.

NOTE: To create a new list view, select New… from the View name choice list on the list
configuration page. Ensure the List view shows the list to be modified.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 43
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Views: Personalization (logged-in user)

Personalize a list to show or hide fields on a


view, as well as change the list column order
for the current logged-in user. Personalize List

Click the Personalize List (gear) icon in the list


column header.

Use the slushbucket to add/remove/reorder


columns for the personalized list and save.

The Personalize List (gear) icon changes to


show the list has been personalized.

Where the List Layout configuration affects everyone*, the Personalize List modifies the layout of a
list for an individual user. It does not affect the platform default.

*except individuals using personalized layouts for the view created using Personalize list

The following can be done through Personalize List Columns:


• Add Columns: In the available section, select the columns to add and select the add icon
• Remove Columns: In the selected section, select each column you want to remove and press
the remove icon
• Rearrange Columns: In the selected section, select the column(s) you want to reorder and
use the up or down icons to place the columns in the desired order
• Reset Column Defaults: Return the list’s columns to the default list’s view definition

ServiceNow Fundamentals 44
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Finding Information
Find information quickly in ServiceNow with Wildcard Syntax Search Type
any of the available search functions:
• Wildcards *searchTerm contains

• Phrase Searches !*searchTerm does not contain


• Searching Lists
searchTerm% starts with
• Boolean Operators
• Attachment Searches %searchTerm ends with

• International Character Sets =searchTerm equals


• Punctuation
!=searchTerm does not equal
greater than or
searchTerm
equal to

Find information quickly in ServiceNow by using any of the available searches:


• Wildcards: Use a symbol to represent zero or more characters
• Phrase Searches: Find a phrase with multiple terms
• Searching Lists: Control the query for list searches of a specific field
• Boolean Operators: Refine searches with operators such as AND and OR
• Attachment Searches: Search in files that are attached to Knowledge Article records
• International Character Sets: Perform searches with any Unicode characters
• Punctuation: Perform searches that contain punctuation

Wildcards use a symbol to represent zero or more characters and are available for searches. Various
wildcards can be used to refine the search in lists (text searches of all fields), the global text search,
and the Knowledge Base. Results with using wildcards may vary depending on the search method
used.

Searches are not case sensitive. Use advanced options for more specific queries.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 45
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 1.2:
Lists and Filters

As the Service Desk


Manager,

I want my team to be able to


view a filtered list of Infinity
incidents containing specific
data

So they can update records


Time Pages directly from the list of
15-20m 47-56 incidents.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 46
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Lists and Filters 1.2
15-20m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Create a new Infinity list view on the Incident table
• Apply and save a filter on a list of records
• Locate and update incident records using inline editing

Scenario

One goal of Cloud Dimensions with using ServiceNow is handling Infinity support.

Before the product is launched, however, Cloud Dimensions employees are actively testing
Infinity devices.

Winnie Reich – manager of the Service Desk – has requested help from the Cloud Dimensions
system administrator in creating a new Infinity view on the incident table.

This view will be configured to include the necessary fields for supporting Infinity, for both
internal and external users alike.

Winnie has also asked her direct report, Kevin Edd, to create and share a list filter that will
filter active incidents and display only those submitted by Infinity employee testers.

A. Create the Infinity List View


The system administrator user has the appropriate permissions for creating a new list view on
incident – we will assume they have already received the requirements from Winnie Reich.

1. Impersonate System Administrator to complete the following steps.

2. Incident > Open.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 47
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. From the list column header, open the “slushbucket” to create a new list view:

a) Open the Column Context Menu

b) Select Configure

c) Select List Layout

Note: Selecting any field will work, but Number was used in this example.

4. Beneath the Available and Selected buckets, open the View name drop-down menu
from the List view section.

5. Select New… at the bottom of the list:

Note: Choosing an existing view from this list will allow you to modify it.

6. Enter the View name: Infinity.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 48
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
7. Click OK.

Nothing appears to have happened to the page, but you should now notice Infinity
as the selected List view:

8. Working with the Available and Selected buckets, use the Add and Remove buttons
(“>” and “<” icons, respectively) to create the Infinity list view with the following
fields:

Number
Priority
State
Caller
Category
Subcategory
Short description
Assignment group
Assigned to
Tags
Updated

Note: Ensure the fields are listed in this same order under Selected, as seen above. Use the
Move up and Move down arrows, on the right of Selected, to set the correct order.

TIP: You may select multiple fields under Available or Selected, then add or remove them with
one click.

9. Once the fields have been added to the Selected bucket, click the Save button.

10. Impersonate Kevin Edd to confirm the view is available for the Service Desk group.

11. As Kevin Edd, navigate to Incident > Open.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 49
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
12. Open the List Context Menu and select View, then finally select Infinity:

Note: The list view name now appears at the top of the list in square brackets:

13. Confirm the fields appear in order, from left to right, as listed in step 8 above.

B. Apply and Save a Filter


Filters allow users to locate specific data quickly, and filters are also reusable. Kevin Edd will
apply a filter that displays Cloud Dimensions Infinity incidents related to employee testing,
then save the filter to share with his team for future use.

1. Open the filter condition builder by selecting the Show / hide filter icon (funnel):

2. Add the following AND condition:

Tags | EIT

Note: This will search for all active incident records with EIT as one of its tags. The EIT tag is
something Cloud Dimensions employees have created to help distinguish internal testing
incidents from customer incidents – it stands for Employee Infinity Testing.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 50
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The filter should look like this:

3. Click Run to apply the filter.

There should be two incident records returned.

4. Open the filter condition builder again to save the filter for later use.

5. Click Save…

6. Enter Infinity Testing into the Save as field.

7. Next, select Group for Visible to.

Note: The ability to select a group to share with others is provided by additional user
permissions. For this exercise, the Service Desk group was granted the filter_group role.

8. Input Service Desk into the group reference field to share this filter with its
members.

9. Click Save:

10. Impersonate Megan Burke, another member of the Service Desk group, to confirm
the filter is now available for the Service Desk group.

11. Incident > Open.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 51
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
12. Open the List Context Menu and select Filters, then finally select Infinity Testing:

13. The filtered incident list, containing two records, appears:

C. Locate a Missing Incident


Winnie Reich has emailed Megan Burke to report an incident submitted by another employee
that did not follow the current EIT tagging convention.

INC0000061 was submitted by Alissa Mountjoy and will need to be updated to include the EIT
tag as the incident reports an error found with the Infinity holographic settings page.

1. As Megan Burke, using methods of your choice, locate and open Alissa’s incident
record: INC0000061.

HINT: Try performing a global search for INC0000061.

2. With the INC0000061 record displayed, open More options from the form header:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 52
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. Click Add Tag.

4. Type EIT into the Add tag… field.

5. Press Enter on your keyboard to add the tag to the incident record:

6. Update the record.

7. Apply the Infinity list view.

Note: By updating the record, you should return to the filtered incident list. If not, navigate to
Incident > Open and then apply the Infinity Testing filter.

8. Confirm all three Infinity testing records display:

D. Update Infinity Incident Records


Now that all Infinity incident records are accounted for, Winnie Reich has asked Megan Burke
to ensure all records’ categories are accurate based on the issue reported and described.

Use the inline editor to update a record’s category value right from the list.

1. Find INC0000042 and double-click on the category, Database:

2. Use the Category drop-down to select Inquiry / Help.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 53
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. Click the Save icon (green checkmark) to update the record:

4. Select multiple records to update field values with one set of steps:

a) Press Shift and click the Network category for INC0000061

b) Hold Shift + Ctrl (Shift + Command on Mac) and click the Inquiry / Help category
for INC0000023

5. Double-click on the Inquiry / Help category value for INC0000023 to open the
Category drop-down.

6. Notice it indicates two records will be updated:

7. Use the Category drop-down to select Software.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 54
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
8. Save to update both records.

9. Your Infinity incident list should look like the following:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 55
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab Verification
Infinity Incident List View

Infinity Incident List Fields

Infinity Testing List Filter

Updated Infinity Incident Records

Congratulations on completing the Lists and Filters lab!

Now you can create list views to provide the information you need
in an order that makes it easiest to use!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 56
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

What is a collection of permissions What are the three different types


used to grant access to different of context menus in a list view?
parts of the platform? - List, Column, and Record
- Role
What are the three components of
What is a common way of testing a filter condition?
functionality for different roles? - Field
- Impersonate user - Operator
- Value
A row represents what in the
ServiceNow database? What defines which fields appear in
- Record a list and the order of said fields?
- View

ServiceNow Fundamentals 57
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 1.3:
Form Configuration

User Story

As the Service Desk Manager,

I want my team to be able to view


specific data on a form for Infinity
testing incidents

So they can accurately identify


employee testing issues.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 58
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Viewing Single Records: Forms
A form displays fields from one record – users can view and edit the record data

A form displays information from one record in a table. The specific information depends on the
type of record displayed. Users can view and edit records in forms. Administrators can configure
what appears on forms.

In addition to fields, the form can also contain sections and Related Lists. Related Lists show records
in tables that have a relationship to the current record. For example, the User form features Roles
and Groups Related Lists. Related Lists do not appear on a form until a record has been saved to the
database.

A form can load directly by searching on a record number in the Global Text Search or by clicking a
record in a list.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 59
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Header Icons

1 2 3 4 5 7
6

1. Form Context Menu: Options related to viewing and filtering form data
2. Add or remove files with Manage Attachments
3. Show the Activity Stream for a real time, sequential display of record activities
4. Personalize form: show/hide fields on the form for the selected view
5. Open the More Options menu for additional form tools like templates and tags
6. Form UI actions (e.g. Retire, Update, Delete, Save, etc.)
7. Cycle through records by using Next record and Previous record

Each form has different fields, UI actions, and options specific to the application within which it was
created.

However, all forms have certain icons and functionalities in common:


• The Form Context Menu provides additional options specific to the form. Save can be found
in the Form Context Menu and be used to save a form while remaining on the page.
• Use the paperclip icon to attach, remove, or rename files on a form.
• Show Activity Stream will display a time stamped history of all actions taken within a record.
• Personalize a form to show or hide important fields. NOTE: Mandatory fields can not be
hidden.
• All fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory and must be filled out prior to saving the
form. The asterisk is red prior to filling out the field and grey once information has been
entered.
• Click More options to tag a form, use templates, send an email, and more.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 60
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Field Types
1. String - Freely populated 4
using letters, numbers,
and special characters 2
2. Reference - Query that 5
displays records from 3
another table
3. Date/Time - Populated 1
with the day and time of
day
4. Choice - Drop-down menu
with multiple values
5. True/False - Boolean field
that appears as a
checkbox

Forms include various field types, each with unique attributes.

Some common field types include:


1. String: Freely populated using letters, numbers, and special characters. For 254 characters or
less, the string field will be a single-line text field. Anything 255 characters or over will
appear as a multi-line text box.
2. Choice: Drop-down list of choices that can be configured.
3. True/False: Boolean field that appears as a check box.
4. Date/Time: Day and time of day, which can be selected with a calendar widget.
5. Reference: Query that displays records from another table.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 61
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Formatters
Formatter Formatter Examples
A formatter is an element used to display Some Formatters included in the base
information that is not a field in the record platform are:
• Activity
• Process
• Parent breadcrumbs
• Approval summarizer
• CI relations

The Activity Stream is an example of a


formatter; it displays a list of activities

Examples of formatters in the base platform include:


• Activity formatter: Displays the list of activities, or history, on a task form
• Process flow formatter: Displays the different stages in a linear process flow across the top
of a record
• Parent breadcrumbs formatter: Provides breadcrumbs to show the parent or parents of the
current task
• Approval summarizer formatter: Displays dynamic summary information about the request
being approved
• CI relations formatter: Displays on the CI form a toolbar for viewing the relationships
between the current CI and related CIs

The activity formatter provides an easy way to track items not saved with a field in the record, for
example, journal fields like comments and work notes

ServiceNow Fundamentals 62
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Form Designer
Quickly create new or change existing form layouts
• Change the order/location of fields on a form for
different form views
• Add fields to appear on the form
• Configure field properties

To access the Form Designer


• Open Form Context menu
• Select Configure > Form Design

The Form Designer opens in a separate tab.

Warning: It is not recommended to add the same field to more than one section of a form unless
the field displays read-only data. Having two or more instances of an editable field can cause data
loss and prevent the proper functioning of UI and data policies.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 63
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Form Design Interface

Page Header

Field Navigator
Form Layout

There are 3 main components of the form designer:


• Page header: select the table and view from the page header. Other actions, Undo and Save,
also appear on the page header after changes have been made to the form.
• Field navigator
• Fields tab - existing fields for the selected table which can be added to the form
• Field Types tab - field types which can be added to the form. Adding a field to the
form this way adds a field to the selected table.
• Filter: allows you to search fields or field types
• Form layout: graphic representation of the fields, sections, and other elements on the form

Fields can be dragged and dropped to different locations on the form and new fields can be added
to the form by dragging and dropping from the Fields tab or the Field Types tab.

Documentation regarding the form designer can be found by searching ServiceNow’s product
documentation (docs.servicenow.com) for the article titled Using the form designer.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 64
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Form Designer: Sections

Sections are used to break up


the form and group like
information together.

Sections can be:


• One or two columns
• Added to a form (+)
• Removed from a form (X)*

*By default, the first section on the form is read-only. That is, the label cannot be changed (contains
the name of the table) and the section cannot be removed.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 65
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Form Designer: Fields

Each field is represented by


a cell on the form which
contains (left to right):
• Handle icon
• Field label
• Settings icon
• Remove icon

Cell components:
• Handle icon: use for moving the field to a different location on the form
• Field label: read-only to identify the field
• Settings icon: use to modify the field settings (label, mandatory, read only, reference,
choices, etc.)
• Remove icon: use to remove the field from the form (not from the table)

ServiceNow Fundamentals 66
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Related Lists

Related lists show records in tables that have a relationship to the current
record. Related lists are presented as tabs at the bottom of the form view.

From a related list, a user can


select records using the Edit…
button or create new records
using the New button.

As with other lists, a user can


personalize the columns or
filter the list using the gear icon
or the funnel icon.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 67
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Form Configuration: Related Lists

Using the slushbucket, related lists can be added, removed, or moved on the form view.
• To add a related list to the form, locate the list item in the Available column and double-click
the list item to move it to the Selected column.
• To remove a related list from the form, locate the list item in the Selected column, then
double-click the list item to move it to the Available column.
• To change the display order for the related lists, click on the list item in the Selected field,
then use the arrows at the right to move the item up or down in the list. Top to bottom in
the Selected column corresponds to tabs being shown left to right in the related lists section
of the form.

NOTE: Ensure the View name is correct for the form you are modifying.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 68
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Templates
Templates allow fields to be populated
automatically, simplifying the process of
submitting new records

Click the More options icon ( ) from the


form header, then Toggle Template Bar
to work with templates

Use the template bar at the bottom of


the form to manually apply, create, or
edit templates

To use a template, populate the most-used fields for a specific table, save it as a template, and then
make the template accessible to users. Users can manually apply a template when creating records,
or an administrator can define scripts to apply templates automatically. Fields updated by the
application of a template will have a checkmark icon next to the field label.

Create templates for the forms that are used frequently, such as incident, problem, and change.
There is no limit to the number of templates that a user can create or access, but having many
templates for each form makes the templates more complex to manage.

NOTE: Template creation should be restricted to select groups as it can be used to by-pass process,
like mandatory fields, UI policies, etc. This is especially important for any record using condition
based workflows.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 69
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Saving Forms
Save records by using one of the following methods:

Click Submit to save changes Changes


Made
on a new form and return to
the previously viewed page

Changes
Click Update to save changes on
Made
an existing record and return to
the previously viewed page

Select the Form Context menu Changes


icon in the header bar, then Made
select Save to save changes
without exiting the form view

When a form is saved, all the text in the Work Notes field is recorded to the Activity Log field. Work
Notes and Additional Comments are fields that share information with various users associated
with certain record types.

Additional Comments are visible to all users accessing the record, whereas Work Notes are visible
to only users with the itil role.

NOTE: If you make changes to an existing record and then attempt to leave the form (whether using
web browser controls such as the ‘Back’ button, or through the ServiceNow user interface), you will
be prompted with a message asking if you are sure you want to leave the record without saving.

Once enabled, select the Form Context menu icon in the header bar then select Insert or Insert and
Stay to save a new record to the database instead of updating the current item. Insert will exit the
form returning to the previously viewed page, but Insert and Stay will remain on the form.

There is no ”Save As” in ServiceNow but Insert closely emulates this functionality.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 70
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 1.3:
Form Configuration

As the Service Desk


Manager,

I want my team to be able to


view specific data on a form
for Infinity testing incidents

So they can accurately


identify employee testing
Time Pages issues.
15-20m 72-80

ServiceNow Fundamentals 71
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Form Configuration 1.3
615-20m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Create and configure a new form view using the Form Designer
• Create and update Infinity incident records

Scenario

Internal employee testing of Infinity has proven worthwhile for a number of reasons.

Winnie Reich will lead an initiative to further improve and organize Infinity testing support by
creating a form view on the incident table that contains the appropriate fields for accurately
identifying reported issues.

Lab Dependency: Requires the completion of Lab 1.2

A. Create the Infinity Form View


1. Impersonate Winnie Reich.

2. NOTE: Winnie is inheriting the personalize role from a group that she belongs to,
which allows her to configure forms and create new views.

3. Incident > Open.

4. Open the record for INC0000061.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 72
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
5. Open the Form Context Menu and select Configure, then finally select Form Layout:

The Configuring Incident form page displays:

6. Find and highlight the Location field under the Available list:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 73
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
7. Click the Add button (>) between the Available and Selected list:

Note: Doing this adds the Location field to the bottom of the Selected list.

8. Use the Move up button (^) to move the Location field under Configuration item.

9. From the Configuring incident form page, click Save to return to the incident form.

B. Modify Form View Using Form Designer


Note: The Form Designer offers an improved experience because of its graphical user interface,
making it easier to visualize the form view’s end result. Additionally, there are several
configuration options available in this single interface.

1. Open the Form Context Menu and select Configure, and then Form Design.

The Form Designer will open in a new tab or window. Go to the page that looks like
this:

At the top left of the page are two drop-down menus in the header; the menu on
the left indicates the table the form view is associated with, and the menu on the
right includes the various views defined for the selected table.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 74
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2. Open the view (right) menu and select New… at the bottom of the list.

3. Enter the View name: Infinity

4. Click OK.

Notice the new view is automatically selected in the view menu on the page’s
header:

5. On the Fields tab of the Field Navigator on the left, scroll down to locate the Created
by field.

6. Add the Created by field to the form view:

a) Click and hold on the Created by field.

b) Drag Created by to the form layout, between Caller and Category.

c) Drop the field in the desired location on the form.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 75
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
7. Repeat these steps to add the Updated and Updated by fields to the form layout,
within the Incident section.

Note: We will be reordering fields later.

8. Find the Business service field on the form layout, then click the Remove field
Business service icon to remove it from the view:

Note: The gear icon name changes based on the field. In this example, the tooltip text
shows Remove field Business Service when hovering over the gear icon. For the caller
field, the tooltip text shows Remove field Caller.

Removing a field returns it to the Fields tab of the Field Navigator, so it may be re-
added to the form if desired.

9. Click and drag the Contact type field to be displayed beneath the Number field:

10. Repeat this step to reorganize the fields in the Incident section to match this layout:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 76
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
C. Define a New Field
1. From the Field Navigator, click the Field Types tab to add a new field to the form
layout:

2. Scroll down to find the True/False field type.

3. Add the field to the form layout under the Caller field:

4. Click the Edit field New True/False icon to configure the field’s properties.

5. Input the following values:

Label: Employee
Name: u_employee

Note: The name features the prefix u_ to indicate it is a user-created item. This is a common
naming convention used throughout ServiceNow.

6. Close the Properties window by clicking the close icon (x).

7. Click the Save action from the page header to save the form view:

8. Close the Form Design tab/window and return to the ServiceNow lab instance.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 77
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
9. Use the Form Context Menu to reload the form (Reload form).

10. Now open the Form Context Menu and select View, then finally select Infinity to
display the form as designed!

D. Create and Update Incident Records


With the new form view defined, the next steps are to update Infinity testing records by
inputting the information into the correct fields. These steps will be completed by Kevin Edd.

Additionally, Kevin Edd has received a new incident from Buster Wubbel in person. Submit a
new incident to capture the details provided by Buster Wubbel.

1. Impersonate Kevin Edd.

2. Incident > Create New.

3. Apply the Infinity form view and fill in the fields as follows:

Contact type: Walk-in


Caller: Buster Wubbel
Employee: [checked]
Category: Software
State: In Progress
Assignment group: Service Desk
Short description: Issue discovered with two step authentication
Description: Authentication requirements for logging into Infinity are not working
as expected.

Note: The Location field should have populated automatically because of the Caller value
inputted.

4. Choose Save by opening the form context menu.

5. Open More options from the form header.

6. Click Add Tag.

7. Search for and add the EIT tag.

8. Update.

9. If the active incidents list does not display, navigate to Incident > Open.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 78
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
10. Apply the Infinity Testing filter.

There are now four total open Infinity employee testing incident records:

Note: The new incident number may be different in your instance.

Challenge: Update records to change the state, assignment group, and “Employee”
checkbox values.

As Kevin Edd, use the strategies of your choice to update the following records:

Number Employee State Assignment group


INC0000023 True In Progress Service Desk
INC0000042 True In progress Service Desk
INC0000061 True On Hold Service Desk

HINT: These changes require the Infinity form view.

NOTE: If required, set the value for the On hold reason and Additional Comments (Customer
visible) fields to Awaiting Caller.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 79
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab Verification
Infinity Incident Form View

Updated Infinity Incident Records

Well done! You have created a new form view which can be used
by the members of the Service Desk group!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 80
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

Which field type displays as a What are the three main components
check box on the form? of the Form Designer?
- True/False - Page Header
- Field Navigator
Which field type displays - Form Layout
information from another table?
- Reference What allows fields to be populated
automatically when applied?
Which tool can be used to change - Template
the layout of the form view for all
users? Which UI action saves information for
- Form Designer a new record and leaves the form?
- Submit

ServiceNow Fundamentals 81
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 1.4: Branding
User Story

As a change enablement specialist,


I want the branding of our ServiceNow
instance to align with the rest of the
organization
So users see ServiceNow as a trusted
platform and will more readily adopt
the solution.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 82
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Instance Personalization
Click the Settings icon from the
banner frame to customize your
instance.

These settings affect only your user


account and are retained each time
you log in.

The Settings icon (gear) in the upper-right side of the Banner Frame contains additional settings and
options for personalizing your view of the platform.

NOTE: Users may be limited to what settings they have access to based on their role.

After selecting the Settings icon, the categories on the left (General, Theme, Lists, Forms,
Notifications, and Developer) provide different settings, including:
• General Tab: Compact the user interface optimizes the UI to display more information in the
browser window when this setting is enabled.
• Theme Tab: Select a theme for the user interface. Select the System theme to return to the
default theme.
• Lists Tab: Wrap longer text in list columns allows for long strings to wrap in list columns
instead of appearing as one long line.
• Forms Tab: Form sections and related lists appear in tabs when the Tabbed forms setting is
enabled. Also Related list loading is used to determine when Related Lists load on forms.
• Notifications Tab: Allows you to enable various notification channels, as well as manage
your notification subscriptions.
• Developer Tab: Settings for ServiceNow application developers.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 83
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Instance Branding
Many branding options are accessible from System Properties > Basic Configuration UI16

Different than personalizing an instance, configuring the system branding is something an


administrator can do to change the look and feel of the instance for any user who logs in.

Customization and branding options include:


• Banner image, text and colors
• Navigator background and text colors

Features which can also be customized:


• Browser tab title
• Color: Use the built-in color pickers to dynamically pick and preview branding options
• System date/time formatting

ServiceNow Fundamentals 84
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 1.4: Branding

As a change enablement
specialist,
I want the branding of our
ServiceNow instance to align
with the rest of the
organization
So users see ServiceNow as a
trusted platform and will
more readily adopt the
Time Pages
solution.
5-10m 86-88

ServiceNow Fundamentals 85
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Branding the Instance 1.4
65-10m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Use the UI16 module to brand the ServiceNow instance for all users

User Story

As a change enablement specialist, I want the branding of our ServiceNow instance to align
with the rest of the organization so users see ServiceNow as a trusted platform and will more
readily adopt the solution.

Required Resource(s): CloudDimensions-CD-Logo.png

A. Locate the UI16 module


1. As the System Administrator, filter the Application Navigator using the
keyword ui16.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 86
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2. Select the Basic Configuration UI16 module. (System Properties > Basic
Configuration UI16)

3. Fill out the fields on the form as follows:

Page header caption: Cloud Dimensions <YourFirstName YourLastName>

Note: Replace <YourFirstName YourLastName> with your own first and last name

Browser tab title: Cloud Dimensions ServiceNow


Banner image for UI16: [CloudDimensions-CD-Logo_2DE8E4.png]
Modify the fields according to the following color scheme:

Color Applies to
#1d3341 - Header background color
- Navigation header/footer
- Navigation background expanded items
- Navigation selected tab background color
- Navigation unselected tab divider bar color
- Navigation separator color
#f8f6ef - Banner text color
- Module text color for UI16
- Border color for UI16
#388ac7 - Header divider stripe color
- Unselected navigation tab icon and favorite icons color
#2de8e4 - Navigation selected tab divider bar color
- Currently selected Navigation tab icon color for UI16
#293e40 - Background for navigator and sidebars

Note: As you enter values, especially for color fields, changes may or may not display in real-
time. Some changes may not be visible until the form is saved, and the page refreshed.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 87
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
4. When finished, click the Save button.

Lab Verification
Cloud Dimensions System Theme

Note: For demonstration purposes, as well as clarity of these training materials, screen shots in
future labs will use the “Cloud Dimensions” system theme as defined in this lab.

Congratulations!
You have branded the instance to align with the rest of Cloud Dimensions!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 88
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

Which icon on the banner frame is What are some reasons for changing
selected to customize an the look and feel of a ServiceNow
individual’s instance? instance?
- System settings (gear icon)

Which module allows an admin to


change the look and feel for an
instance?
- System Properties > Basic
Configuration UI16

ServiceNow Fundamentals 89
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ServiceNow Fundamentals 90
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Module 2: Collaboration
User Interface and Navigation Module Objectives
• Identify common tables that extend the task table
Collaboration
• Name two methods of automatically assigning tasks to users
Database Administration • Discuss the differences between the My Work and the My Groups
Work modules
Self-Service and Automation
• Explain what information is stored in the Activity Stream for a task
Introduction to Development • Understand the difference between events and notifications
• Define how dot-walking is used in notification configuration
Capstone Project
• Demonstrate how to use Connect Chat to collaborate on a task

Labs and Activities


• Lab 2.1: Task Management
• Lab 2.2: Notifications
• Lab 2.3: Reporting

ServiceNow Fundamentals 91
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 2.1:
Task Management

User Story

As the Service Desk Manager,

I want to automatically route incidents


submitted through the service portal by
our partner testers

So my team can work together to


quickly resolve the incidents.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 92
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What is a ServiceNow Task?
Within ServiceNow, all work to be
Tasks done is handled through tasks

A task is any record that can be Task


assigned or completed by a user in [task]

ServiceNow
Incident
[incident]
A task record is created from a table
that extends the Task [task] table Problem
[problem]
Work is performed upon a task and it


is eventually moved to a closed state Change Request
[change_request]

Tasks are created by users who are requesting the task to be performed, and are then updated as
the task moves along a workflow. Tasks can be assigned to specific users or user groups.

The Task [task] table is one of ServiceNow’s core tables and provides a series of standard fields used
on each of the tables that extend it, such as the Incident [incident] and Problem [problem] tables. In
addition, any table which extends Task can take advantage of task-specific functionality for driving
tasks, including:
• Approvals: Approvals can be generated to a list of Approvers, either manually or
automatically, according to Approval Rules. Approvals can be incorporated into workflows or
can stand alone.
• Assignments: Assignment rules can automatically assign tasks to users or groups, ensuring
that tasks are handled by the most appropriate team members.
• Service Levels: Service level agreements can track the amount of time that a task has been
open, to ensure that tasks are completed within an allotted time.
• Inactivity Monitors: Inactivity monitors ensure that tasks do not fall by the wayside by
notifying users when tasks have been untouched for a predefined period of time.
• Workflow: An administrator can specify a specific workflow process to apply to tasks that
meet certain conditions. After a task is created that meets the conditions, the workflow
applies an automated process to the task. The process is defined in the graphical workflow
editor.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 93
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Task Assignment
1 2 3
Add Users to Groups Apply Roles to Groups Assign Tasks to Groups
1
Service Desk Service Desk
2
3

4
Service Desk schedule_admin Assign Tasks to Users
itil 1 2
catalog

Group Roles Grant Users Access to Tasks

Users can belong to more than one group, and groups identify a subset of users based on roles.

Users in groups can be assigned permissions to:


• approve, change, or resolve incidents and requests
• provide a reference for alerts and notifications
• receive email notifications

Every user belonging to a group inherits that group's roles, so the preferred method of role
management is:
• add users to group
• apply roles onto groups

When removing a user from a group, roles inherited by that group are revoked for that user.

Similarly, a group may contain other groups, where a child group inherits all roles owned by its
parent. Users added to child groups gain roles of that child group plus any parent groups.

NOTE: Group names are unique in ServiceNow.

With groups defined, tasks can be assigned to them and then to single users belonging to that
group. In other words, a task record can be assigned to an assignment group and an assigned user.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 94
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Task Assignment: Assignment Rules
Assignment rules can automatically set a value in the assigned_to and assignment_group fields of a task record

Conditions defined in the assignment rule determine when the rule will trigger and what values it will set

Create an assignment rule by navigating to the System Policy > Rules > Assignment module.

An assignment rule must also meet these additional criteria to run:


• The task record has been created or updated. Assignment rules do not apply to unsaved
changes on a form.
• The task record must be unassigned. That is, the record cannot have an existing value for
either the assigned_to or assignment_group fields. Assignment rules cannot overwrite
existing assignments (including assignments set by a default value or a previously run
assignment rule).
• The assignment rule is the first rule that matches the table and conditions. If more than one
assignment rule matches the conditions, only the rule with the lowest order value runs

Additionally, assignment rules can be scripted, giving even more flexibility on the trigger and
outcome.

Assignment lookup rules is another type that can be created by navigating to the System Policy >
Rules > Assignment Lookup Rules module. These rules only apply to incident records and have less
options, compared to the other assignment rules.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 95
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Task Assignment: Agent Intelligence

Agent Intelligence uses machine-


Agent
learning algorithms to set field RE Q UE STE R Intelligence
IN TE L L IG E N T ACTIO N

values during record creation

Improve efficiency and quality, and 100,000’s Request


Res olv e Categorization Assignment

reduce cost by: Made With


Short Description
F a ster

• Reducing task resolution times


Prioritization
• Reducing the number of interactions
required to resolve tasks
• Reduce the error rates of categorizing Explore more of Agent Intelligence
and assigning work with the ITSM Saba Learning Module

Users with the admin or ml_admin role will be able to initiate the setup of Agent Intelligence.

Once activated and defined, Agent Intelligence is truly personalized machine learning tailored to
your data.

For example, when an incident is created, ServiceNow will automatically assign the correct category,
priority and assignment group based on the record’s short description. A requester no longer has to
scroll down multiple lists to choose the most appropriate category. Additionally, the incident created
gets the right attention and SLA it deserves, thus increasing the overall service level satisfaction.

This functionality does require multiple plugins – more information about setup and initial
configuration can be found by searching docs.servicenow.com.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 96
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Accessing Tasks: My Work / My Groups Work
My Work
The Service Desk application menu
allows you to locate all work assigned List of all active tasks assigned to you,
including:
to your group(s) or to you
• Change Request
• Group Approval
• Incident
• Knowledge Base Submission
• Request
• Security Case
• Visual Task Board Task

The itil role is required to access the My Groups Work


My Work and My Groups Work modules List of all active tasks assigned to your
in the Service Desk application group(s) but not yet to an individual

There are various features for managing and closing task records.

You can quickly locate all work assigned to your group or to you specifically in ServiceNow, using the
Service Desk application.

When an active task (which might include work such as incidents, problems, changes, and more) is
routed to your group, it can be located under the Service Desk > My Groups Work module. From
there, a group member or manager may assign the task to an individual within the group.

At that point, locate any active task specifically assigned to you under the Service Desk > My Work
module.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 97
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
User Presence
The User Presence feature facilitates synchronous collaboration within one record

See who is online, view their current status, and what they are viewing or editing, all in real -time

Imagine a scenario in which you have a critical issue documented in a Priority 1 record. Multiple
stakeholders may need to view and update the record simultaneously. The User Presence feature
facilities that collaboration, showing you who is viewing the record, displaying the record activity
stream, and even allowing you to customize notifications alerting you to record updates.

The number of active viewers is listed in the form title bar. Click for a list of viewers.

NOTE: If you do not see this icon, you are the only viewer on this record.

Click the Show Activity Stream icon to jump to the record Activity section, which includes the
record history and updates by you and other viewers.

Follow the record to receive notifications when the record is updated. Open Connect to customize
these notification or start a real-time conversation with record viewers and other stakeholders.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 98
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
User Presence: Real-Time Editing
Edit records in real-time and see edits saved by other users, improving collaborative efforts

Real-time editing is an extension of User Presence. It allows you to work with others on the same
record, indicating their state (editing or viewing) as well as what their edits are (shown through the
blue "pulse" icons in this screen capture).

User Presence enables you to work on task records seamlessly with others using entirely different
interfaces or devices to perform tasks. This is achieved when using Visual Task Boards (VTBs),
Connect Chat, Apple Watch, and more.

User Presence is about working with others in real-time - reducing record resolution from days to
mere minutes.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 99
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Notes Tab: Work Notes and Additional Comments

Use the Notes tab in a record to communicate to stakeholders


and document task activities throughout the lifecycle

The Show all journal fields


icon ( ) allows you to
display multiple fields under
the Notes tab, including
Work notes and Additional
comments

Once enabled, you can then


click the Show one journal
field icon ( ) to only display
the Work notes field

The Notes tab allows you to document task activities throughout its lifecycle for both an external
and internal audience. Depending on the task record type, additional fields may be available to
accomplish similar outcomes including, but not limited to, the Additional comments field. In the
example seen here, an incident record’s Notes tab is displayed.

1. The Work notes field provides a log to document all the technical and behind-the-scenes
work on a task. Upon saving, Work notes are stored in the record Activity section, where
they can be viewed and added upon by users with permissions to view the record. Fully
documenting work notes is beneficial for Knowledge Management and critical for continuity
in the task management process. Work notes are only visible to fulfillers and are not
available to external users or customers.

2. Use the Additional comments (Customer visible) field to communicate back and forth with
the requester and other stakeholders directly in ServiceNow. For example, you may want to
keep the customer apprised of progress on their record or request additional information.
Upon saving, the additional comments (including the updated information and comments
history) are emailed directly to the requester. When the requester receives an email
notification containing additional comments, they can respond directly to the email and
their feedback will be documented in the Activity log of the record, along with your
additional comments.

NOTE: When responding to an email from ServiceNow, do not change the Subject as it may not
be saved to the correct record.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 100


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Notes Tab: Activity

Who?
The Activity section
located under the Notes
tab provides a complete
history of a record What?
It details:
• Who made an update?
• What was the update?
• When was the update
made?
Selecting the filter (funnel) When?
icon allows activity
information to be filtered

From creation through to closure, the entire history of an incident record is automatically tracked
and recorded in the incident Activity section, located within the Notes tab.

The Activity section, which is read-only, documents when a change was made and by whom. These
changes include assignment and reassignment, additional comments and work notes, updated field
values, state changes, and more.

The funnel icon in the top-right of the Activity section allows you to filter your view to see only your
desired categories of information.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 101


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Activity Streamline Editing
The activity stream inline editor enables users to contribute to actual work within a record
without opening a form interface
1

3
2

Just like real-time editing on a form, inline commenting on the activity stream means you can
annotate active records as updates are made, allowing multiplied efforts across several pieces of
work simultaneously.

To do so, navigate to a list of active task records, then:


1. Click Show activity stream in a flyout window from the list header
2. With the window open, scroll down to browse the records recently updated and hover over
an update you wish to comment, then click Comment
3. Enter your comment into the text field, then click the Post button

A benefit of activity stream inline editing is that you are able to update multiple active records
without having to open a single record.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 102


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Visual Task Boards
Taskboard tools

Quick Panel
Transform your lists and forms
into an interactive graphical Lanes
experience using Visual Task
Boards (VTBs)
Cards
Visual Task Boards allow you to:
• Manage your tasks through a
visual, drag-and-drop interface
• Identify process bottlenecks at
a glance, in real-time
• Track embedded activity screens
to view updates all in one place

Use Visual Task Boards (VTBs) to create a personal to-do list, collaborate in real-time with group
members on assignments, and more. Displayed graphically as lanes and cards, VTBs provide a
landing page to view and organize work in ServiceNow.

There are three types of VTBs:


• Freeform: Use Freeform boards as your personal organizer, creating individual tasks of any
kind and freely adding, removing, and modifying cards and lanes
• Guided boards: Alternatively, use a Guided board, which is created from a list and uses a
field value (e.g. Incident States) as lanes. Records in that list, which appear as cards, are
actually modified when you edit cards or change lanes in a Guided board.
• Flexible: Flexible boards are also created from a list but lane changes do not update
underlying task data

To get started with a Visual Task Board, navigate to Self-Service > Visual Task Boards and follow the
displayed instructions for creating a board.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 103


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 2.1:
Task Management

As the Service Desk


Manager,

I want to automatically route


incidents submitted through
the service portal by our
partner testers

So my team can work


Time Pages together to quickly resolve
10-15m 105-112 the incidents.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 104


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Task Management 2.1
10-15m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Browse the Service Portal
• Submit an incident from the Service Portal
• Use work notes, comments, and chat to cooperatively manage an incident

User Story

In addition to internal testing, Cloud Dimensions has begun allowing major partners to test
Infinity devices.

Before submitting an incident to report a problem, these partner users have been instructed
to first browse the Knowledge Base in the Cloud Dimensions Service Portal.

If the user is unable to find a solution to their problem, they are instructed to submit an
incident so they can receive support by an agent in the Infinity Customer Support group.

The Infinity Customer Support group has defined processes for incident assignment and
resolution, which uses assignment rules and connect chat to ensure the best help is offered to
an end-user.

A. Browse the Service Portal


Start this lab by logging into the Cloud Dimensions Service Portal as a partner user experiencing
problems during Infinity testing.

TIP: Open up another browser to complete these steps.

1. If you are not using a different browser, log out of your instance.

2. Add /sp to the end of the URL:

https://instance-###.lab.service-now.com/sp

3. Press Enter on your keyboard.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 105


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
You should be brought to the Service Portal login screen:

4. Log in using the following user credentials:

User name: jon.floyd


Password: floydpass

5. Type infinity holograph broken into the How can we help? search bar on the home
page; then press enter on your keyboard.

No Results will display:

Note: Typing either infinity or Infinity will result in No Results.


Assume Jon Floyd continued browsing the Knowledge Base but was unable to discover a
solution for the issue he is experiencing. As established by partner procedure, he will
now submit an incident to receive help from Cloud Dimensions.

6. Click the ServiceNow logo in the top-left corner to return to the homepage.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 106


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
B. Submit an Incident
1. Select Get Help:

2. Locate and select Create Incident.

3. Fill out the form as follows:

Urgency: 3 – Low
Please describe your issue below: The Infinity is having trouble displaying clearly.

4. Click Submit.

You may briefly see a message on the top of the screen indicating your incident was
created and your profile badge should show one Request.

5. Log out of the instance as Jon Floyd.

Note: If you opted to use another browser for these steps, return to the original session and
move to step 1 of the Update the Incident section below. Otherwise, continue on to the next
step.

6. From your instance URL, remove the /sp suffix (including everything that follows).

7. Press Enter on your keyboard to return to the normal login screen.

C. Update the Incident


1. Log into the instance as the System Administrator.

Note: If you experience issues with the interface caching, refresh the browser and click on the
ServiceNow logo.

2. Impersonate Rita Center.

Note: Rita is a Customer Support Agent on the Infinity Customer Support group specializing in
software-related issues.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 107


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. Service Desk > My Groups Work.

Note: The incident was automatically assigned to Rita’s group (Infinity Customer Support)
by an existing assignment rule created for the purpose of this exercise.

4. Locate and open the most recently created incident record and update the following:

State: In Progress
Assigned to: Rita Center

5. Save the record using the form context menu.

Note: Assume Rita has remotely accessed Jon’s device and found no apparent issues.

6. Update the incident record to inform Jon that it must be escalated to another team:

a) From the Notes tab, type into the Work notes field: Hello Jon, I was not able to
find anything on my end, but this incident will be escalated appropriately.

b) Check the Additional comments (Customer visible) checkbox

Note: Confirm the Work notes field label changed to Additional comments (Customer
visible before posting.

c) Click the Post button

7. The comment now appears under the Activity section:

8. Update the incident as follows:

Category: Hardware
Assigned to: Trey Tout

9. Save (do not update) the record.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 108


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
10. From the form header, click the Follow button:

Note: Rita will now receive notices when any new comments or work notes are added.
Additionally, Rita can now use chat to facilitate the resolution of this incident with peers.

11. Open the Connect Sidebar to locate the conversation around the incident:

12. Select the “Infinity is having trouble” conversation from the Connect Sidebar to
open a chat window.

13. Add Trey Tout to the conversation:


a) Click the Add User icon
b) Search for Trey Tout
c) Select his name

14. With Trey added to the conversation, type the following message into the Worknote
text field at the bottom of the chat window:

Hello Trey, I thought you could help with this as there are no software issues
detected. Thanks!

15. Press Enter on your keyboard to save the message.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 109


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
D. Update the Incident
1. Impersonate Trey Tout.

Note: Trey is an Engineer on the Infinity Customer Support group. If you are unable to find his
name while impersonating Rita, switch back to System Administrator before impersonating
again.

2. Open the Connect Sidebar to view the conversation from Rita:

3. Click on the conversation to view the chat history.

4. Open the incident by clicking on the View Document icon on the chat window
header.

5. If open, close the chat window and collapse the Connect Sidebar.

6. With the record open, under the Notes tab, click the Show all journal fields icon to
the right of Work notes:

Note: The Show all journal fields displays both Work notes and Additional comments, making it
easy to add both internal and external comments to the record.

7. Update the Work notes with the following: Not enough information provided,
contacting the customer to request more.

8. Update the Additional comments (Customer visible) field to say the following:

Hello Jon, I have been added to help resolve your issue. Could you please provide
additional information about what you are experiencing? Thank you.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 110


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Your fields should look like this:

9. Click the Post button to add the Work notes and Additional comments to the
incident activity stream.

10. Set the record State to On Hold.

11. Select Awaiting Caller as the On hold reason.

12. Notice the Connect Sidebar icon has changed, indicating two new messages have
been received:

13. Save the record.

Note: Although the incident was not resolved at this time, Jon will be able to respond to Trey’s
inquiry and provide more information to identify a solution.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 111


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
LAB VERIFICATION
Updates to an Incident

Review the updates made to the Activity section, recognizing internal (work notes) and
external (additional comments) communication:

Congratulations, you have completed the Task Management lab!

You’ve learned how easy it is to submit an incident from the Service Portal, locate the
incident in ServiceNow, and collaborate using Connect Chat to resolve the incident!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 112


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

Which module displays a list of tasks Which tab contains the activity
assigned to a user’s group, but not stream for a task?
yet assigned to an individual? – Notes
– My Groups Work

What is the difference between Which tool enables users to


Work notes and Additional collaborate on a task real-time and
Comments? links conversations to records?
– Work notes are visible to only – Connect Chat
those who can view the task
– Additional comments are visible
to the customer (requestor)

ServiceNow Fundamentals 113


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 2.2:
Notifications

User Story

As the Data Security Manager,

I want the assignment group manager,


and me, to be notified whenever a
critical (P1) security incident is created

So we can reduce our exposure by


properly prioritizing resources to
resolve the incident quickly.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 114


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Events and Notifications

Events Notifications
An event is an indication that certain conditions Email notifications can be triggered by events and
have occurred in the system, which are then require no scripting knowledge
responded to with pre-defined actions

Events are triggered by:


• User actions: Logging in, approving a
request, renaming an attachment, etc.
• Scripts: Business Rules and Workflows

All baseline events have built-in logic to respond when an event occurs. Possible responses include
making a change to a record in the database, creating a new record, sending a notification, or
logging a message.

The event definitions are in the Event Registration [sysevent_register] table. The Event Log displays
records from the Event [sysevent] table. To see a log of every generated event navigate to System
Policy > Events > Event Log.

By convention, events are named using the syntax <table name>.<unique event name>. For
example, incident.updated, or problem.closed.

A notification is a tool for alerting users when events that concern them have occurred through the
following methods:
• Email
• SMS
• Meeting Invitation

Notifications are received by configured users and voluntary recipients and can notify of specific
activities in the platform, such as updates to incidents or change requests.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 115


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Creating Notifications

1 2 3
Choose When to Send Choose Who will Receive Choose What it Says

- HR may use notifications to communicate an office closure due to inclement weather


Feature
Use - Inform customers of the latest information on their open incident
Cases - An account executive is notified that a contract is expiring

Creating notifications allows administrators to specify:


• When to send the Notification
• Who receives the Notification
• What content is in the Notification

Notifications can be sent when a record is Inserted or Updated (or both) into a table, only if the
specified conditions are met.

Send notifications to specific users and/or groups. If you address the Notification to a user with an
inactive record in the User [sys_user] table, the system does not send the notification to that user.

TIP: Consider limiting the recipient list of any notification to 1000 users. By default, if a notification
has more than 100 intended recipients, the system creates multiple notification messages with up
to 100 recipients each. If you want to change the recipient limit, set the system
property glide.email.smtp.max_recipients.

If using an Email Template then Subject and Message will be used from the template unless
overridden with a different (new) subject and/or message.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 116


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Notifications: Dot-Walking

Dot-Walking gathers information from a series of tables through reference fields

1. From Users/Groups in fields, select the


reference field you will dot-walk through
2. Click the Expand Item icon ( ) 2 3
1
3. Select the field which holds the value to be 4
referenced
4. Click the Add Item icon ( )

Starting Incident [incident] User [sys_user]


Table Caller Field: David Loo Manager Field: Bud Richman

Imagine sending a notification when an update is made to an incident.

The recipients of this notification include the user who is experiencing an issue and the user that is
assigned to resolve the incident. In the base system, this is easily achievable because the fields
representing these users are a part of the incident record by default (Caller and Assigned to,
respectivey).

A variation of this could include sending the notification to the caller’s manager as well, but this
would require dot-walking because the Manager field (and value) is not found on the incident table.

To achieve this while defining a notification, dot-walk through the Caller field to the User table. This
is possible because the value stored in the Caller field is simply a user record, referencing data
stored on the User table. After dot-walking to the User table, all of this table’s fields (and their
stored data) is accessible, including the Manager field.

In the example illustrated above, the caller of an incident is David Loo. David’s manager, Bud
Richman, is also able to receive the notification because of dot-walking.

Another benefit to using dot-walking is that notifications do not rely on hardcoded data – instead,
the values are automatically populated based on the fields selected. In other words, this notification
will automatically identify the caller and the caller’s manager (if applicable) based on the
information provided within the incident.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 117


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Notifications: Subscriptions

Subscriptions
Subscriptions allow users to be informed of
various activity occurring in the platform,
whether it directly relates to them or not

In addition to email notifications, Short


Message Service (SMS) is supported, also
known as text messages on mobile devices

The Notifications page of Settings is where users can define notification channels (methods of
receiving notifications), as well as manage their subscriptions to system notifications.

SMS (Short Messaging Service) is the standard protocol used to deliver short text messages to
mobile devices. Most mobile phones support SMS, even if they do not support more sophisticated
messaging, like email notifications.

Notifications to SMS devices are particularly useful when critical events require immediate
attention, and waiting for an email notification to be accessed and viewed is too slow.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 118


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Connect Chat and Workspace

Chat
Connect Chat is a messaging
tool that lets you work with
others in real-time

Workspace
The Connect Workspace
provides a full-screen view
of all your Connect Chat
conversations in one place

Click the Open Connect


standalone interface icon
( ) to open the Workspace

ServiceNow provides several tools to help you communicate with your team in real-time, based on
information within the platform. Connect Chat is accessible from the Connect icon in the Banner
Frame (opens a sidebar within the Content Frame). You can create new conversations with
individual ServiceNow users or create custom chat groups. A green dot indicates participants who
are currently online. Additional options allow you to add attachments to the chat, customize your
notifications to stay in the loop on the conversation, and easily view and update related records.

The Connect Workspace provides a full-screen view of all your Connect Chat and Connect Support
conversations in one place, plus additional tools to help keep track of important information in
conversations. To open the Connect Workspace, navigate to Connect > Connect Chat or click the
Open Connect standalone interface icon from the Connect Sidebar. If you do not have any recent
conversations, a screen appears with helpful information about Connect.

The Connect Workspace interface is made up of three major components:


• Connect Sidebar: Provides access to conversations. The Connect Sidebar behaves the same
way in the Workspace as it does in the Connect overlay. The only difference is that the
sidebar appears on the left edge of the Connect Workspace.
• Conversation Pane: Displays the currently selected conversation
• Conversation Tools: Provide quick access to key information, conversation members,
attachments, and notification preferences for the currently selected conversation. Some of
the conversation tools vary depending on the type of conversation.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 119


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 2.2:
Notifications

As the Data Security


Manager,
I want the assignment group
manager, and me, to be
notified whenever a critical
(P1) security incident is
created
So we can reduce our
exposure by properly
Time Pages prioritizing resources to
10-15m 121-126 resolve the incident quickly.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 120


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Notifications 2.2
10-15m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Develop a new email notification
• Test the notification

Scenario

Buster Wubbel – manager of Infinity Security – has requested that a notification be created to
alert him and his team whenever a critical employee Infinity incident is active and categorized
with Security. Additionally, the notification should alert any manager of the assigned group,
seeing as the incident as urgent.

A. Develop a Notification
We will assume Buster Wubbel has shared the notification requirements with the system
administrator – whom which you will impersonate to create the new notification.

1. Impersonate System Administrator.

2. System Notification > Email > Notifications.

3. New.

4. After the new notification record loads, open the More options menu from the form
header, then select Toggle annotations on / off.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 121


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Note: Annotations appear on various forms and contain useful information. It is always
recommended to read them before toggling them off.

5. Set the Name to P1 Infinity Incident.

Note: This notification will be defined to inform the Infinity Security group and the assignment
group’s manager whenever a critical (Priority 1) employee Infinity security incident is active as a
result of being created or updated.

6. Select Incident [incident] from the Table field.

7. Under the When to send tab, set the following values:

Inserted: [checked]
Updated: [checked]

Conditions:
Active | is | true AND
Priority | is | 1 – Critical AND
Category | is | Security AND
Short description | contains | infinity
OR Short description | contains | Infinity

Note: The Security category choice was previously defined for this exercise.

8. Select the Who will receive tab.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 122


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
9. Click the Unlock icon (closed lock) for Users/Groups in fields:

Note: Instead of selecting a user by name, thus hardcoding that particular user to the
notification, select a field that contains the data of a user account. Doing so will require dot-
walking tables.

10. Select Assignment group (+) under the Available bucket and click the (+) to expand.

Note: The (+) icon indicates a field is a reference field, which can then be used to dot-walk from
one table to another.

11. Select Manager (+)

12. Click the Add Item icon (>).

Note: This adds Assignment group.Manager to the Selected bucket or, in other words, the
notification will be sent to the manager of the incident’s assignment group.

13. Click the Edit Groups icon (closed lock) on the Groups field:

14. Search for and select Infinity Security.

15. Click the What it will contain tab.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 123


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
16. Type the following into the Subject field:

IMPORTANT! P1 Infinity Security Incident Created

17. Add a dynamic value placeholder to the subject:

a) From Select variables, expand the Fields list by clicking the + icon

b) Scroll down and select the Number field variable

c) Highlight ${number} from the Message HTML field, then copy the text to your
clipboard

d) Click your cursor into the Subject field at the end of the text

e) Press the spacebar on your keyboard once

f) Paste the ${number} text from your clipboard

Note: The ${number} placeholder is added to the end of the subject text and is dynamic,
meaning it will automatically populate with the incident number value of the record that

ServiceNow Fundamentals 124


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
triggers the notification. Additional placeholders can be found and added from the Select
variables section to the subject and Message HTML fields.

18. Update the Message HTML field to include the following text, replacing any existing
text:

Critical Incident ${URI_REF} has been created with an Infinity Security category.

Note: The ${URI_REF} placeholder includes an upper-case “i” after the “UR” text. Check to see
how this placeholder behaves after the notification is generated.

19. Click Submit to save the notification.

B. Test and Verify the Notification


Create an incident to trigger the notification, then check to verify it was sent.

Note: Email is not enabled for the ServiceNow Lab Instance.

1. Impersonate Buster Wubbel.

2. Incident > Create New.

3. Fill out the record as follows:

Caller: Buster Wubbel


Category: Security
Impact: 1 - High
Urgency: 1 - High
Priority: 1 – Critical (autofills)
Assignment group: Service Desk
Short description: Testing P1 Infinity Security Notification

4. Submit the incident.

Note: Because email is disabled on the instance, impersonate System Administrator to check
the instance’s email logs.

5. Impersonate System Administrator.

6. System Mailboxes > Outbound > Outbox.

7. Locate the record with the Subject IMPORTANT! P1 Infinity Security Incident
Created INC#######, then click on the Created timestamp to open the record.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 125


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
8. After reviewing the Recipients list, scroll down further, then finally click the Preview
HTML Body related link to display a preview of the message received by the
recipients:

Note: The ${URI_REF} placeholder renders as a direct link to the incident record.

LAB VERIFICATION
Outbox: Infinity Security P1 Notification

Recipient List

Great work! You have successfully created and tested a new email notification.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 126


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

What can trigger a notification? Which three tabs are used to


– Record inserted or updated configure an email notification?
– Event is fired – When to send
– A script – Who will receive
– What it will contain

What is used to get information from How is dot-walking used when


tables through referenced fields? configuring a notification?
– Dot-Walking – Identify the recipient
(e.g. Users/Groups in fields)
– Populate data in the notification
(e.g. ${number} or ${URI_REF})

ServiceNow Fundamentals 127


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 2.3:
Reporting

User Story

As the Service Desk Manager,

I want a report which provides a high-


level summary of all incidents assigned;
prioritized by category and priority

So I can understand the incident


backlog and provide additional support
where needed.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 128


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What is ServiceNow Reporting?
Real World Use Cases
Reports - Management needs to have a report
Reports, prepared on an ad-hoc basis, show
automatically generated and delivered to her
results by allowing users to view and analyze
division for all P1 incidents that happened
ServiceNow data
overnight
Run predefined reports or create new custom - Vendor management needs to see a
reports with the Report Designer quarterly roll up of Service level compliance of
their third party service providers
- HR may use reports to measure average
Benefits Case load by assignee during open
enrollment
- An agent needs to have evidence of his
performance managing cases over the last
quarter in preparation for his quarterly review

Reports can be visually represented in many different ways, including bar charts, pie charts, dials,
lists, pivot tables, donuts, and more. Reports can be run manually or scheduled to be run
automatically. There are a range of predefined reports that pertain to applications and features like
Incident Management and Service Catalog requests, including Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
reports.

ServiceNow reports are interactive. Users with access can drill down into the report gauges to view
and manipulate the underlying data.

If none of the predefined reports meet your needs, you can create your own reports by navigating to
the Reports > View / Run module. Alternatively, you can simply click most column context menus in
any list to generate a report directly from the data in that list.

ServiceNow Reporting can easily answer such questions as:


• Did I meet an SLA?
• How many incidents did my team close in a month?
• Metric Reporting: What was the average time from Incident open to Incident closed for each
Service Desk team?

For more information, navigate to Reports > Getting Started.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 129


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Report Types

The ServiceNow base instance comes with over 25 standard report types,
including:

Donut Pareto Heatmap

Other report types include: Speedometer, Dial, Single Score, Pie, Semi Donut, Bubble, Multi-Level
Pivot Table, Line, Column, Area, Spline, Bar, Histogram, Horizontal Bar, List, Funnel, Calendar,
Pyramid, Box, Trend, Control, Trendbox, Map, Pivot Table, and Text Analytics.

One report variation, a Pareto chart, named after Vilfredo Pareto, is a type of chart that contains
both bars and a line graph, where individual values are represented in descending order by bars, and
the cumulative total is represented by the line. Pareto Charts are useful to show the significance of
factors for a given question/process. Pareto Charts use the rule that about 20% of input produces
almost 80% of the outputs.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 130


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Create and Edit Reports

Creating a New Report from a List


1. Define and run a filter, displaying only the data to report on 2. Open the Column Context Menu,
then choose Bar Chart or Pie Chart

Creating a New Report or Edit an Existing Report


Navigate to Reports > View / Run to create a new report with the Report Designer or open an existing report

You can build reports from scratch, but it is often easier to start with a filtered list or an existing
report. When you start with an existing report, reporting configuration choices will be provided for
you. By modifying the provided options, you can configure the report to meet your needs. It is a
best practice to copy a base report then edit your copy.

Use the ServiceNow Report Designer to:


• Leverage reporting visibility and available report types
• Use multi-level filters, filter operators, and sort order to refine reports
• View, create, edit, and schedule reports
• Work with reporting roles
• Use Related Tables (dot-walking and Database Views)

Advantages to modifying an existing report:


• You can start with a report that already has the basic information and make minor changes
to get what you need
• Browsing existing reports helps you learn which of the tables are relevant to the work you do
• Helps you learn different uses for the various report types
• You can leverage ITIL best practices by using Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reports

ServiceNow Fundamentals 131


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Report Visibility Controls

My reports Group Global All


Created by you and Reports that are Available to List of all personal,
only visible to you visible to everyone everyone group, and global
in your group(s) (all Fulfillers) reports

The Reports > View / Run module contains a library of reports which you can run and use to create
your own custom reports. Many of these reports came with the platform and others were created
by your reporting administrators specifically for your company.

The Reports page contains different sections for reports which are visible to different audiences.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 132


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Report Designer: Creating a Report
Report Designer is an interface used for creating or modifying ServiceNow reports.
It features four sections which provide reporting configuration options: Data, Type, Configure, and Style.

Each section of the Report Designer provides different configuration options:


• Data: Provide a name for the report, as well as select the source from where your data
comes from. You can choose a data source, which is a predefined data set used for creating
reports; or a ServiceNow table.
• Type: Select the visualization of your report by choosing a report type. There are 28 different
types to choose from!
• Configure: Do things like group the data by a specific field(s) and run calculations against the
data.
• Style: Adjust the look of your report, from coloring to titles , as well as making adjustments
to the report legend.

NOTE: Every time you make an adjustment through these controls, remember to click the Run
button in the top-right to redraw the report with your changes.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 133


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Report Designer: Report Actions and Options

Save report; options to Save,


Report info Sharing Menu Insert, Insert and Stay, and
Save as data source
Delete report
Run report, do
not save/update

Report actions become available once the report has been saved and they depend on your role.
Many of the actions are easily understood; therefore only some of them are detailed here:
• Update: Overwrite report, return to the report list
• Insert: Save a duplicate copy of the report, return to the report list
• Insert and Stay: Save a duplicate copy of the report, remaining on the report
• Save as report source: Allows you to create a pre-defined data set that can be used for
creating reports

ServiceNow Fundamentals 134


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Report Designer: Report Distribution

Share Publish
To make a report visible to a Steps to publish and view a report:
particular group or user, use
the Share option to select 1. With desired report displayed click the
Groups and/or Users Sharing menu icon, then click Publish
2. Click the Copy report link icon from the
report header to copy the URL to your
clipboard
3. Open URL in browser

When distributing a report, sharing has the ability to make the report visible to authenticated users
within ServiceNow.

From the Sharing menu, the following options are available:


• Share: Specifies who can see the report. Options include:
• Me (the user who created the report)
• Everyone (all ServiceNow users)
• Groups and Users (specific groups and/or specific users)
• Schedule: Creates a scheduled email of the report as an attachment
• Add to Dashboard: Adds directly to a Dashboard on a homepage you choose, or within a
Performance Analytics tab
• Export to PDF: Converts the report to a PDF which can be generated immediately or sent as
an email
• Publish: Creates a URL for the report which can be used by internal and external audiences.
However, users may need to log into ServiceNow to view all of the data. Published reports
can be unpublished and no longer accessible.

For more information on options available under the sharing menu in Report Designer, please refer
to the ServiceNow product documentation by searching for the article titled: Share a report -
Report Designer.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 135


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Reports and Metrics
When you report on a table (for example, Incident or Problem), information
about the current state of platform data displays

A metric is used to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of IT service


management processes
– Metrics measure data over time to show past history

– Metrics can gather data as the data is updated

System tables are, by default, restricted from the reporting module. These tables include, but are
not limited to the following: syslog, syslog_transaction, sys_attachment, and sys_email.

Compared to reports, metrics are used to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of IT service
management processes. A metric could measure the effectiveness of the incident resolution process
by calculating how long it takes to resolve an incident.

Sometimes a metric can be easily obtained from the data. For example, to find the number of
incidents that were created today, a report will count the number of incident records in the Incident
table with a created date of today. Other times, metrics need to be gathered as data is updated. For
example, determining how long an incident was assigned to a certain group requires collecting
information about assignment changes and calculating the duration of each assignment.

The Metric Definition plugin provides a declarative way of defining metrics, and, once defined, the
data for the metric is gathered, and occurrences of the metric are calculated and stored.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 136


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Dashboards

Dashboards enable
you to display multiple
Performance Analytics,
reporting, and other
widgets on a single screen.

Use dashboards to create a


story with data that can be
shared.

Dashboards may be responsive or non-responsive, but are set as non-responsive by default.


Responsive dashboards require the activation of the Performance Analytics plugin on upgraded
instances.

With dashboards you are able to:


• Create and edit Performance Analytics reports and other widgets directly from the
dashboard
• Use the Add Widgets pane to quickly find and preview widgets, then add them to the
dashboard
• Easily share dashboards with other users from the integrated sharing pane
• Use quick layouts to snap widgets into a predefined layout, then adjust the layout as desired
• Set dashboards as your homepage so you can quickly access information that you use
frequently

NOTE: There is a lot you can do with dashboards so it is encouraged that you to find more
information at the ServiceNow product documentation site.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 137


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 2.3:
Reporting

As the Service Desk


Manager,
I want a report which
provides a high-level
summary of all incidents
assigned; prioritized by
category and priority
So I can understand the
incident backlog and provide
Time Pages additional support where
10-15m 139-143 needed.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 138


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Reporting 2.3
610-15m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Create a report for a group
• Share the report to a group

Scenario

Members of the Service Desk would like a report built which provides a high-level summary of
all incidents assigned to their group, organized by incident category and priority.

Winnie Reich will create a report and then have the system administrator share it to her team.

Lab Dependency: Requires the completion of Lab 1.3

A. Create a Report
1. Impersonate Winnie Reich.

2. Open the list of Reports by navigating to Reports > View / Run.

Note: Although the first part of the lab is completed as Winne Reich, any user with the correct
role can access the Reports application menu and modules to create and share reports.

3. Click on All from the header options.

4. Use the search bar at the top-right to search for reports containing incidents by
priority in their title.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 139


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
5. Once the results display, click Incidents by Priority and State to open the report:

6. The Report Designer loads with the report displaying information:

Note: Your report may look different than the screenshot provided.

7. Select the Data breadcrumb title from the panel on the left, then update the name
of the report to Incidents by Priority and State (Service Desk):

ServiceNow Fundamentals 140


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
8. From the main reporting area, where the data is displayed, click the Open condition
builder icon (funnel) to apply a filter on the data:

9. Use the drop-down menus to set a single filter condition:

Assignment group | is | Service Desk

10. From the Report Designer header, click the Run button:

11. Notice the report’s data has updated:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 141


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
12. Open the Save menu by clicking the downward-facing arrow, then select Insert to
save a copy of the new report you created:

B. Share the Report


1. Impersonate System Administrator.

2. Reports > Administration > All.

3. Locate and open the record for the Incidents by Priority and State (Service Desk)
report.

4. Click the Edit Report button:

5. From the Report Designer, open the Sharing menu:

6. Select Share.

7. Choose Groups and Users, then add the Service Desk to the Groups list:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 142


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
8. Click OK to close the Sharing settings window.

9. Save the report.

Lab Verification
Access Report from Group Category

1. Impersonate Kevin Edd.

2. Reports > View / Run.

3. From the Reports list, select the Group category:

Note: The Infinity report is now available to all users in the Service Desk group.

Wonderful! In this lab you have learned how to modify an existing report and share it.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 143


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

Which module opens the Report What are the four tabs used to guide
Designer interface? the user through creating a new
– Reports > View / Run report in the report designer?
– Data, Type, Configure, and Style

Name three ways of sharing a What should you consider when


report with other people in the exporting a report to PDF and
organization sharing the exported file?
– Scheduled email – Information may be obsolete
– Export to PDF – Access control is not enforced
– Publish on exported data

ServiceNow Fundamentals 144


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Module 3: Database Administration
User Interface and Navigation Module Objectives
• Explain the hierarchy of tables, records, and fields
Collaboration
• Differentiate the classes of tables in ServiceNow
Database Administration • Identify different field types in a record
• Name the tables where users, groups, and roles are stored
Self-Service and Automation
• Demonstrate how to create access control rules
Introduction to Development • Discuss how access controls are evaluated
• Explain how to use import sets to populate data in a table
Capstone Project

Labs and Activities


• Lab 3.1: Create an Extended Table
• Lab 3.2: Application and Access Controls
• Lab 3.3: Import Sets
• Lab 3.4: CMDB

ServiceNow Fundamentals 145


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 3.1:
Data Schema

User Story

As the Infinity Testing Coordinator,

I want to be able to store data for


tracking the assignment of Infinity
devices in ServiceNow

So I can effectively support the Infinity


beta testing efforts.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 146


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What is the ServiceNow Infrastructure?

Everything in ServiceNow is built on a


relational database containing data
which can be accessed through the
Now Platform® User Interface.
The ServiceNow Infrastructure includes
tables, records, and fields.
Tables contain records. Records
correspond to rows in a table.
A field is an individual piece of data in a
record and corresponds to a column in
the table.

Data in ServiceNow is stored and managed according to a database structure that administrators
can view and configure:
• Tables are a data structure or database component, which contain records
• Records are the data stored on tables, which contain fields
• Fields are individual pieces of data within a record

The System Dictionary contains the definition for each and every table and field in the database.
Navigate to System Definition > Dictionary to access the system dictionary to modify table and field
attributes.

Tables can be accessed using the following modules within the System Definition application:
• Dictionary - defines every table and field in the system. Table records are identified as a
Collection type.
• Tables & Columns - lists existing tables in the database. Selecting a table name will display its
contents.
• Tables - contains a record for each table in the database. Custom tables can be created when
the New button is selected.

Lists and forms provide a friendly user interface (UI) for managing tables, records, and fields.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 147


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Table Components

A table is a collection of records in the database


Records Users
Each record corresponds User ID Name Email Location
to a row in a table
abel.tuter Abel Tuter abel.tuter@ Brasilla

In this case, information adela.cervantsz Adela Cervantsz adela.cervantsz@ Miami


about a single user aileen.mottern Aileen Mottern aileen.mottern@ Rome
alejandra.prenatt Alejandra Prenatt alejandra.prenatt@ Paris

Fields
Each field corresponds to a column In this case, one element such as
in a table and represents individual the user ’s name or email address
pieces of data in a record

Records are identified by a 32-character, globally unique ID, called a sys_id.

Record numbers are automatically incremented, and the number format per table in the system can
be changed by visiting the System Definition > Number Maintenance application.

For example, the default problem record number prefix is “PRB” but can be redefined as “PRBLM.”

Fields are available in a variety of different types, including: Choice, Date/Time, Journal, Reference,
and more. Field types define how a field is interacted with through the interface, as well as the type
and format of data it can store.

In addition to the System Dictionary, use the System Definition > Tables & Columns module to view
the field settings and attributes for a table.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 148


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Field Attributes

Each field has three key attributes: Field Label


a label, a name, and a value The label is a user-friendly term which allows
people to identify the field in the user interface
Users
Field Name
User ID Name Location
The name is a unique term that the system uses to
abel.tuter Abel Tuter Brasilla identify the field in scripts and automated
adela.cervantsz Adela Cervantsz Miami business processes
aileen.mottern Aileen Mottern Rome
alejandra.prenatt Alejandra Prenatt Paris
Value
alejandro.mascall Alejandro Mascall Frankfurt
The values are actual data
alene.rabeck Alene Rabeck London

Examples of a field label seen above includes User ID, Full Name, and Location

The name is a unique term that does not always match a field’s label.

For example, the name attribute of the Location field on the User table is sys_user.location. Do not
confuse the name attribute with the Name field on the user table, which is a label. The name
attribute of the Name field on the User table is sys_user.name.

NOTE: The Name field is a combination of the First name and Last name fields of the user record.

Values are the actual data, such as this user’s name, Aileen Mottern, or her location, Rome. In some
cases, the value may be empty, or null.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 149


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Reference Fields
Source Table
Incident
Reference fields are identified with the Number Caller Category
reference lookup icon ( ) INC0000015 Fred Luddy Software
INC0000016 Bow Ruggeri Hardware
The reference lookup icon opens a
INC0000017 Joe Employee Inquiry / Help
dialog box for locating a record to
reference, presented as a list of the Reference
referenced (target) table
Target Table
If a record is specified in the reference User
field on the source table, you can hover Name User ID Department
over the reference icon ( ) to preview
Bow Ruggeri bow.ruggeri Development
the referenced record (on the target
table) Fred Luddy fred.luddy Development
Joe Employee employee Sales

A reference field stores a unique system identifier (known as the sys_id) of a record on another
table which is what establishes the reference relationship. For example, the Caller field on the
Incident table is a reference to a record on the User table.

When you define a reference field, the platform creates a relationship between the two tables.
Adding a reference field to a form makes the other fields in the referenced table available to the
form.

Administrators can create new reference fields and configure several options for reference fields.

NOTE: A reference field can refer only to records from one other table. To add a field that can refer
to records on any table in the platform, regardless of a shared reference, use the Document ID
element type.

Additionally, wildcard searches can be used in reference fields.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 150


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Table Relationships

Tables can be related to each other in various ways

One-to-Many Many-to-Many Database Views Extensions


Role A Group A
Requested Inci dent Table
Item1 CMDB Uptime Extended Table
Request User Role
Requested CI Metrics
Item2 Ta s k Ta ble
Parent Table
Role B Group B

One-to-Many: Within a table, a field can hold a reference to a record on another table. There are
three one-to-many relationship fields:
1. Reference Fields - Allows a user to select a record on a table defined by the reference field.
Example: Caller field on the Incident table allows a user to select any record on User table.
2. Glide List - Allows a user to select multiple records on a table defined by the glide list.
Example: The Watchlist field on the Incident table allows the user to select any record or
records on the User table.
3. Document ID Fields - Allows a user to select a record on any table in the instance. Example:
Document field on the Translated Text table.

Many-to-Many: Two or more tables can be related in a bi-directional relationship, so that the
related records are visible from both tables in a related list. Example: software vendors can sell
multiple products and products can be sold by multiple vendors.

Database Views: Two tables can be joined virtually using the Database Views Plugin to allow for
reporting on data that might be stored in more than one table. Database Views are read-only. Create
Database Views by navigating to System Definition > Database Views.

Extensions: A table can extend another table. The extended table includes unique fields plus all of
the fields and their properties from the parent table.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 151


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Table Relationships: Extended Tables

Tables can extend


other tables, creating Parent Class Child Class
parent and child tables Task Incident
Number Location Number Location Caller
A table that extends
another table is a child
class

The table it extends is


the parent class A child table inherits A child table may also
the fields of its parent contain fields that are
unique to that child class

In ServiceNow, you can create a new table that stands alone or that extends another table.

The Task table and Configuration table are examples of parent classes that are extended to child
classes.

For example, child tables extended from the Task table include Change Request, Incident, and
Problem. Child tables extended from the Configuration table include Database, Hardware, and
Software.

Extending a table incorporates all of the fields of the original table and allows for unique fields to be
created on the new table. The inheritance of the fields of the original table is used to create
subcategories of data. Examples include the Incident, Problem, and Change Request tables, which
are all subcategories of the Task [task] table.

Using the Dictionary overrides feature provides the ability to define a field on an extended table
differently from the field on the parent table. Examples include overriding the default values, field
dependencies, or read-only status of a field.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 152


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Table Types: Base Tables
Children Classes
If a table is extended but itself is not Incident Problem Change Request
extending another table, it is called a
base table

Task
The task table is such a table, making
it both a parent and a base class

Parent, Base Class

If a field is on a base parent table such as the Task [task] table, for example, a different label can be
defined for each extended table, such as Incident or Problem. To add a different label for an
extended table, navigate to System Definition > Language File, then create a new entry for the
extended table.

Every child table is a specialization of the previous base table or previous child table. The Task [task]
table provides a series of standard fields used on every table that extends it.

To extend a table, select the table to extend in the Extends Table field on the table record.

NOTE: This option is available only when you are creating a table but not all tables are extensible.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 153


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Table Types: Core vs. Custom

Parent, Base, Core Custom


Task Team Birthdays

Child, Core Tables that Tables created Custom


Incident exist in the by admins or Holiday Party
base system developers are
are called called custom
core tables tables
Core Custom
User Team Awards

Although custom tables are not in the base system, they can still interact with existing core tables.

For example, a reference field on a custom table can access data stored on a core table. By doing so,
a relationship between the tables is created which makes them related tables. This relationship is
not exclusive between just a custom table and a core table. Related tables can be a combination of
multiple core tables and/or multiple custom tables.

NOTE: When creating a new custom table, the table name is automatically populated based on the
table label and a prefix. If the table is being created in a scoped application, the name is prefixed
with a namespace identifier, indicating that it is a part of an application. Otherwise, custom tables in
the global application feature ”u_” as their prefix, and then the table label.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 154


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Schema Map

The Schema Map


provides a graphical
representation of other
tables related to a
specific table.

Relationships can be
filtered by extension or
reference classes by
checking the appropriate
boxes at the top of the
map.

In this example map, you will see the Task table as the focus of the map (highlighted in yellow).

NOTE: The schema map is available to those users with the personalize_dictionary role as well as
those with the admin role.

Tables with blue bars, including Problem and Change Phase, are tables that extend the Task table.

Demonstrated with the Problem table, you can use the Schema Map to identify which columns
(fields) originate on Problem, and which columns are inherited from the Task table. Additionally, you
can see what field type they are.

Tables with red bars, including Location and User, are tables that are referenced by the Task table.

A series of filters at the top of the Schema Map allow you to show/hide tables based on criteria such
as whether they are referenced by the Task table, reference the Task table, are extended by the Task
table, or extend the Task table.

The Tables window on the far right of the screen provides a summary of all the tables presented and
their relationships.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 155


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 3.1:
Create an Extended
Table

As the Infinity Testing


Coordinator,
I want to be able to store
data for tracking the
assignment of Infinity devices
in ServiceNow

Time Pages So I can effectively support


the Infinity beta testing
15-20m 157-163 efforts.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 156


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Create an Extended Table
3.1
15-20m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Create a new table
• Configure the table form view
• Update the application menu and create new modules

Scenario

With an active procedure of testing Infinity devices, Cloud Dimensions needs a method for
managing inventory and tracking how many devices have been issued and to whom.

The various teams involved with Infinity testing have come up with a solution but will need the
help of the system administrator to implement it.

Their plan is to have this information accessed through an application menu with a series of
modules.

The primary data point being tracked will be the Infinity devices but information about the
users, such as name and email, will also be available.

A. Create a New Table


1. Navigate to System Definition > Tables to create a new table.

2. From the list header, click the New button.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 157


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. Fill out the top of the Table form with the following changes:

Label: Infinity
Name: u_cmdb_ci_hardware_infinity (auto fills with u_infinity)
Extends table: Hardware [cmdb_ci_hardware]
New menu name: Infinity (auto fills)

Note: The Name field automatically populates with u_infinity. The table name can be changed,
as long as it starts with the u_ prefix indicating it is a custom table. It is best practice to rename
the table to indicate it is a custom CMDB CI table.

4. Submit.

B. Add Fields to the Infinity Form


1. Use the Application Navigator filter field to navigate to Infinity > Infinities:

Note: During the creation of the Infinity table, the Create module checkbox was selected. As a
result, this automatically created the new module Infinities which is a pluralized form of the
table name, Infinity.

2. An empty List (No records to display) is displayed with default fields.

Note: In a future lab, you modify the Infinities list layout before importing device records from
spreadsheets.

3. Click New to open a form displaying default fields.

4. Open the Form Context Menu, select Configure > Form Layout.

5. Remove the Assigned to, Category and Fault count fields, keeping Name, Asset tag,
Installed, and Status in the Selected list.

6. Add the Owned by and Support group fields to the Selected list from the Available
list.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 158


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
7. Using dot-walking, add Owned by.Email to the Selected list:

a) From the Available list, locate and select Owned by

b) Click the Expand selected reference field icon

c) From the Available list, scroll down and select Email

d) Select Add

You should now see Owned by.Email under the Selected list:

Note: The Owned by.Email field’s value represents the email of the device’s owner, and will
automatically populate when a value is entered into the Owned by field, as long as the user
record includes an email address..

8. Next, in the Create new field section, enter:

Name: Device Number


Type: String (autofills)
Field length: Small (40) (autofills)

ServiceNow Fundamentals 159


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
9. Click Add.

10. Add two additional fields.

Name Type Field Length/Reference


Device Version String Small (40)
Device Notes Journal

11. After adding the new fields, rearrange the fields under the Selected list to look like
this:

12. Click the Save button.

13. Close the Saving Form Section window.

14. The Infinity New record form displays:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 160


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
C. Update the Infinity Application Menu
The new Infinity application menu and its modules will be used to create new Infinity device
records from the form you have just designed, as well as display a list of all devices.

1. In the Application Navigator filter field, type Infinity.

2. Hover your curser over Infinity and click the Edit Application icon (pencil):

3. This brings up the Application Menu record for Infinity.

Note: You could alternately access this record by navigating to System Definition > Application
Menus and searching for Infinity in the list.

4. Update the Title to Infinity Inventory.

5. Save the record.

6. From the Modules section, open the Infinities record:

7. Update the record as follows:

Title: All Devices


Order: 200

8. Click Update.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 161


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
9. Next, click New from the Modules section.

10. Fill out the form:

Title: Add Inventory


Order: 100

11. Click the Link Type* tab and fill out the fields as shown:

Link type: New Record


Table: Infinity [u_cmdb_ci_hardware_infinity]

Note: The Table field appears to be read-only (indicated by gray) but clicking on the table name
will open the drop-down menu.

12. Your screen should look similar to this:

13. Submit.

Note: Before creating any table in ServiceNow, the question to always start with is: should the
table be created from scratch or by extending an existing table?

ServiceNow Fundamentals 162


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab Verification
Verify the application menu, Infinity Inventory, and associated modules are visible in the
application navigator.

New Table - Application Menu and Modules

Confirm the Add Inventory form has the correct fields in the correct order.

Congratulations on completing the lab!

Thanks to you, Cloud Dimensions has its first custom table!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 163


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

Which modules can you use to How can you edit the title of an
create a new table? application menu?
– Tables – Click the Edit Application
– Tables & Columns (pencil) icon
– Update the Title field on the
form

What is created by default when you Which tools can be used to create or
create a new table? modify a form layout?
– Application Menu with the same – Configure > Form Layout or
name as the table Label (e.g. – Configure > Form Design
Infinity)
– Module with the plural of the
table Label (e.g. Infinities)

ServiceNow Fundamentals 164


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 3.2:
Application/Access Control

User Story

As the Data Security Manager,

I want to restrict access to the Infinity


Inventory application menu and
modules and control which fields can
be updated

So I can ensure the integrity of the


inventory data.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 165


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
User Permissions Summary

User
Authentication/ User Interface Database
Login

Users Applications and Tables


Modules (Records and Fields)

Groups
Governed by Roles Governed by
Global System
Roles Properties

Governed by
Access Control Rules

ServiceNow provides several levels of security before an end user has the capability to perform
CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on a table:
• User Authentication/Login: Users, Groups, and Roles
• Application and Modules Access: Controlled by roles configured at the Application and
Module level
• Database Access: Access to tables and their records and fields are controlled via globally
defined system properties (deny access is the default behavior) as well as table and field
level access controls

There are three security modules typically used by the System Administrator:
• System Properties > Security
• System Security > Access Control (ACL)
• System Security > High Security Settings

ServiceNow Fundamentals 166


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What is an Access Control?

Access Control These rules restrict ServiceNow-specific


and CRUD operations
An Access Control is a security rule defined to
restrict the permissions of a user from viewing
and interacting with data
C reate
It is executed when attempting to access any
ServiceNow table and may be set at the:

row-level and/or column-level


R ead
U pdate (write)
(access to
the record)
(access to
the field) D elete
Most security settings are implemented using Access Controls.

In addition to restricting CRUD operations, Access Control rules can restrict ServiceNow-specific
operations on tables and fields.

ServiceNow operation examples include:


• execute: user cannot execute scripts on a record or UI page
• Edit_ci_relations: user cannot define relationships between Configuration Item [cmdb_ci]
tables
• Save_as_template: controls the field that should be saved when a template is created
• Report_on: user cannot create reports on the object
• Personalize_choices: user cannot right-click a choice list field and select Configure Choices

ServiceNow Fundamentals 167


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Access Control List (ACL)
The Access Control List (ACL) contains all of an instance’s Access Control rules

Users with the appropriate permissions can modify rules and their definitions

Users with the admin role have special access to all platform features , functions, and data because
admins can override Access Controls and pass all role checks so grant the admin privilege carefully!
With this said, in order for a user to create or update Access Control roles, they must have the
security_admin role.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 168


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Access Control Definition: Permission Requirements

Each Access Control rule specifies


1. The object being secured
(e.g. table, field) 3

2. The permissions required to 1


access the object
• Roles
• Conditional Expressions
2
• Scripts
3. Operation - a valid action the
system can take (CRUD)

In this example, a user with the itil role is granted permission to write (update) records in the
change_request table.

Object Name Operation Permissions


table change_request.None write itil role

ServiceNow Fundamentals 169


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Access Control Definition: Rule Types

table.None table.field table.*

No specific field selected - this This rule applies to only one field Wildcard – this rule applies to
rule applies to the whole table on a record and in this case, the every field on a record without a
including all of its records Caller field on an incident record table.field rule

Each Access Control specifies the table or type of record (including fields), operation being secured,
and unique object identifier.

Access Control rules are defined for and applied to a specific table so that the rule is within the
context of the table and the type of data stored.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 170


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Table Access Control Evaluation

When a session requests data, the


system looks for matching access
control rules.
Record ACL rules are processed in the
following order:
1
1. Match the object against table ACL
rules.
2 2. Match the object against field ACL
rules.

A user must pass both table and field


ACL rules to access a record object.

This processing order ensures that users gain access to more general objects before gaining access
to more specific objects.

• If a user fails a table ACL rule, the user is denied access to all fields in the table, even if the
user passes a field ACL rule.
• If a user passes a table ACL rule, but fails a field ACL rule, the user cannot access the field
described by the field ACL rule.

If there is a matching access control rule, then the system evaluates if the user has the permissions
required to access the object and operation (role, conditions, script). If an access control rule
specifies more than one permission, then the user must meet all permissions to gain access to the
object and operation. Failing any one permission check prevents the user from accessing the
matching object and operation.

If a user does not meet the permissions of the first matching rule, the system evaluates the
permissions of the next matching access control rule as specified by the access control processing
order. If the user fails to meet the permissions of any matching access control rule, the system
denies access to the requested object and operation.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 171


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
System-created Access Controls

When a custom table is created, the


1 system creates four access control rules
by default (create, delete, read, write).
A role is also created by default and
associated with the access control
rules.

2
To view the Access Controls
associated with a table:
1. Type <table name>.CONFIG
2. Select the Access Controls
tab

Access Controls are automatically created. It is very rare to have a table created with no Access
Controls. In lab 3.1, the table, u_cmdb_ui_hardware_infinity, was created. In addition to the table,
the following were created:
• u_infinity_user role
• Table Access Control Rules
• create
• delete
• read
• write

This image shows the “Default access control on u_cmdb_ci_hardware_infinity” granting create
access to users with the u_infinity_user role.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 172


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Using the Wildcard Example

itil_admin role sees:

Wildcard ACL rules reduce the amount


of rules required to control access.

Access itil_admin itil


change_request.None read read
change_request.* read
itil role sees:
change_request.type read

One of the real benefits of using the wildcard type of rule is to reduce the amount of rules required
to control access, which also results in less required maintenance.

For example, taking the same series of rules above – it could accomplish the same end results
without a wildcard rule. The role definition for the change_request.* rule grants access to all fields
except those with a specific rule (change_request.type in this example)

Without a wildcard rule, six separate rules would be required to control access. That is a significant
more amount of rules to manage, should changes be needed in the future.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 173


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 3.2:
Application and
Access Controls

As the Data Security Manager,

I want to restrict access to the


Infinity Inventory application
menu and modules and control
which fields can be updated

Time Pages
So I can ensure the integrity of
15-20m 175-181 the inventory data.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 174


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Application and Lab
Access Controls 3.2
15-20m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Update a role
• Provide application menu and module access for a specified role
• Create an Access Control rule to grant data permissions

Scenario

After much deliberation, Cloud Dimensions management have decided to limit access to
Infinity device data to only those teams actively supporting the product.

The result is a requirement to restrict access to the Infinity Inventory application menu and
modules, as well as controlling which fields the users can update.

As the system administrator, you will act upon the requirements provided by Cloud
Dimensions management to successfully secure Infinity device data.

A. Modify the Infinity Table Role


1. System Security > Users and Groups > Roles

2. Search for and open the u_infinity_user role record.

Note: This role was automatically created when the Infinity table was added to the database,
along with the creation of four table Access Control rules. All of these are optional during the
table creation process and can be avoided through settings.

3. Change the name to u_infinity_support

4. Type into the Description field: Support role for the Infinity

ServiceNow Fundamentals 175


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
5. From the Form Context Menu, select Insert.

Note: Two infinity roles now exist which will allow for access provisioning in the future:

B. Confirm and Modify Access to the Infinity Inventory


Application
1. System Definition > Application Menus.

2. Use any method to find and open the Infinity Inventory application menu.

3. Notice the value next to the Roles field, u_infinity_user:

4. Click the Edit User Roles icon (pencil) next to the Roles field:

5. Add the u_infinity_support role from Available to Selected.

6. Click the Done button.

7. Update the Application Menu record.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 176


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
C. Update the Service Desk Group
1. User Administration > Groups.

2. Locate and open the Service Desk group record.

3. Select the Roles tab, if needed, then click Edit…

4. Search for, and select the u_infinity_support role.

5. Save.

6. The Service Desk Roles list should look like this:

D. Test the Visibility Settings


1. Impersonate Rita Center.

2. Enter Infinity Inventory in the Filter navigator.

3. Confirm Rita Center cannot access the Infinity Inventory application and its
modules.

Discussion: Why is Rita unable to see the Infinity Inventory application?

4. Impersonate Kevin Edd.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 177


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
5. Locate the Infinity Inventory application menu and expand it to confirm only one
module displays:

Discussion: A module is missing from the application menu. Which one? Why?

6. Click on the Add Inventory module.

Note: Although Kevin Edd has inherited the u_infinity_support role because he is a member of
the Service Desk group, which has access to the Infinity Inventory Application, the role does not
currently have the rights for creating new data.

As a result, the Infinity New record page is blank when Kevin attempts to access it.

Access Control rules can be created to allow users with a certain role access to work with a
table’s data, but first let us update Rita and Kevin’s group permissions so Service Desk and
Infinity Customer Support group members are granted access to the application and all of its
modules.

E. Update Roles and Groups


1. As System Administrator, User Administration > Roles.

2. Locate and open the u_infinity_support record.

3. Under the Contains Roles section, click Edit…

4. Add u_infinity_user to the Contains Roles List.

5. Click Save.

Note: You have added the u_infinity_user role and its permissions under the u_infinity_support
role. This means all users with the u_infinity_support role now automatically inherits the
permissions found with u_infinity_user.

6. User Administration > Groups.

7. Open Infinity Customer Support.

8. Under Roles, click Edit…

9. Add the u_infinity_user role.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 178


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
10. Save.

11. Impersonate Rita Center.

12. Confirm the Infinity Inventory application menu is accessible and its two modules
display.

Note: Both Rita Center and Kevin Edd can now access both of the Infinity Inventory modules.
Additionally, they can now create new records and update existing ones.

F. Create an Access Control Rule


Now that the group permissions have been set and only the right groups of users can access the
application, create an Access Control rule that allows only the System Administrator to update
the Asset tag field on the Infinity record, and no other role.

1. Impersonate the System Administrator.

2. Open the User menu.

3. Next, choose Elevate Roles:

4. Select the checkbox next to security_admin:

5. Click OK.

6. Notice the page refreshes and there is now an unlocked pad icon next to your name
on the User menu:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 179


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
7. System Security > Access Control (ACL).

8. Filter the list of rules to find the four u_cmdb_ci_hardware_infinity rules.

9. Open the rule with the write operation:

10. From the Name field, select the drop-down to the right of the selected value,
Infinity [u_cmdb_ci_hardware_infinity].

11. From the drop-down, select Asset tag.

12. Open the Form Context Menu and select Insert and Stay.

13. From the Verify Security Rules window, click Continue:

14. Scroll down to the Requires role section.

15. Double click on Insert a new row…

16. Type admin and click the save icon to add the role.

17. Update.

Note: The u_cmdb_ci_hardware_infinity.asset_tag rule was created and added to the Access
Control List.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 180


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
LAB VERIFICATION
Access Control List – Infinity Rules

Test New Security Settings

As Rita Center, Infinity Inventory > Add Inventory:

Note: All fields but Asset tag and Email should be editable. These same fields would also not be
editable for existing records, for all users in Service Desk or Infinity Customer Support groups. As
system administrator, all fields on the form are editable.

With this lab, application and module access was adjusted, and an Access Control rule was
created to limit permissions to table data.

This is not an easy topic nor lab – congratulations on completing it!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 181


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

What is specified in an access control In what order are access controls


list rule? evaluated?
– Object and Operation being – Table-level: most specific to most
secured general then field-level: most
– Permissions required to access specific to most general
the object

What types of permissions can be Which object grants access to all


configured in an access control rule? table records?
– Roles – <table>.None
– Conditions Which elevated role is required
– Script that sets the answer to modify access control rules?
variable to true or false – security_admin

ServiceNow Fundamentals 182


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 3.3:
Importing Data

User Story

As the Asset Manager,

I want a simple way to import new


inventory data into ServiceNow and
update existing inventory data

So I don’t have to manually maintain


inventory items.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 183


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Importing Data: What are Import Sets?

Import Sets Data Sources Import Set Table Transform Target Table

An Import Set is a tool used to import


data from various data sources, and
CM DB
map that data into ServiceNow tables JDBC

HTTP /
FTP User

TRANSFORM
- HR Implementers may use Import Sets to EXCEL IM PORT SET Incident
copy a large number of HR Stories into the TABLE
Development instance during CSV
implementation Groups

- Security does not approve an integration XM L


with a data source vital to IT operations Location
and use Import Sets to periodically update
a significant number of records

Import Sets provide a mechanism to pull data into ServiceNow. Import Sets store data in Import Set
tables. Any user logged in with the admin or import_admin role can manage all aspects of Import
Sets.

Data Sources are records in ServiceNow that contain information regarding an Import Set data
source. You can import a file from a local source (i.e. XML, CSV, Excel) or from a network server by
providing a path and authentication information. A data source can come from a file, an LDAP
connection, or a JDBC connection.

The Import Set Table acts as a staging area for records imported from a data source.

Transform Maps provide a guide for moving data from Import Set tables to “Target” tables; field
mapping provides direct field-to-field data moves.

A Transform Map is a set of field maps that determine the relationships between fields in an Import
Set and fields in an existing ServiceNow table (such as Incidents or Users). Once defined, existing
Transform Maps can be reused for mapping data from an Import Set to a ServiceNow table. The
Transform Map Module enables an administrator to define destinations for imported data on any
ServiceNow tables. Transform mapping can be as simple as dragging and dropping to specify linking
between source fields on an Import Set table and destination fields on any ServiceNow table.

The Target Table is an existing table in where the data will be placed, post-transformation.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 184


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Import Set Table

Data Sources Import Set Table


The import set table is a staging area for
JDBC records imported from a data source

HTTP / Fields on these tables are generated


FTP automatically based on imported data

EXCEL IMPORT SET Importing Best Practices


TABLE Understand what data you are bringing in and
where it should be placed
CSV

Plan time before an import to verify your data:


XML • Remove obsolete data
• Easier to fix Inaccurate data before import

Before importing any data, it is important to understand what data you are bringing in and where
that data should go.

You should verify the data before you import it since bad data will complicate things later in the
import and transform processes. Extra time spent planning and examining data before import will
save time and potential problems later.

Data should not be imported in extremely large chunks. Creating an extremely large Import Set can
cause extensive delays. The imported file label is used to determine the name for the Import Set
table that data will be loaded into.

NOTE: It is also possible to choose an existing Import Set table to use for loading data from the
same source, or data that has the same field/column designations. When an existing Import Set
table is chosen, the table fields are added when the incoming source of data contains
fields/columns that do not exist.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 185


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Transform Maps
A transform map is a set of field maps that define the relationships
between fields in an import set table and fields on a target table

Transform Map

Table Fields Table Fields


Username First name
[username] [first_name]
Import Set First Name Last name User Table
Table [first_name] [last_name] (Target)
(Source)
Surname User ID
[last_name] [user_name]

Transform mapping is flexible; the specification can be as simple as having the application auto-
match field names from source and destination, or mapping can use advanced logic and leverage
the full power of the ServiceNow scripting environment. A single Import Set field can also be
mapped to multiple fields on a target table. Any table is a potential destination for transformation of
an Import Set, and any field within a table can serve as a potential destination for transformation
from a field within an Import Set.

Select the ServiceNow table where you want transformed data to be placed. You can select only
tables within the currently selected application scope, the global scope, or tables that grant write
access to other applications. Name and Source table are set based on the label which was assigned
to the Import Set. It is necessary to assign a target table into which the data can be transferred.

Automatic Mapping Utility: The simplest mapping method is where all of the field names of the
Import Set match the name of the fields on the Target table where the data will be transformed. In
this case, simply click Auto Map Matching Fields in the related list in the Table Transform Maps form
and confirm proper matching. If there are any discrepancies in terms of how fields were
automatically matched, these can easily be corrected using the Mapping Assist utility. When all
fields are matched properly, click Transform in the related links to begin transforming data onto the
destination table.
Mapping Assist Utility : The Mapping Assist utility provides a visually intuitive environment for
specifying mapping between Import Set fields and Target table fields. With the Mapping Assist utility
it is possible to map a single source field (field on an Import Set table) to multiple destination fields
(fields on a Target table).

ServiceNow Fundamentals 186


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Coalesce Fields

Coalescing a field (or multiple fields) means the field will be used as a unique
key during imports

If a match is found using the If a match is not found using the


coalesce field(s), the existing coalesce field(s), then a new
record will be updated with the record will be inserted into the
information being imported database

There are several possible configurations you can use to coalesce data in Import Sets:
• No coalesce: If no coalesce is defined, all imported rows are treated as new records. No
existing records are updated. If the import is executed again, duplicate records will be
created.
• Single-field coalesce: You can coalesce on a single field to update an existing record. If a
target table record exists with the same value in the coalesce field as the staging table record,
the target table record is updated using the Import Set record values.
• Multiple-field coalesce: You can coalesce on multiple fields to update an existing record. If a
target table record exists with the same values in all coalesce fields as the staging table
record, the target table record is updated using the staging table record values. All coalesce
field values between the target and staging tables must match to coalesce with multiple
fields.
• Conditional coalesce: You can use a script to determine if a staging table row should coalesce
to a target record. Most conditional coalesce scripts are defined in the source script field of a
field map for the sys_id field. To update a target record using the staging table record values,
the script must return the sys_id of the target table record.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 187


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Data Policy

A Data Policy is a rule that enforces


data consistency by setting fields as
mandatory and/or read-only.
When importing data using the easy
import, data policies which have been
configured for the table are applied.
Data Policies are applied to all data
entered into the platform; form (UI),
Import Sets, or Web Services.

A Data Policy enforces requirements on field and record data when the data is imported into
ServiceNow or when the data in an Import Set is submitted through an external system. Data
Policies can be opted out for Web Services and Import Sets. A Data Policy is used to set mandatory
and read-only states on form fields. Data Policies can be used on lists to make a field read-only; the
field will appear to be editable, but the update will fail.

The purpose of a Data Policy is to standardize the same data across ServiceNow applications.

NOTE: Data Policies are not about security, they are about managing the integrity of the information
stored in the database.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 188


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 3.3:
Import Sets

As the Asset Manager,

I want a simple way to import


new inventory data into
ServiceNow and update
existing inventory data

So I don’t have to manually


Time Pages maintain inventory items.
20-25m 190-198

ServiceNow Fundamentals 189


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Import Data from Excel Lab
3.3
20-25m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Modify a list layout as preparation
• Create an Import Set Table and Transform Map
• Transform multiple imports
• Clean up import data

Lab Dependency: Requires the completion of Lab 3.1

Scenario

In this lab, you will use Import Sets to load data that has been collected outside of ServiceNow
into the Infinity table.

The data will represent asset registration by Cloud Dimensions employees and partners, and
include information about the user and their registered Infinity device.

This lab has three parts:


1. An initial load, with all of the foundational work required.
2. An incremental load.
3. A data cleanup.

In the initial load, you will:


• Gather Excel data files
• Organize a list layout for the Infinity table
• Create a new Import Set by importing data from an Excel spreadsheet to a staging table,
then validate the data
• Create a Transform Map based on the staging table: use automapping and mapping
assist to establish the mapping between the source and the target tables
• Complete the transform and verify the resulting data

ServiceNow Fundamentals 190


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
In the incremental load, you will:
• Upload a second Excel spreadsheet, reusing the staging table and Transform Map
• Identify a coalesce (key) field to ensure that existing records are updated from the new
imported data and not duplicated

In the data cleanup, you will clean up the Import Set Table’s data.

Part 1 - Initial Data Load

A. Gather Excel (.xlsx) data for lab


1. Download the two Infinity Excel Knowledge files: infinity-data.xlsx and infinity-
updates.xlsx and save them to your desktop.

2. Open both the infinity-data.xlsx and infinity-updates.xlsx files to review their


contents; columns, fields, and data types.

B. Modify the Infinity All Devices List Layout


Modify the Infinity All Devices list layout to ensure we can clearly examine the new records
after they are imported into ServiceNow.

1. As the System Administrator, navigate to Infinity Inventory > All Devices.

2. Open the Column Context Menu from any field, then select Configure > List Layout:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 191


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. Using the slushbucket, organize the Selected field list to include the following fields
in the order seen here:

4. Click Save.

5. Your All Devices list header should look like this:

C. Create a New Import Set


1. System Import Sets > Load Data.

Note: The following steps (process) can be completed by any user with the role import_admin
or import_set_loader and import_transformer.

2. Populate the Import Set form:

Import set table: Create table (auto selected)


Label: Infinity Imports
Name: u_infinity_imports (automatically populates)
Source of the import: File (auto selected)
File: Choose file, then select infinity-data.xlsx

3. Click Submit.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 192


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
4. Review the Progress screen, you should see 7 inserts:

D. Validate Data in Import Set


1. To verify the data in the new Import Set, in the Next Steps… section of the Progress
screen, click the Loaded data link:

2. Confirm the seven Infinity Imports records loaded correctly:

Note: You may notice the records in a different order than above.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 193


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
E. Create Transform Map
1. System Import Sets > Create Transform Map.

2. Fill out the form as shown:

Name: Infinity Assets


Source table: Infinity Imports [u_infinity_imports]
Target table: Infinity [u_cmdb_ci_hardware_infinity]

3. Save.

4. Scroll to Related Links, then click Auto Map Matching Fields.

Note: A verification message displays at the top of your form.

5. Verify that four fields auto mapped: Name, Device Number, Device Version, and
Support Group:

Note: Your field order may be different.

6. In the Related Links list, click Mapping Assist.

7. From the Source: Infinity Imports staging table, move Device Owner and Owner
Location into the Field Map.

8. From the Target: Infinity table, move the Owned by, and Location into the Field
Map:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 194


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
9. Click the Save button, then verify that there are now six mapped fields: Name,
Device Number, Device Version, Support Group, Owned by, and Location.

F. Run the Transform


1. From Related Links of the Infinity Assets Transform Map, click Transform.

2. Verify the Infinity Assets – u_cmdb_ci_hardware_infinity map is selected.

3. Click the Transform button.

4. The Progress screen displays the transformation confirmation messages:

G. Verify Infinity Inventory import


1. Infinity Inventory > All Devices.

2. Your screen should show seven total records.

Part 2 - Incremental Data Load


Using the existing import set table (Infinity Imports) and existing transform map, you will load
additional data from the infinity-updates.xlsx file.

A. Upload the Data


1. System Import Sets > Load Data.

2. For Import set table, select the Existing table radio button.

3. Fill out the form as shown:

Import set table: Infinity Imports [u_infinity_imports]


Source of the import: File (auto selected)
File: Choose file, then select infinity-updates.xlsx

ServiceNow Fundamentals 195


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
4. Click Submit.

5. You should see 19 inserts.

Note: The import of the Infinity data to the staging table is complete, but you are not ready to
run the transform yet because you need to add a coalesce. Rather, you should tell the system
what the key field is to ensure that existing records are updated rather than adding duplicate
records by the imported data.

B. Define the Coalesce Field


1. System Import Sets > Administration > Transform Maps.

2. Open the Infinity Assets Transform Map.

3. Scroll to the Field Maps Related Links.

The device number (u_device_number) field seems to be the best candidate as the
coalesce because it will contain a unique value. If a match is found for the value of
this field, then the record will be updated instead of creating a new record.

4. From the u_device_number row, in the Coalesce column, double-click the word
false, then select true from the list:

5. Click Save (green checkmark) to update the value to true.

Note: A system message displays at the top of the form.

C. Prepare and Run the Transform


1. Under the Related Lists section, click the Transform link.

2. In the Selected maps box, verify you are using the correct Transform Map: Infinity
Assets – u_cmdb_ci_hardware_infinity

3. Click the Transform button.

4. Verify the transformation complete message.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 196


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
D. Verify Infinity Inventory Import Updates
1. Infinity Inventory > All Devices.

2. There are 19 total records that show.

Note: Notice that some of the records have an updated time from the initial upload (infinity-
data.xlsx) and some have an updated time from the incremental upload (infinity-updates.xlsx).

Also notice that in the infinity-updates.xlsx spreadsheet, in record CDE0100102, there was no
Owner Location information. Compare this to the same record in the infinity-data.xlsx
spreadsheet, which had Owner Location information.

If you had Copy empty fields checked and active in the Transform Map, it would have removed
the location data for this record. Since Copy empty fields was not active, the data from the
original import still remains in the table.

Part 3 – Clean up Import Set Tables

1. System Import Sets > Import Set Tables > Cleanup.

2. Add the Infinity Imports [u_infinity_imports] table to the Delete these tables box.

3. The checkbox for Delete related transform maps should be unchecked.

4. The checkbox for Delete data only (preserve table structure) should be selected.

Note: This will remove the data collected in the Infinity Imports staging table.

5. Click the Cleanup button – you should see a Cleanup completed verification message
and actions taken displayed in an Import Log.

Note: If you wanted to delete the Import Set table and any reference to it, including the Infinity
Assets Transform Map, you would have checked the Delete related transform maps checkbox

ServiceNow Fundamentals 197


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab Verification
Transform Map

Imported Infinity Inventory Data

Congratulations on completing the Import Sets lab!

Because of you, Cloud Dimensions has visibility of the current inventory


previously stored in the legacy system – way to go!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 198


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

Which module is used as the first Which option allows you to update
step for importing data? existing target table records when
– Load Data importing data from an import set?
– Coalesce

What are the steps for importing Which tool is used to determine
data using an import set? relationships between fields in an
– Load the data import set and an existing table?
– Create a transform map – Transform Map
– Transform the data
– Clean up the import table

ServiceNow Fundamentals 199


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 3.4:
CMDB

User Story

As the Asset Manager,

I want a way to track the Infinity


devices and their relationships with
other configuration items

So I can understand the impact of


adding the assets to our existing
infrastructure.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 200


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The CMDB and Configuration Items

CMDB Configuration Items


The Configuration Management Database is Configuration Items can be tangible or intangible
a series of tables and fields that contain all devices or applications in the CMDB such as firewalls,
of the Configuration Items (CIs) controlled computers, email services, and business services
by your company, as well as their attributes
and relationships Computers Devices on the network

Access to the CMDB tables and underlying


data requires certain permissions, such as
the following roles:
• asset
Applications Business services
• itil
• itil_admin

The Configuration Application provides core functionality for the Configuration Management
Database (CMDB), including modules for hardware and other configuration items. This functionality
is part of the CMDB plugin, which is activated in a base install.

ServiceNow provides a logical model of your company infrastructure by identifying, controlling,


maintaining, and verifying the configuration items (CIs) that exist.

A configuration item is any component that needs to be managed in order to deliver services. CIs
typically include business services and their underlying components, such as business applications
and hardware.

ServiceNow's CMDB, in contrast to a static list, not only tracks the CIs within your platform, but also
the relationships between those items.

Two key CMDB tables are Configuration Item [cmdb_ci] which contains CI data, and CI Relationship
[cmdb_rel_ci] which contains CI relationship data.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 201


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Configuration Item Form

Toggle between CI
Health Dashboard view
and Form view

CI Attributes

Related Items toolbar

Relationships
to other CIs

Click the reference icon (i) to the right of the Configuration item field to be redirected to the
selected configuration item record in ServiceNow.

A CI record contains all of the relevant attribute data about an item such as name, version,
descriptions, ownership, etc., which are documented in fields on the form.

Toggle between the CI Health Dashboard view and the form view using the options in the form title
bar.

The form also contains information about the relationships between items. Search for configuration
items, add new relationships, view the CI Map, or adjust the relationship view settings using the
options in the Related Items toolbar.

ServiceNow relationship rules use separate tables to define the relationships between specific CI
base classes and dependent classes. When you extend a table in the CMDB, you must create a new
relationship rule in Configuration > Relationships > Suggested Relationships.

You can view relationships between the current item and other items. An advanced feature is the
Related List in configuration item records which displays additional components.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 202


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Service Processes: Using the CMDB

Service Processes Benefits


Request Change Problem Incident
Typically in businesses, a high
percentage of incidents are
caused by failed changes

The ServiceNow Database Benefits of having an accurate


and up-to-date CMDB include:
Request
• Locating failed changes and
Change Servers
associated incidents
Problem Network Devices
• Facilitating quick analysis of
Incident Hardware
Extended Table Extended Table impact, helping reduce or
Task Table CMDB CI Table eliminate downtime
Parent Table Parent Table
Field: Configuration Item Field: Configuration Item

The Configuration Management Database is a repository of information related to all of the


components of an information system. Although repositories similar to CMDBs have been used for
years in IT, the origin of the CMDB stems from the Information Technology Infrastructure Library
(ITIL). CMDBs help monitor and discover what system components are needed for effective and
efficient business processes and IT service management.

All service management processes relate to and involve the CMDB. For example: someone calls with
an issue, and you want to do a root cause analysis, the CMDB gives you insights to effectively
troubleshoot.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 203


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CI Relationship Editor

The CI relationship editor


uses a concept of suggested
relationships to help users
see reasonable relationships
between configuration items

Examples:
• A database runs on a server
• A rack provides power for a
server

Use the CI relationship editor to create configuration item relationships. It is accessed from the
Related Items toolbar on a configuration item form.

When you use the relationship editor, the CI record which the editor was launched is designated as
the base configuration item. You can then select one or more items to include in the relationship.
Depending on the selected relationship type, the base CI can become the parent CI or the child CI in
a new relationship.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 204


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Configuration Items: Dependency View

Dependency Views graphically display an infrastructure view for a configuration


item and the business services that it is part of and that it supports

Dependency Views indicate the status of configuration items, and allow access to the CI's
related alerts, incidents, problems, changes, and business services

The Dependency View mapping interface is powered by D3 and Angular technology, providing a
modern interactive graphical interface to visualize configuration items and their relationships.

Use the Dependency View to view other configuration items “upstream” that feed data into an
email service, for example, and then “downstream,” where you can view all of the other items that
the email service is dependent on.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 205


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Dependency View: Map Icons

Hover over
connection line Icons: View lists of active
to view the problem, incident, or
current change records for this CI
relationship

Right-click on
CI icon to
view menu
options

In a Dependency View, icons and glyphs indicate whether a CI has an active, pending issue. You can
investigate the tasks that are connected to a configuration item to get more details. The map
collapses and expands clusters to make them easier to view.

Understanding the dependencies and other relationships among configuration items will enhance
the operational delivery of incident, change, and problem management processes.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 206


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 3.4:
CMDB

As the Asset Manager,

I want a way to track the


Infinity devices and their
relationships with other
configuration items

So I can understand the


impact of adding the assets
Time Pages to our existing infrastructure.
10-15m 208-213

ServiceNow Fundamentals 207


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Configuration Management Lab
Database (CMDB) 3.4
10-15m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Create a new CI class in the CMDB
• Define CI relationships

Scenario

All Infinity devices rely upon a media server, to process and stream data, which will require
tracking in the CMDB.

The media server can be categorized under the existing CI Server Class.

With both the Infinity and media server being tracked in the CMDB, a relationship between the
two CI Classes will be established – this relationship could be used by Cloud Dimensions to
potentially identify an impact of a change mangement request or outage.

A. Explore the CI Class Manager


To begin, explore the CI Class Manager interface. The CI Class Manager displays the entire CI
Class hierarchy in a tree-view format, consolidating class definitions into a central location. It
enables an easier method for viewing, modifying, or extending CI Classes.

A CI Class represents a type of Configuration Item or essentially a table collecting certain data,
such as Applications, Computers, Printers, Servers, etc.

In the last lab, a new CI Class was defined for the Infinity – categorizing it as a Hardware CI
because of the cmdb_ci_hardware table extension.

1. Impersonate Darrel Tork.

Note: This user is the Configuration Manager of Cloud Dimensions. They were provided the itil
role, in order to access the CI Class Manager. If your company does not have a Configuration
Manager, this responsibility could fall onto the system administrator.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 208


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2. Navigate to Configuration > CI Class Manager.

3. Select the Hierachy button:

4. From the CI Classes menu, scroll down to locate and expand the Hardware section,
to find the Infinity class:

Note: This confirms that the Infinity table and its consequential data records are tracked in the
CMDB, even though they are accessed from their own application menu and respective
modules.

B. Add a New Infinity Device to the CMDB


Unlike existing CI Classes, the CI Relationships section is not visible on the new Infinity CI Class.
The form needs to be configured to display this section

1. Infinity Inventory > Add Inventory.

2. From the Form Context Menu select Configure > Form Layout.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 209


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. Scroll down the list of Available fields to locate CI Relations:

Note: This field displays after the alphabetically sorted list of available fields, as it is a formatter
rather than a standard field. It will not display on the form layout until the record has been
saved.

4. Add the CI Relations field to the bottom of the Selected list.

5. Select the Save button.

6. Fill out the Infinity New Record form as shown:

Device Number: CDE0100999


Name: Infinity Beta Prototype
Device Version: BP01
Support Group: Service Desk
Installed: [today’s current date and time]
Owned by: Darrel Tork
Email: darrel.tork@cloudd.com (auto-fills)

7. Submit.

C. Create a New Suggested CI Relationship


Switching back to system administrator, you will create a new suggested CI relationship
between Infinity and the Infinity Media Server, using the Infinity record created by Darrel.

The Infinity Media Server is responsible for sending content to Infinity devices.

With a CI relationship defined, tools like the CI dependency view can be used by Infinity
Support agents to identify the level of impact when issues occur.

1. Impersonate System Administrator.

2. Configuration > Relationships > Suggested Relationships.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 210


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. Select New.

4. Fill out the form as shown:

Base class: Infinity


Relationship: Receives data from (parent)
Dependent class: Server

5. Submit.

6. Configuration > Servers > All.

7. New.

8. Name: Infinity Media Server.

9. Save.

10. Scroll down to the Related Items section, and select the Add CI relationship icon:

11. In the Suggested relationship types field, select * Sends data to (Child)...

12. From the Configuration Items section, use the Updated field to sort the records by
last updated.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 211


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
13. Use the checkbox to select the Infinity Beta Prototype record:

Note: While only the Sends data to (Child) relationship was created, suggested relationships
also accounts for the converse relationship: Receives data from (Parent).

14. Scroll down to the Relationships section and add Infinity Media Server by selecting
the Create new relationships icon (+).

15. Select the Save and Exit button.

16. A Save Confirmation pop-up message may display. Select OK.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 212


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
LAB VERIFICATION
New Infinity Media Server CI and Relationships

1. Infinity Inventory > All Devices.

2. Locate and open the Infinity Beta Prototype record: CDE0100999.

3. Verify the Related Items section looks like this:

4. Open the Dependency View by Selecting the Show dependency views icon from
the Related Items toolbar:

5. The Infinity Testing Device Dependency View displays in a new browser


tab/window:

Note: This displays an example relationship between the Infinity device and Infinity Media
Server CI Classes.

Excellent work! You have learned how to create a new CI class, add a CI to the CMDB, and use
Suggested Relationships to create relationships between configuration items!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 213


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

What is defined as a series of tables Which ServiceNow product can be


containing assets and business used to populate the CMDB?
services controlled by a company? – Discovery
– Configuration Management
Database (CMDB)

What is a CI? What are the three key tables in the


– Configuration Item CMDB?
– Can be tangible (hardware, – cmdb
software, servers, etc.) or – cmdb_ci
intangible (business services, – cmdb_rel_ci
email, etc.)

ServiceNow Fundamentals 214


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Module 4: Self-Service and Process Automation
User Interface and Navigation Module Objectives
• Create a knowledge base article by importing a Word document
Collaboration
• Explain how to locate the articles needing approval
Database Administration
• Define, apply, and test user criteria on a knowledge base
Self-Service and Automation

Introduction to Development

Capstone Project

Labs and Activities


• Lab 4.1: Knowledge Management
• Lab 4.2: Create a Catalog Item
• Lab 4.3: Create a Flow Designer Flow

ServiceNow Fundamentals 215


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 4.1:
Knowledge Management

User Story

As the Knowledge Manager,

I want to be able to publish knowledge


articles visible to only Cloud
Dimensions employees,

So I can advertise Infinity employee


testing opportunities and guidelines to
Cloud Dimensions employees.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 216


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What is Knowledge Management?

Real World Use Cases


Knowledge Management allows users to
create, categorize, review, approve, and - HR administrators can limit access to
browse important information in a Knowledge articles with User Criteria, for
centralized location that is shared by the example Benefits for EMEA employees are
entire organization. only visible to employees who reside in EMEA
- Include HR policies, calendars, and detailed
Knowledge content exists within a
instructions for reporting violations to reduce
Knowledge Base, which is managed by security cases
one or more Knowledge Managers.
- In conjunction with Event Management,
Administrators and those with the Knowledge Base articles containing resolution
knowledge_admin role have the ability instructions can be generated from Events to
to manage multiple Knowledge Bases. fix an issue with a CI

With Knowledge Management, each organization can have their own Knowledge Base (KB) with
flexible controls over who can see the information and who can help develop its content.

To view knowledge content, navigate to Self-Service > Knowledge to displays knowledge articles
organized by Knowledge Base and Category, as well as Featured Content, and popular articles (Most
Useful and Most Viewed).

From the Knowledge homepage you can browse or search for articles, sorting by relevancy, most
recently updated, and the number of views.

Once an article has a category and is accessible in the knowledge base, there are a number of
features that allow the organization’s users to provide their feedback whether adding comments
to the article or flagging it, which will bring the article to the attention of the KB contributors.

Some ServiceNow applications, such as Incident, allow contextual searching of Knowledge Base
content. This gives users the ability to troubleshoot their issue before submitting an incident by
displaying potential relevant articles.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 217


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Base Architecture
The Knowledge homepage displays knowledge articles and social questions (Q&A)
organized by Knowledge Base and Category

IT Knowledge Base

From the homepage, users with the correct permissions can import a Word document to a
Knowledge Base using the Import Articles button, create a new article using the Create an Article
button, or ask a question using the Post a Question button.

Administrators can create multiple Knowledge Bases and assign them to individual managers
responsible for controlling the behavior and organizational scheme of each Knowledge Base. Every
Knowledge Base can have unique lifecycle workflows, user criteria, category structures, and
management assignments.

Category Hierarchy:
• Knowledge articles within a Knowledge Base can be grouped by category
• Category groups can help you define the Knowledge Base taxonomy, and can help users find
articles within a Knowledge Base
• Knowledge Managers can define knowledge categories to pre-populate the list of available
categories, and knowledge contributors can select categories, and add or edit categories, if
enabled, for a Knowledge Base

ServiceNow Fundamentals 218


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Base: Import a Word document

To import a Word document into


the Knowledge base:
1. Navigate to Knowledge >
Articles > Import Articles
2. Select the Knowledge Base
3. Select the Category*
4. Check the Publish check box*
5. Add the Word file (drag and
drop or browse for the file)
6. Click Import

When importing a Word document, the following styles and elements are preserved:
• Titles
• Headings
• Images (Images may not be aligned exactly as in the Word document you import)
• Links
• Bold text
• Italic text
• Underlined text
• Ordered and unordered lists
• Tables

*Optional steps. Check the Publish check box to initiate the publishing workflow after the import
completes.

NOTE: If the publish checkbox is not visible, the system administrator will need to modify a system
property. To show the Publish check box, navigate to Knowledge > Administration > Properties and
activate the Show publish checkbox on the knowledge import pop-up property.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 219


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Base: Workflows

The publishing and retirement processes for a knowledge article are controlled by workflows
defined for the Knowledge Base that the article belongs to.

You can assign different workflows


to each Knowledge Base.

You can use one of the default


workflows, or create your own
Approval workflow to define custom
Publish publishing and retirement processes
Workflow for different types of knowledge.

The Knowledge Base workflows available in the ServiceNow baseline instance include:
• Knowledge – Approval Publish: Requests approval from a manager of the Knowledge Base
before moving the article to the published state. The workflow is canceled and the article
remains in the draft state if any manager rejects the request.
• Knowledge – Approval Retire: Requests approval from a manager of the Knowledge Base
before moving the article to the retired state. The workflow is canceled and the article
remains in the published state if any manager rejects the request.
• Knowledge – Instant Publish: Immediately publishes a draft article without requiring an
approval.
• Knowledge – Instant Retire: Immediately retires a published article without requiring an
approval.
• Knowledge – Publish Knowledge: A subflow that moves the knowledge article to the
published state. You can use this subflow when defining your own workflow.
• Knowledge – Retire Knowledge: Moves a knowledge article to the retired state.

NOTE: This is only a selection of the base instance workflows to choose from, as designed for
Knowledge Base management.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 220


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Security: User Criteria

User Criteria defines conditions that are evaluated against users to determine
which users can create, read, write, and retire knowledge articles

You can apply several


user criteria records to
knowledge content

User Criteria is applied at


the Knowledge Base level

Knowledge bases use user criteria records to determine which sets of users can read or contribute
knowledge within that Knowledge Base. If a Knowledge Base has no user criteria selected, articles
within that Knowledge Base are available to all users.

User Criteria outcomes include:


• canRead: users who can read all Knowledge Base articles
• cantRead: users who cannot read, create, or modify articles in the Knowledge Base
• canContribute: users who can read, create, and modify articles in the Knowledge Base
• cantContribute: users who cannot create or modify articles in the Knowledge Base

To implement user criteria, navigate to Knowledge > Knowledge Bases and select a knowledge
base. User Criteria records are accessed from the Can read or Can contribute related lists.

When creating user criteria, the Match All check box to determine whether all elements from each
populated criteria field must match. If selected, only users who match all criteria are given access. If
cleared, the user must meet one or more of the set criteria to be given access. By default, this check
box is cleared so that any condition met provides a match.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 221


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Virtual Agent
Virtual Agent is a conversational bot platform that
provides assistance to help users obtain information,
make decisions, and perform common work tasks

This includes information stored in the Knowledge


Base, Service Catalog, and more

At any time, users have the option to switch to speak


with a human agent for assistance, making sure they
receive the help they need

Explore more of Virtual Agent with


the ITSM Saba Learning Module

The biggest benefit to implementing a virtual agent is so your users can get immediate help, day or
night.

Offer a personalized customer experience with a virtual agent by automating typical Tier 1 support
tasks to be accomplished, including:
• Answering FAQs
• Providing tutorial (“how to”) information
• Querying or updating records – for example: get the status on cases or incidents
• Gathering data, such as attachments, for the agent
• Performing diagnostics
• Resolving multi-step problems

Virtual Agent offers a web-based interface available for Service Portal, iOS and Android mobile
environments, and also supports third-party messaging applications through ServiceNow adapters
for Slack and Microsoft Teams.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 222


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 4.1:
Knowledge
Management

As the Knowledge Manager,

I want to be able to publish


knowledge articles visible to
only Cloud Dimensions
employees,

So I can advertise Infinity


Time Pages employee testing opportunities
10-15m 224-230 and guidelines to Cloud
Dimensions employees.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 223


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Knowledge Management
4.1
10-15m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Create a knowledge base article by importing a Word document
• Approve the article for publishing
• Define, apply, and test user criteria on the knowledge base

Scenario

After a few positive rounds of Infinity testing, the product has been greatly improved and the
testing audience is ready to be expanded to include interested Cloud Dimensions employees.

Working with members of the Human Resources group, the Infinity testing coordinator will
provide guidelines for enrolling in Infinity testing to be published in the HR knowledge base.

Appropriate members of the HR group will be granted the appropriate authoring permissions
by the system administrator so that they may create, review, and publish articles.

The system administrator will assist with ensuring the article remains secure and accessible
only by Cloud Dimensions employees.

Required Resource(s): Infinity_Open_Enrollment.docx

A. Assign Role to Knowledge Manager


1. As the system administrator, navigate to User Administration > Users.

2. Locate Jasmin Gum, a member of the Human Resources group, and open the user
record.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 224


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. In the Roles tab (under Related Links), click Edit…

4. Using the slushbucket, move the knowledge manager role to the Roles List by
double-clicking on the role.

5. Click Save.

B. Create a new IT Knowledge Base Article


1. Impersonate Jasmin Gum.

2. Navigate to Knowledge > Import Articles.

3. Fill out the form as follows:

1) Knowledge Base: Human Resources

2) Category: [leave empty]

3) Click the Browse Files button and browse your computer for the
Infinity_Open_Enrollment.docx file

4) Double-click the file name or highlight the file name and select Open.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 225


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
5) Click the Import button

1 2

4. Click Continue in the Uploading Knowledge Articles dialog box.

Note: Multiple files can be imported when you drag and drop multiple files into the Import a
Word File box.

The Short Description is the same as the file name of the imported Word document.

5. Click on the knowledge article link in the Import Completed dialog box.

Note: The knowledge base article opens in a new tab.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 226


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
6. Click the Edit button from the header.

7. Click the Publish button.

Note: The default publish workflow for the Human Resources Knowledge Base is Knowledge –
Approval Publish. This means after an author clicks the Publish button on their article, it goes
into a Review state. Other users with the correct permissions can view the article and determine
if any changes are needed before approving and publishing the article.

8. Close the current tab.

C. Approve the Article for Publishing


1. Impersonate Gracie Ehn, manager of Jasmin Gum and Knowledge Manager to the
Human Resources Knowledge Base.

Note: Gracie Ehn is also a member of Human Resources and acts as the review board for new
content submitted to be published.

2. Navigate to Service Desk > My Approvals.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 227


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. Locate the requested approval record and click the Requested link:

4. Scroll down to see a summary of the item being approved.

5. Assume the content looks good, then click Approve from the form header:

6. Navigate to Self-Service > Knowledge.

7. Open the Human Resources Knowledge Base to confirm the article appears:

D. Create and Apply User Criteria


The Human Resources Knowledge Base is currently public to all users that log into the Cloud
Dimensions instance and access the Self-Service > Knowledge module.

The system administrator will create user criteria and apply it to the Knowledge Base to
appropriately control who can view the content.

1. Impersonate System Administrator.

2. Knowledge > Administration > User Criteria.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 228


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. New.

4. Fill in the form as follows:

Name: Cloud Dimensions Employees


Companies: Cloud Dimensions

Note: To select Cloud Dimensions, click on the Unlock Companies (padlock) icon, type cloud,
select Cloud Dimensions, and click on the Lock Companies (open padlock) icon.

5. Submit.

6. Knowledge > Administration > Knowledge Bases.

7. Open the Human Resources record.

8. Scroll down and click the Can Read tab:

9. Click Edit…

10. Add Cloud Dimensions Employees to the Can Read List.

11. Save.

E. Test User Criteria


1. Impersonate Jon Floyd.

Note: Remember, Jon Floyd works for a partner company of Cloud Dimensions. We will use his
user account to verify the Human Resources Knowledge Base is unavailable to access because
of the user criteria applied to it.

2. Self-Service > Knowledge.

3. Verify the Human Resources Knowledge Base is not visible.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 229


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab Verification
Human Resource Knowledge Base Article

User Criteria – Employee Perspective

User Criteria – Non-Employee Perspective

Add another feather to your cap – you have learned how easy it is to import Word articles
into a ServiceNow database!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 230


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

What is the module used to import Word What tool controls the publishing
documents as articles? and retiring process for knowledge
– Knowledge > Articles > Import Articles articles?
What access does a user need to be able – Workflows
to import articles to a knowledge base?
– Can contribute

Which module is used to view What is used to determine user


knowledge content by category? access to knowledge bases or a
– Self Service > Knowledge knowledge article?
Which role can manage multiple – User Criteria
knowledge bases?
– knowledge_admin

ServiceNow Fundamentals 231


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 4.2:
Service Catalog

User Story

As the Asset Manager,

I want a simple way for employees to


order an Infinity device through our
service portal

So I can track orders and inventory in


one convenient location.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 232


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What is Service Catalog?

Service Catalog
The Service Catalog is a robust ordering
system for services and products offered
by various departments for users:

• Categories organize catalog items


• “One stop shopping” offered to users
• Access to the Service Desk
• Help and Training Portal
• Multiple catalogs are supported

The Service Catalog lets users see a list of things they may need (to create a request for) or would
like to have – usually, but not limited to: IT products and services. Administrators and users with one
of the various catalog roles can define catalog items, including formatted descriptions, photos, and
prices.

Categories define the organization for Service Catalog items. Categories organize service catalog
items into logical groups. Categories can have a parent-child relationship, such as IT and Laptops. A
child category is a subcategory of its parent category. Each Catalog Item, Order Guide, Record
Producer, Content Item, and subcategory appears as a single item within the category.

The ServiceNow platform supports multiple Service Catalogs. Users with the admin or
catalog_admin role can manage multiple Service Catalogs and provide services to different teams
within the organization. Examples include: IT Services, Human Resources, and Facilities
Management. Views can be defined for groups that view a Catalog, and Catalog Items can be shared
by multiple catalogs. This results in the ability to dynamically control the ordering options from user
to user.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 233


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Service Catalog Major Components

Items Record Producers


Items are the building blocks of the Service Catalog, Record Producers are a form that produces a task record
including:
• Hardware Order Guides
• Software
• Services Order Guides assist customers in ordering a complete
set of needed items and help users identify the item
relationships
Variables
Variables provide questions to help the requester Flows
specify what item, option, or service to order
Flows run behind the scenes and communicate the
stages of the approval process to the requester, as
Variable Sets well as drive the request fulfillment
Variable Sets are a modular unit of variables that can
be shared between catalog items

Items: In the Service Catalog, users locate a category for an item or service they want to order, and
then click the subcategory link.

Variables: Provide options gather specific information related to the customer's needs. Questions
that define item options can be added to ask the end user ordering the catalog item. Variables can
affect the order price. Service Catalog variables are flagged as "Global" by default and will display in
all the execution tasks of a requested item. A variable is defined once and can be used in multiple
places. The Service Catalog allows you to attach individual variables to a catalog item, or multiple
variables collected in a Variable Set.

Record Producer: An interface used as an alternative to lists and forms. Each Record Producer
focuses on a specific process or task and can be used anywhere in the ServiceNow platform. In the
Service Catalog, Record Producers are presented in categories along with catalog items. Users can
use Record Producers to create an incident, request an emergency change, and more. This enables
the Service Catalog to be used as a complete front-end UI.

Order Guides: Order Guides provide the ability to order multiple, related items as one request.
Questions can be used to present item options, and present users with only relevant questions and
choices at the appropriate time in the ordering process.

Flows: When you create a new service catalog item, you can create a new corresponding flow at the
same time. This flow is used to drive complex fulfillment processes and can send notifications to
defined users or groups.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 234


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Service Catalog Items and Variables

To create a new item or modify an existing item, navigate Variables


to Service Catalog > Catalog Definitions > Maintain Items • Global by default
• Define the questions to ask
the end user ordering the
catalog item
• Question choices can define
the available options and
may affect the order price

Examples:
• Which monitor size?
• Who is the hiring manager?
Once an item is published to the Service Catalog, users • What is the budget code?
will be able to order it

Service Catalog variables are global by default and provide options to tailor a catalog item to the
customer's needs. For example, a computer may be available with different operating systems.

The Service Catalog lets you attach variables either to a catalog item or to an execution plan.

Common Variable Types


• Multiple Choice: Creates radio buttons for user-defined question choices.
• Select Box: Creates a choice list of user-defined question choices.
• Single Line Text: Creates a single-line text input field.
• Reference: Specifies a record in another table, similar to a reference field.
• Checkbox: Creates a checkbox that may be selected or cleared; list checkboxes in order
under a label to create an options question.

Functionally, a Variable Set is just a container, so it has only two fields: Name and Description. From
the Application Navigator, select Service Catalog > Catalog Variables > Variable Sets, and create a
new variable set. After you save the variable set, you will get a Related List at the bottom where you
can add as many variables as you want.

Used by items and variables, the Order field establishes the sequence for displaying information. For
example, an item with 100 in the Order field, displays first in the list. An item with 200 in the Order
field will display second.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 235


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Record Producers
Record Producers appear as simplified forms, allowing users to provide information that is
translated into task-based records being added or modified in the database

- When employees use the Service Catalog


on the HR Service Portal to submit a
request for Direct Deposit setup, a record
producer transfers the request into an HR
case
- Incident management may use a record
producer for users who need to open an
incident easily via the web
- Facilities management uses a record
producer for users to open requests for
printer service

A Record Producer focuses on a specific process or task and can be used anywhere in the
ServiceNow platform. In the Service Catalog, Record Producers are presented in categories along
with catalog items where each table has its own record-identifying designation.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 236


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order Guides

Define an Order Guide to assist customers in


ordering a complete set of needed items and Order Guide
to help users see item relationships What do you need?
X Option 1
Questions can be used to present item options:
present users with only relevant questions and X Option 2
choices at the appropriate time in the ordering Option 3
process

RITM# RITM#
Request Item Request Item

SCTASK# SCTASK#
Catalog Task Catalog Task

SCTASK#
Catalog Task

Items are the building blocks of the Service Catalog. Once you have built a complete item with
variables and a delivery workflow, you can do a number of things with it, such as add it to an Order
Guide.

Order Guides provide the ability to order multiple, related items as one request. Remember that
variables are presented by the Order field number.

Use an Order Guide to assist users in determining what items they need.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 237


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Service Catalog Item Request Output

Service Catalog

REQ#
Summary of order, Request State
Request

RITM# RITM#
Item Ordered, Quantity, Stage
Request Item Request Item

SCTASK# SCTASK# What to do, Assignment Group,


Catalog Task Catalog Task Assigned to, Task State, Work Notes

SCTASK# SCTASK#
Catalog Task Catalog Task

For Catalog Items, a request, an item, and a task are all created when an order is placed, each on a
corresponding table:

REQ# Request [sc_request] table: A request number generated to keep track of an order.

RITM# Requested Item [sc_req_item] table: Within a request generated from a catalog order, each
discrete item ordered is given a specific “Requested Item Number” known as an RITM (number).

SCTASK# Catalog Task [sc_task] table: In the Catalog Tasks section for an ordered item, the different
tasks display for what has to be done to get the item ready for delivery to the user, for example: the
Assignment group, the Due date, Work start, and Work end dates.

In this example, a manager orders two new computers for the team.

The first requested item is a desktop computer with two catalog tasks associated to it: order
equipment and configure equipment.

The second requested item is a laptop computer with two catalog tasks associated to it: order
equipment and configure equipment.

Although the requested items share similarly named catalog tasks, these tasks are tied directly to
their respective item because the required steps for completion may be different from item to item.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 238


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Progress Stages for a Requested Item

While viewing the requested item, you can expand the workflow stages which provide
summary-level feedback about the progress or state of an item in the delivery process

After an request has been submitted, users are able to easily track it by navigating to Self-Service >
My Requests and opening the record associated with the request.

Workflows attached to an item may indicate the progress or state of an item in the delivery process
with one of the following stages:
• Waiting for approval (In Progress)
• Approved
• Pending (has not started)
• Fulfillment (In Progress)
• Deployment/Delivery
• Completed

Additionally, workflows can have multiple rounds of approval actions as it relates to Service Catalog
requests. Each approval action can share the same stage value or their own separate stages.

Stages can be grouped into a Stage Set for convenience of applying related stage values from
workflow to workflow.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 239


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Service Catalog Security: User Criteria

User Criteria defines conditions that are evaluated against users to determine
which users can access Service Catalog items.

You can apply several user


criteria records to a single
catalog item or category.

User Criteria is applied to


an item or category.

To apply user criteria to an item or category, open the respective record and navigate to the
Available For or Not Available For related lists.

NOTE: These related lists are not on the form by default and must be added by configuring the form.

Next, click Edit to add an existing user criteria record, or click New to create a new one.

Save the record to associate the user criteria record with the item or category.

NOTE: The Not Available For settings override the Available For settings. A user on the Not
Available For list cannot access an item or category, even if that user is also on the Available For list.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 240


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 4.2:
Create a Catalog
Item

As the Asset Manager,

I want a simple way for


employees to order an
Infinity device through our
service portal

Time Pages So I can track orders and


10-15m 242-248 inventory in one convenient
location.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 241


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Create a Catalog Item 4.2
10-15m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Create an Infinity service catalog item
• Add item variables
• Validate your work with “Try It”

Scenario

Up until now, the employee ordering and fulfillment process for an Infinity has been entirely
“off the books” – unofficial, to say the very least.

With the availability of the Service Catalog, Cloud Dimensions would like to improve the
process and ensure every employee has a chance to receive an Infinity device. Additionally,
tracking orders and inventory in one convenient location is appealing.

Infinity is offered to employees in either Crimson or Silver, with optional, additional


specifications to choose from.

Required Resource(s): CloudDimensions-Infinity-Logo.png

A. Create New Service Catalog Item


1. In the main lab instance window, impersonate Asset Manager.

Note: This user account is provided the catalog_admin role, which grants them access to the
Maintain Items module in order to complete Service Catalog administration tasks.

2. Service Catalog > Catalog Definitions > Maintain Items.

3. Click New.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 242


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
4. Fill out the top of the form as shown:

Name: Infinity

5. Click the lock icon (Unlock Catalogs) next to Catalogs:

6. Start typing ser then select Service Catalog:

7. Click the lock icon (Lock Catalogs) to close the selection box.

8. In the Category field, select Hardware.

Note: Category is used to determine where a catalog item appears within the Service Catalog.
From the left navigation pane, under Service Catalog > Maintain Categories, additional
categories can be created, and categories can be created hierarchically.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 243


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
9. Add a Short Description and Description as shown:

Short description: VR, but without the glasses

Description:
The Infinity is a portable holographic projector (PHP) that is capable of projecting
immersive environments around you. What are you waiting for? Get Infinity!

10. Select the Pricing tab and add in the Price field, enter 395.99

11. Select the Picture tab and in the Picture field, select Click to add…

12. Choose File: CloudDimensions-Infinity-Logo.png

13. Click OK.

14. Click Update.

B. Verify the Service Catalog Item Creation


1. Self-Service > Service Catalog.

2. Click the Hardware category header.

3. Select the Infinity item from the list to open the order screen.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 244


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
C. Add a Memory Variable to the Service Catalog Item
From this form, a user could order an Infinity, but the form does not yet allow users to
specify options for the device. Let us fix that!

1. Service Catalog > Catalog Definitions > Maintain Items.

2. Filter the list by searching for Name *infinity

3. Select the Infinity record.

4. Click the Deactivate button.

Note: This button deactivates the catalog item(s) selected on the list, making them inaccessible
to users in the Service Catalog. Until we finish defining our item, keep it deactivated.

5. Open the Infinity record.

6. From the Variables tab, select New:

7. Fill out the following fields on the form:

Type: Multiple Choice


Mandatory: [select checkbox]

ServiceNow Fundamentals 245


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
8. Under the Question* tab, enter the Memory question as shown:

Question: How much memory do you want in your Infinity?


Name: memory

Note: The Name auto-fills with how_much_memory_do_you_want_in_your_infinity. Replace


this with the name, memory.

The corporate-approved version of the Infinity is available in both 256GB and 512GB models.

9. Click the Default Value* tab.

10. Enter the Default value: 256.

11. Save the form, instead of Submit, to define the memory Question Choices.

12. Scroll to the Question Choices section then click the New button.

13. Fill out the Question Choices form as shown:

Text: 256GB
Value: 256

14. Submit.

15. In the Question Choices section, click New.

16. Fill out the form for the second memory choice:

Price: $100.00
Text: 512GB
Value: 512

Note: The Price field is utilized by the 512GB choice, as it adds $100 to the overall price.
Additionally, the order value is set to 200 which will place the 512GB memory option second in
the choice list.

17. Submit.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 246


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
18. You should now see both question choice values:

19. Click Update to return to the Infinity item record.

D. Add Color Variable to Service Catalog Item


With the first variable defined to provide end users with a choice of memory options, you will
now create a second question for choosing a color choice by configuring a second variable.

1. In the Variables related list, click New.

2. Complete the form as shown:

Type: Select Box

In the Question* tab,


Question: What color Infinity would you like?
Name: color

In the Default Value tab,


Default value: crimson

3. Save.

4. Scroll to the Question Choices section then click the New button.

5. Fill out the form for the first color choice:

Text: Crimson
Value: crimson

6. Save.

7. Change the following field values for the second color choice:

Order: 200
Text: Silver
Value: silver

ServiceNow Fundamentals 247


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
8. Open the Form Context Menu, then select Insert to return to the color variable
record.

Note: You have just defined the values for the What color would you like? variable, using
question choices.

Another option for providing value choices is to use reference tables or fields from the
database. See the Choice table and Choice field options under the Type Specifications section on
the Variable form.

Visit docs.servicenow.com for the definitions of all the possible variable types.

9. Click Update to return to the Infinity item record.

Lab Verification
Test the Catalog Item

1. From the Infinity Catalog Item form, check the Active field to activate the item.

2. Save.

3. Next, click the Try It button from the form header to view the item order screen,
with the new variable options added.

Note: The Try It button is only available if the item is active.

4. Choose 512 GB and notice how the item Price changes from $395.99 to $495.99.

Congratulations! Now that you have created the Infinity in the Service Catalog, you’re ready
to create the flow to fulfill a new Infinity request!!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 248


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

What is created when an order is What represents questions asked


placed for a catalog item? when ordering a catalog item?
– REQ# (Request) – Variables
– RITM# (Requested Item)
– SCTASK# (Service Catalog Task) What are some examples of
variables?
Which module is used to add, update, What represents multiple related
or remove catalog items? items grouped as one request?
– Maintain Items – Order Guide
What is attached to a catalog item and What appears as a simplified form to
determines the fulfillment process? create a record in a table?
– Workflow – Record Producer

ServiceNow Fundamentals 249


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 4.3:
Flow Designer

User Story

As the Asset Manager,

I want to automate the procurement


process for Infinity devices

So employees can receive their devices


in a timely manner and we can improve
our team’s CSAT scores.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 250


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What is the Flow Designer?

The Flow Designer,


Flow Designer > Designer,
is a non-technical interface
for building and enabling
process automation
capabilities, known as flows.

Flows automate business


logic for a particular
application or process such as
approvals, tasks, notifications,
and record operations .

Launch the Flow Designer by navigating to Flow Designer > Designer in the Application Navigator.
The following roles may be required to work with the Flow Designer in one capacity or another:
flow_designer, flow_operator, and action_designer.

A flow consists of a trigger and one or more actions.

NOTE: You can expand the Flow Designer solution to integrate with external instances and third-
party applications with a separate subscription to IntegrationHub.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 251


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Flow Components: Triggers

Triggers can be record-


based, schedule-based,
or application-based.
• Record-based triggers run
a flow after a record has
been created, updated, or
deleted.
• Schedule-based triggers
run a flow at the specified
date and time.

Triggers instantiate the flow and can be record-based, schedule-based, or application-based.


• Record-based triggers run a flow after a record has been created, updated, or deleted.
When using a record-based trigger, the triggering record can be used later in the flow as
input for actions.
• Schedule-based triggers run a flow at the specified date and time: daily, weekly, monthly,
etc. The execution time can be used as an input for actions in the flow.
• Application-based triggers are added when the associated application spoke* is activated. In
some instances, a plug-in may need to be activated as well (e.g. Flow Designer Support for
Service Catalog).

*A spoke contains Flow Designer triggers and actions dedicated to a particular application. For
example, the ITSM Spoke contains actions for managing Task records such as the Create Task action.
Spokes are activated when their parent application is activated.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 252


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Flow Components: Trigger and Condition
Specific conditions can be set to identify when a flow should be instantiated.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 253


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Flow Components: Actions
Actions are operations executed by the system, such as looking up a record, updating a
field value, requesting an approval, or logging a value.

ServiceNow Core actions include:


• Ask for Approval – create approvals on any record, including rules for an approval, rejection,
or cancellation, and a due date
• Create Record – create a record on any table with configurable fields and field values
• Delete Record - delete a record on any table
• Look Up Record – look up a single record on any table, confirming whether or not it exists
and using the information from the record in subsequent actions within the flow.
• Wait for Condition - Pause the flow until the record conditions are met. For example, wait
for the State to change to Pending.

In addition to these core actions, new application-specific core actions can be created by activating
the associated spoke.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 254


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Flow Components: Data

Each time you add an action to a flow, Flow Designer adds a data pill to store its results.
The Data section of the Flow Designer contains data pills that can be used in subsequent
actions. To reference the data stored in the data pill, drag and drop the data pill from the
Data section to the appropriate field in the flow or click on the Data Pill Picker icon ( ).

When designing a flow, you can use the results of an action as inputs for other flows, actions, or
subflows. Using the sequence value (Trigger, 1, 2, 3, etc.), you can ensure you are using the correct
data pill as an input value.

When a flow runs an action, it generates the data pill runtime value, which remains the same for the
duration of the flow. For example, a data pill for [Trigger->Incident record] always contains the
incident record values from when the flow started.

NOTE: When using the Data Pill Picker icon, use the arrow keys to dot-walk to fields in other tables.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 255


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
When to Use Flows

Real World Use Cases

- Project manager has tasks automatically


Use Do Not Use created and added to a Visual Task Board
when a specific record is created
To orchestrate business When heavy scripting is
- Customer Service develops a Flow to
processes across services required to provide the communicate incident resolution through the
with little technical user majority of automation end-user support channel
knowledge and execution
- Change Manager creates an outage record
To reduce technical debt; Existing logic already and links it to an incident when the primary
reduced script and script developed using Workflow email server goes offline
reuse to simplify upgrades
and deployments Instance is running Jakarta
or prior
When integrating with 3rd
party systems

Other benefits of using flows:


• Single environment to build and visualize business processes
• Configuration and runtime information available to create, operate, and troubleshoot flows
from a single interface
• Provides natural-language-descriptions of flow logic
• Promotes process automation by enabling subject matter experts to develop and share
reusable actions
• Allows extending Flow Designer content by subscribing to Integration Hub or installing
spokes

ServiceNow Fundamentals 256


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 4.3:
Create a Flow
Designer Flow

As the Service Desk Manager,

I want my team to be able to


view a filtered list of Infinity
incidents containing specific
data

So they can update records


Time Pages directly from the list of
20-25m 258-267 incidents.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 257


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Create a Flow Designer Flow 4.3
20-25m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Create a new flow from scratch
• Associate the flow to a Service Catalog item
• Test the flow

Lab Dependency: Requires the completion of Lab 4.2: Create a Catalog Item

Scenario

Now that Cloud Dimensions has opened enrollment for testing the Infinity across the entire
organization and the Infinity has been created in the Service Catalog, it is time to implement
procurement automation through a Flow.

Note: The Flow Designer Support for Service Catalog plugin has been activated in your student
instance. It is not installed by default but is necessary to create flows for service catalog.

A. Create a Flow Designer flow from scratch


1. As System Administrator, navigate to Flow Designer > Designer.

Note: The Flow Designer opens and displays in a separate tab or browser window.

2. Click the + New button:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 258


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. Next, choose New Flow:

4. Complete the form as follows:

Name: Infinity Item Request


Run As: System User

5. Click Submit.

6. Verify the Flow Designer interface appears:

B. Define a Trigger
1. Select Click to add a Trigger:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 259


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2. Choose Service Catalog from the Application section:

C. Add an Action to Update a Requested Item Record


1. Select the plus (+) icon or Click to add an Action, Flow Logic, or Subflow.

2. Select Action:

3. Select the Update Record default action type under ServiceNow Core.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 260


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
4. Choose the Requested Item record to update:
a) In the Data Panel, expand the Trigger - Service Catalog section.
b) Drag the Requested Item Record pill from the Data Panel to the Record field.
c) Release your mouse to “drop” the pill into the Record field.

Note: This will automatically populate the Table field with Requested Item [sc_req_item].

5. Select the + Add Field Value button:

6. Set State to Pending

7. Select Done.

8. Save the changes you have made to the flow.

D. Add a Create Catalog Task Action


1. Select Click to add an Action… and then select Action.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 261


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2. Select the Create Catalog Task action within ServiceNow Core > Service Catalog:

3. Drag and drop the Requested Item Record pill from section 1 - Update Record to
the Requested Item [Requested Item] field.

4. Update the Short Description field to Infinity Delivery.

5. For Fields [Catalog Task], add the following:


Assignment Group | Service Desk
State | Open

Note: Notice the Wait field is checked by default. This pauses the flow until the task completes
and is no longer active (e.g. when the task is marked Closed Complete)

6. Click Done.

E. Send an Email to the Requester


Once the task is marked Closed Complete, the flow will resume, and an email
confirmation will be sent to the requester.

1. Select Click to add an Action… and then select Action.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 262


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2. Under ServiceNow Core > Default, locate and select the Send Email action type.

Note: We will use dot-walking to locate the email address of the requester, so we can send
a confirmation when their order has been fulfilled.

3. Select the Data Pill Picker icon at the right of the To field.

Note: Selecting the Data Pill Picker icon will open a search box where you can dot-walk to
select the email address of the requester for the requested item.

4. With Trigger - Service Catalog highlighted, press the right arrow key on your keyboard
to highlight Requested Item…

5. Press the right arrow key again to dot-walk to the Requested Item table.

6. Arrow down to Request, then press the right arrow key to dot-walk to the
Request table.

Note: Rather than arrow down to a specific field, you can start typing the name of the field
and then press the right-arrow key to dot-walk to the next table.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 263


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
7. Arrow down to Requested for, then press the right arrow key to dot-walk to the
User table.

8. Finally, arrow down to Email and press the Enter key on your keyboard.

9. Complete the rest of the action as follows:


Subject: Your Infinity is on its way!
Body: Greetings!
Get ready to be immersed in new worlds with your Infinity Portable
Holographic Projector (PHP)!! Your requested item has been shipped and is
expected to arrive soon.

Challenge: Use the Data Pill Picker icon to add fields to the email body!

10. Click Done.

F. Add an Action to Update the Requested Item Record


1. Select the plus (+) icon or Click to add an Action, Flow Logic, or Subflow.

2. Select Action:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 264


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3. Select the Update Record default action type under ServiceNow Core.

4. Choose the Requested Item record to update:


a) In the Data Panel, expand the 1 – Update Record section.
b) Drag the Requested Item Record pill from the Data Panel to the Record field.
c) Release your mouse to “drop” the pill into the Record field.

Note: This will automatically populate the Table field with Requested Item [sc_req_item].

5. Select the + Add Field Value button:

6. Set State to Closed Complete

7. Select Done.

8. Save the changes you have made to the flow.

G. Add an Action to Update the Request Record


1. Select the plus (+) icon or Click to add an Action, Flow Logic, or Subflow.

2. Select Action.

3. Select the Update Record default action type under ServiceNow Core.

4. Choose the Request record to update:


a) In the Data Panel, expand the 1 – Update Record section, then expand the
Requested Item Record data pill.
b) Drag and drop the Request pill from the Data Panel to the Record field.

Note: This will automatically populate the Table field with Request [sc_request].

5. Select the + Add Field Value button:

6. Set Request State to Closed Complete

7. Select Done.

8. Save the changes you have made to the flow.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 265


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
H. Activate and associate flow to Service Catalog Item
At this point, the Infinity Item Request flow features one catalog task: to deliver the
item to the requester.
Additional actions can be added to the flow to enhance the process and experience but
for now, we will activate and associate the flow to the Infinity Service Catalog item.

1. Click the Activate button:

Note: A message will appear confirming you would like to activate the flow – select OK.

2. Return to the main ServiceNow window and navigate to Service Catalog > Catalog
Definitions > Maintain Items.

3. Locate and open the Infinity item record:

4. On the Process Engine tab, clear the value in the Execution Plan.

Note: If the Execution Plan field has a value, the Flow and Workflow fields are (read-only).

5. Enter Infinity Item Request into the Flow field:

6. Update the Infinity item record.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 266


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
I. Test the Flow – Order an Infinity
In this next step, you will impersonate Joe Employee and request an Infinity from the
Service Catalog.

1. Impersonate Joe Employee.

2. Self-Service > Service Catalog.

3. Click the Hardware Category, then select Infinity.

4. You can request either color, and, if desired, additional memory.

5. Click the Order Now button to make the request and initiate the flow.

6. A verification the request was submitted is displayed at the top of the form.

J. Test the Flow – Complete Delivery Tasks


We can review the progress of the Infinity Item Request flow by confirming the Item
Delivery catalog task was created. Then, as a Service Desk member, close the task.

1. Impersonate Beth Anglin.

2. Service Desk > My Groups Work.

3. Locate and open the Service Catalog Task associated with the Delivery workflow
activity. HINT: Search the Short description column for delivery.

4. Assume the item is in stock and can be delivered. Click the Close Task form button.

Note: This will mark the catalog task as Closed Complete for the Requested Item. It will also
trigger the email notification to Joe Employee.

LAB VERIFICATION
Since email is not enabled in your student instance, check the outbox to confirm an
email was created.

1. Impersonate System Administrator.

2. System Mailboxes > Outbound > Outbox

3. Confirm an email with subject “Your Infinity is on its way!” was created.

Impressive! You created your first Flow and associated it with Service Catalog item request!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 267


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

What is the name of the interface for When attaching a flow to a service
building process automation capabilities? catalog item, which plugin needs to
– Flow Designer be activated?
– Flow Designer support for the
Which module is used to create or edit
Service Catalog
flow designer flows?
– Flow Designer > Designer

Where is the data from an action What are the components of a Flow
stored so it can be used in Designer flow?
subsequent actions in the flow? – Trigger
– Data Pill – One or more Actions

ServiceNow Fundamentals 268


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Module 5: Introduction to Development
User Interface and Navigation Module Objectives
• Differentiate between client-side and server-side scripts
Collaboration
• Identify the three types of UI Policy Actions
Database Administration
• Explain the purpose of a Data Policy
Self-Service and Automation • Summarize how Integration Hub simplifies 3rd party integrations
Introduction to Development

Capstone Project

Labs and Activities


• Lab 5.1: Script a UI Policy and a Business Rule
• Lab 5.2: System Update Sets
• Lab 5.3: Update Sources

ServiceNow Fundamentals 269


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 5.1:
Basic Scripting

User Story

As the Service Desk Manager,

I want to require specific support data


for Infinity employee incidents,

So I can speed up resolution time for


those participating in the beta testing
efforts.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 270


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What is Scripting in ServiceNow?

Scripting in ServiceNow or Platform Scripting is the customization of an instance and/or


applications using JavaScript.

JavaScript may execute on the client side (web browser) or the server side (ServiceNow
database) and can fundamentally alter the baseline instance and user experience.

Request

Internet
Response

Web Browser (Client) Application ServiceNow


Server Database

Client refers to an application or system that accesses a remote service or another computer
system, known as a server. A server is the computer program running as a service; a physical
computer dedicated to running one or more services, or a system running a database.

ServiceNow uses an Application Platform as a Service (aPaaS) model; the web browser is the client.
The web browser is the only thing that is installed on the client. The application server and the
database live at the Data Center. Client scripts run on the client browser. Server scripts run on the
server (which includes the database).

Client to server round-trips take time and make the end-user wait for the round-trip to complete.
Request + Response = Round trip.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 271


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
UI Policy and UI Policy Actions

A User Interface (UI) Policy is a rule Once a UI Policy is saved, UI


that is applied to a form to dynamically Policy Actions determine what
change information or the form itself. happens on the form, including:
• Setting a field as mandatory –
UI Policies execute on the client side. requiring a value in order to save
the record
• Setting a field as hidden – no
longer displaying a field on the
form
• Setting a field as read-only –
preventing a user from updating its
value
Web Browser (Client)

To immediately implement updates and changes to forms and lists, you can use UI Policies which
allow you to add sophisticated controls without having to write scripts and define custom process
flows for tasks.

Use a UI Policy to set fields on a form to:


• Mandatory or Optional
• Hidden or Visible
• Read-only or Editable

To apply a UI Policy to all views, set the Global setting to true.

NOTE: UI Policies are not about security, they are about managing the user experience.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 272


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Data Policies

A Data Policy is a rule that enforces data


consistency by setting fields as mandatory
and/or read-only.

Data Policy controls are similar to UI Policies


but UI Policies are only enforced on data
entered into a form (passing through the UI).
Internet
Data Policies are applied to all data entered
Application ServiceNow into the platform: form (UI), Import Sets, or
Server Database Web Services.

A Data Policy execute on the server side but


can also run as a UI Policy on the client side.

A Data Policy enforces requirements on field and record data when the data is imported into
ServiceNow or when the data in an Import Set is submitted through an external system. Data
Policies can be opted out for Web Services and Import Sets. A Data Policy is used to set mandatory
and read-only states on form fields. Data Policies can be used on lists to make a field read-only; the
field will appear to be editable, but the update will fail.

The purpose of a Data Policy is to standardize the same data across ServiceNow applications.

NOTE: UI and Data Policies are not about security, they are about managing the user experience.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 273


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
UI Actions

User Interface (UI) Actions add buttons,


links, and context menu items on forms and
lists, making the UI more interactive,
customizable, and specific to user activities.

Adding a Create Problem button to an


existing incident form is an example of a UI
Action.

UI Actions can contain scripts that define custom functionality. UI Actions can be server or client
side depending on the 'client' check box selection. This setting determines when a UI Action can
appear.

UI Actions include:
• Form buttons
• Form context menu items (right-click the header)
• Form links (Related Links in a form)
• List buttons
• List context menu items (right-click a record)
• List choices (at the bottom of a list)
• List links (Related Links at the bottom of a list)

When Order 100 is specified, UI Actions with Order numbers greater than 100 will display after this
UI Action, while UI Actions with Order numbers less than 100 will display before this UI Action, in
the user interface.

NOTE: When the UI Actions Active box is checked, the UI Action is running and visible unless there is
a condition met that specifies otherwise.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 274


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Client Script

Client Scripts make “real-time” changes to the


appearance of the user interface, especially
forms

Client Scripts can be created to do the following:

• Automatically update the location field to reflect


the value (user) entered into the caller field
• Disable the attachment link of a closed record
when the form is loaded so a user is unable to
add or modify attachments
• Display a notice at the top of the page to
confirm a catalog request was submitted

Client Scripts execute on the client side

Client Scripts allow for browser/form manipulation and verification such as making fields visible on a
condition. An example of this would be an alert appearing when a user changes the priority of an
incident. Client Scripts get executed on the browser, but you may also run a Client Script when a
database lookup is needed; if you think you need database info, and you need the info frequently
(such as every form load) then ask: Is it a field you can add to the form but hide? Is it something you
really, truly need?

Several types of scripts are supported:


• onCellEdit(): runs when a cell on a list changes value through use of the list editor
• onChange(): runs when a particular field changes value
• onLoad(): runs when a form is loaded
• onSubmit(): runs when a form is submitted

Unlike onLoad() or onSubmit() scripts, onChange() scripts apply to a particular widget on a form,
rather than to the form itself. They are fired when a particular value on screen changes. An onLoad()
script runs when a form is first drawn and before control is given to the user to begin typing.

Typically you use an onLoad() script to perform some client side manipulation of the document on
screen. An onSubmit() script runs when a form is submitted. Typically you use an onSubmit() script
to validate things on the form to make sure the submission makes sense. As such, onSubmit() scripts
can potentially cancel a submission by returning false.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 275


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Script Types: Business Rule

A Business Rule is configured to run when Business Rules can be set to run before or after
a record is displayed, inserted, updated, the database action has occurred
deleted, or when a table is queried
The When setting determines when the
Business Rule executes and has the following
choices:
• Before a record is saved to the database
• After a record is saved to the database
• Async (queued); client and server work
independently so the client is not waiting
for the server
• Display before the record is displayed

Business Rules execute on the server side

Although there are multiple ways to control behaviors in the ServiceNow application, most
customization of platform behavior is done using Business Rules. Business Rules are l oaded and
initialized at the beginning of each interaction between a user and the platform.

Every Business Rule includes what table to run against and timing (before or after insert and more),
what conditions to evaluate, what script to run based on the evaluation, and if it is client-callable.

Business Rules are consistently applied to records regardless of how they are accessed-through
forms, lists, or Web Services. This is one major difference between Business Rules and Client Scripts,
which only apply when editing through the form.

Unlike UI Policies, Business Rules are NOT real-time:


• They do not monitor fields on a form
• They monitor records as they are inserted or updated

The primary objective of display Business Rules is to use a shared scratchpad object,
"g_scratchpad", which is also sent to the client as part of the form. This is useful when you need to
build client scripts that require server data that is not part of the record being displayed.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 276


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Scripting Areas in ServiceNow

UI/Data Policies
Business Rules Client Scripts
UI Actions

UI Macros
UI Scripts
ACL Scripts SCRIPTING
UI Properties
UI Pages

Flow Scripts Transform Maps Script Includes

ServiceNow has over 30 places where code can be inserted to change the behavior of the platform.
JavaScript is used almost everywhere and it is a very flexible and powerful language commonly
known for its inclusion in most modern web browsers. This has made it almost mandatory for web
development these days, with its simple syntax allowing many people to quickly add simple logic to
web pages with minimum effort. Taking advantage of this familiarity, ServiceNow uses JavaScript
both on the server and on the client.

More information about scripting can be found by searching docs.servicenow.com or


developer.servicenow.com.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 277


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What are Plugins?

Before adding script to


ServiceNow, administrators
should check the list of
available plugins

Plugins provide additional


optional functionality within
a ServiceNow instance

System Definition > Plugins

System administrators have control over when to activate plugins.

Some plugins include demo data - sample records that are designed to illustrate plugin features for
common use cases. Loading demo data is a good policy when first installing the plugin on a
development or test instance. Demo data can loaded after the plugin is activated by repeating this
process and selecting the checkbox. If the plugin depends on other plugins, these plugins and their
activation status are listed.

Most plugins are published, and system administrators can activate any published plugin. But, some
plugins are available only by request due to operational considerations making the plugin only
appropriate for certain deployments. In these cases, to activate the plugin, make a Service Catalog
request to ServiceNow Technical Support using the Request Plugin Activation form at
https://hi.service-now.com.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 278


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 5.1:
Script a UI Policy and
a Business Rule

As the Service Desk


Manager,

I want to require specific


support data for Infinity
employee incidents,

So I can speed up resolution


Time Pages time for those participating in
10-15m 280-283 the beta testing efforts.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 279


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Script a UI Policy and a
5.1
Business Rule 10-15m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Create a UI Policy with a UI Policy Action
• Create a Business Rule

Scenario

Cloud Dimensions would like to continue configuring ServiceNow as much as possible by using
baseline functionality and available features.

One requirement for Cloud Dimensions’ process improvement is to require important Infinity
support data, with the goal to speed up resolution time by requiring the Assigned to field to be
populated for all employee incidents. A confirmation for each submitted incident has also
been requested.

A. Create a UI Policy
1. Ensure you are logged into the instance as System Administrator.

2. Incident > Create New.

3. From the Form Context Menu, select Configure > UI Policies.

4. Click New.

5. Fill out the UI Policy form information as shown:

Table: Incident [incident] (already selected)


Short description: Mandatory Assigned to if Employee = True

Under the When to Apply tab,


Conditions:
Employee | is | True

ServiceNow Fundamentals 280


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
6. Save.

You have just defined a UI Policy and set the conditions on which it will be enforced.
Next, indicate which field(s) to affect by the UI Policy.

B. Create a UI Policy Action


1. Scroll down to the UI Policy Actions section, then click New.

2. Enter the following information on the UI Policy Action form:

Field name: Assigned to


Mandatory: True

3. Click Submit to save the UI Policy Action.

C. Confirm New UI Policy is Working


1. Navigate to Incident > Open. Open any active incident record.

2. Make sure the Employee field is on the form.

Note: If you do not see the Employee field, use the context menu to switch to the Employee
Infinity Testing form view.

3. Select the Employee field.

Notice that the Assigned to field is now mandatory.

4. Uncheck the Employee field and notice that the Assigned to field is no longer
mandatory.

D. Create a Business Rule


In this section of the lab, create a Business Rule to display an alert, “Your incident has been
successfully submitted” to all users who submit an incident, improving overall user experience.

1. On an incident form, open the Form Context Menu.

2. Select Configure > Business Rules.

3. Click New.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 281


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
4. Fill out the Business Rule form as shown:

Name: Alert - Incident Submitted


Insert: [check the box]

5. Add a message:

a) Click the Actions tab

b) Check Add message

c) Add message text: Your incident has been successfully submitted.

6. Click Submit.

E. Test Your Business Rule


1. Incident > Create New.

2. Fill out the incident form, including values for all mandatory fields.

3. Click Submit.

4. The new Business Rule displays your message in blue on top of the list:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 282


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab Verification
Incident UI Policy – Mandatory Assigned to if Employee = True

Business Rule – Confirmation Message

Good job, you have learned how to create a UI Policy and Business Rule in this lab!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 283


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

What is the language used for Does a business rule run on the
scripting in ServiceNow? client side or the server side?
- JavaScript - Server

Which type of scripts run on the What attributes of a field can a UI


browser? Policy Action change on a form?
- Client-side scripts: UI Policies and - Mandatory
Client Scripts - Visible/Hidden
- Read Only
Which script runs when a record is
displayed, inserted, updated, What provides additional
deleted, or when a table is queried? functionality within an instance?
- Business Rule - Plugins

ServiceNow Fundamentals 284


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 5.2:
Migration and Integration

User Story

As a System Administrator,

I want to move configuration changes


from one instance to another

So I can easily implement updates in


our production instance of ServiceNow.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 285


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Update Sets
An Update Set is a group of
customizations that can be moved from
one instance of ServiceNow to another.

Update Sets allow administrators to


group a series of changes into a named
set and then move them as a unit.

Every instance of ServiceNow has a


Default Update Set, however, admins Development Production
should use named update sets for
moving customizations between
instances.

An Update Set example:


• A set of enhancements to Incident Management can be grouped in an Update Set called
Incident Management 2.0
• While Incident Management 2.0 is marked as the current Update Set, all process changes are
tracked in it
• Once the Update Set is marked as complete, it is ready to be moved to a test or production
instance

Basically an Update Set record is a “point in time” XML snapshot of process records. An Update Set
works by writing changes from tracked tables to the Customer Update [sys_update_xml] table.

An Update Set is used to apply changes that have been checked and verified in another instance.
When merging multiple Update Sets, if several Update Sets have modified the same object, (for
example: the Incident form), the most recent change will be the one moved to the new, merged
Update Set.

An Update Set is a container for configuration records. By navigating to System Update Sets > Local
Update Sets, you can create a new Update Set or set an existing one as your current Update Set.
Use an Update Set to migrate your code. When an Update Set is completed, you can transfer it to
another instance to move customizations from development, through testing, and into production.

It is recommended to avoid using the Default Update Set for moving customizations between
instances. Instead, use a named Update Set.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 286


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
What is Captured in an Update Set?

Process Records Data


• Business Rules • New Data Records
• Client Scripts • Modified Data Records
• Fields • Tasks
• Forms and Form Sections • Modified CIs
• Report Definitions • New Users and Groups
• Tables • Schedules
• Views • Scheduled Jobs
• Roles • Homepages*
• Published Workflows

What is captured in an Update Set is typically a customization or a configuration change and does
not include changes to data records. For example, update sets track report definitions and related
data such as data source, report type, style, and sharing settings. However, the actual data and
report output are not tracked in an update set.

*Homepages are not captured in an Update Set but can be manually added by:
• Navigating to Homepage Admin > Pages,
• Right-clicking on a homepage record, then
• Selecting Unload Portal Page.

NOTE: Data is not captured in an Update Set. Examples: a new incident or new change record would
not be in an Update Set.

When completing work, you may want to move data records with your updates. These records can
be useful for testing or training. Data (such as user records, CIs, or locations) can be moved using the
Export XML function.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 287


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Applying an Update Set
1. Retrieve 2. Preview
a. System Update Sets > Retrieved Update Sets
b. Click Import Update Set from XML
c. Choose a file to upload
d. Upload the file
3. Commit

The typical process of retrieving an Update Set includes:


1. Retrieve
2. Preview
3. Commit

Other best practice recommendations include using the Preview to verify there are no conflicts with
committing the Update Set.

IMPORTANT: Both instances must be on the same version since customizations may not work if they
rely on code that has changed between versions.

Determine the changes to make in a single Update Set since ServiceNow recommends limiting
Update Sets to a maximum of 100 records to reduce the number of potential conflicts and make it
easier to identify and review changes.

Ensure that all platform records have matching sys_id fields since some platform records are created
on an instance after provisioning and do not match between different instances, leading to
problems with Update Sets. You can clone the production instance onto the sub-production
instance.

NOTE: Newest change will always overwrite older changes.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 288


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Introduction to Integrations

To share data between ServiceNow and an external system, ServiceNow


integrates with many third-party applications and data sources.

Standard integrations for ServiceNow include:


– Login (Single Sign-On)
– LDAP
– Communications
– Monitoring
– Discovery & Systems Management

The most common processes required for integration are the CMDB, Incident Management,
Problem Management, Change Management, User Administration, and Single Sign-On.

A variety of techniques can be used, most notably Web Services, LDAP, Excel, CSV and email, as well
as any industry standard technologies that use SOAP or REST WSDLs.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 289


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
IntegrationHub
IntegrationHub provides a single
solution to quickly integrate with third
party services to build and share
content.
Integrations are referred to as spokes
and can be easily configured to
integrate without scripting.

Examples:
• Post a message and details in a Slack channel when P1 incident is created
• Create users and groups in Microsoft Active Directory
• Retrieve, create, update, or delete data on a server using REST

One major benefit of Integration Hub is that it reduces the need for code, while ensuring
discoverability and reuse.

It also features scale and control mechanisms that are designed to never fail, including an
extensibility framework which enables Applications to easily plug and play providers.

Use Integration Hub to extend the Flow Designer to call 3 rd party systems such as automating
Microsoft Services and infrastructure using PowerShell and REST.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 290


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 5.2:
System Update Sets

As a System Administrator,

I want to move configuration


changes from one instance to
another

So I can easily implement


updates in our production
instance of ServiceNow.
Time Pages
10-15m 292-295

ServiceNow Fundamentals 291


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
System Update Sets 5.2
610-15m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Review an Update Set
• Create another Update Set
• Make platform changes and capture them in the new Update Set

Scenario

As Cloud Dimensions system administrator, review the Default Update Set to identify
configuration changes that have been captured throughout class.

Then create a new Update Set and capture additional changes that will be transferred to
another ServiceNow instance in the next lab.

A. Review an Update Set


Throughout class, a lot of work you have completed has been captured in the instance’s
default update set. We will review some of these updates.

1. Logged into the instance as System Administrator, open Settings from the banner
frame:

2. Select Developer.

3. Next, toggle on the switch for Show update set picker in header:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 292


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
4. Close out of the System Settings window and return to your main instance screen.
You will now see a drop-down menu in the banner frame, next to the user menu:

This is the Update Set Picker menu. It allows you to quickly select an Update Set to
capture platform configuration changes.

5. System Update Sets > Local Update Sets.

6. Locate and open the Default Update Set within the Global Application:

Note: Alternatively, you could click on the View current Update Set icon, located next to the
Update Set Picker to quickly open the current Update Set’s record:

7. Notice how many total Customer Updates have been collected.

Discussion: How many updates are there?

What items are captured in the Update Set that were created in class?

What items are not captured in the update set but were created in class?

HINT: Sort the Customer Updates using the Updated by column.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 293


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
B. Create an Update Set
Now that you have seen the types of configuration changes Update Sets capture, create a new
Update Set and make additional configuration changes.

1. System Update Sets > Local Update Sets.

2. Click New to open the Update Sets form.

3. Enter the following name for the new Update Set: Catalog Item Form Changes.

4. In the Description field, enter the following description of this Update Set:
Added Updated and Updated by after Roles on Catalog Item form.

5. Click the Submit and Make Current button.

6. A brief confirmation message displays, and the current Update Set is shown:

7. The current Update Set is also represented in the Update Set picker:

C. Modify the Catalog Item Form


1. Service Catalog > Catalog Definitions > Maintain Items.

2. Open any record.

3. From the Form Context Menu, select Configure > Form Layout.

4. Make the following layout changes:

Add Updated after Roles


Add Updated by after Updated

5. Click Save.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 294


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
D. Mark Update Set Complete
1. Click the View current Update Set icon, next to the update set picker, to open the
update set record

2. Notice on the Customer Updates tab that a new record is captured:

3. Change the Update Set State from In progress to Complete.

4. Click Update.

5. With the status of Complete, this Update Set is now ready to be retrieved by
another ServiceNow instance.

Lab Verification
Verify you have one Form layout update on the Catalog Item table

Wow! You now know your way around Update Sets.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 295


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

What is used frequently to move What are the steps for applying an
customizations from on instance to update set to an instance?
another? - Retrieve
- Update Sets - Preview
- Commit
Which types of records are not
captured in an update set? Which ServiceNow product provides
- Data records the ability to quickly integrate with
3rd party applications without
Is a homepage captured in an scripting?
update set? - IntegrationHub
- Homepages are not automatically
included, but can be manually added

ServiceNow Fundamentals 296


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Section 5.3:
Developer Tools

User Story

As an Application Developer,
I want to retrieve configuration
changes directly from an existing
instance of ServiceNow
So I can avoid downloading and
uploading update sets on my local
machine.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 297


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ServiceNow Studio

ServiceNow Studio provides


an IDE-like interface for
application developers to
create custom applications

Application developers can


also access Studio to import
or open applications

ServiceNow Studio provides an IDE-like interface (integrated development environment). It offers a


simple way to identify and interact with application files, create files as you develop, and modify
existing application files in a tabbed environment. Accessing Studio requires an admin or a
delegated developer role.

With Studio, application developers can:


• See exactly what files comprise their application in the Application Explorer
• Add new files to their application using a single Create Application File interface
• Navigate to files using familiar search-by-name or by-type behavior with the Go To dialog
• Find code both within and outside an application using the Code Search tool
• Operate on multiple files at once using the tabbed interface
• Operate on multiple applications at once using multiple studio windows
• Publish the application to company instances or the ServiceNow Store
• View information about the current application from the Status Bar

ServiceNow Fundamentals 298


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Delegated Developers

Delegated developers
are non-administrator
users and groups which
are assigned one or
more permissions to
develop applications

Each permission grants


one or more delegated-
development-specific
roles to retain control
over the system without
having the admin role

In addition to deployment permissions, delegated developers can be granted the following


permissions:
• All File Types: Grants the developer access to all application file types including some not
granted by the other options
• Integrations: Grants the developer access to web service APIs, REST APIs, and data sources
• Reporting: Grants the developer access to reports and scheduled reports
• Workflow: Grants the developer access to the Workflow Editor and Activity Creator
• Service Catalog: Grants the developer access to catalog related file types such as catalog
items, record producers, and variables
• Service Portal: Grants the developer access to Service Portal editors and tools
• Flow Designer: Grants the developer access to the Flow Designer design environment to
create flows and actions. Script action steps require the Allow Scripting permission
• Tables & Forms: Grants the developer access to model and layout related file types such as
table columns, form layout, and list layout
• Manage ACLs & Roles: Grants the developer access to security-related file types such as
access controls and user roles
• Allow Scripting: Grants the developer write access to script fields such as those in business
rules, client scripts, and Flow Designer script action steps

To manage delegated developers, navigate to System Applications > Applications, open the
application record, then click on Manage Developers.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 299


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Application Scopes

• Application scoping protects applications by identifying and restricting access to available


artifacts and data.
• Applications developed prior to application scoping are in the global scope.
• All custom applications have a private scope that uniquely identifies them and their
associated artifacts.

Administrators can specify what parts of an application are accessible to other applications from the
custom application record and each application table record.

For example, suppose that you create a conference room booking application in its own application
scope. By default, the application can access and change its own tables and business logic but other
not applications unless you give them explicit permission.

The application scope ensures:


• The conference room booking application does not interrupt core business services
• Other applications do not interfere with its normal functioning

By default, all custom applications have a private scope that uniquely identifies them and their
associated artifacts with a namespace identifier. The application scope prevents naming conflicts
and allows the contextual development environment to determine what changes, if any, are
permitted. Application developers specify an application scope when they create an application.

The global scope is a special application scope that identifies applications developed prior to
application scoping or applications intended to be accessible to all other global applications.

The system adds a namespace identifier to the front of application artifacts such as tables, scripts,
and configuration records.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 300


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Automated Test Framework
Consider using the Automated Test Framework (ATF) to create and run
automated tests on your ServiceNow instance after modifying it

These tests provide enough flexibility to help confirm the instance still
Tech Note

works as designed, including:


- Mimicking user actions with no scripting, such as opening a form, setting field
values, etc.
- Searching for a catalog item, adding an item to a shopping cart, etc.
- Testing business rules, script includes, etc.
- Using REST requests to create, retrieve, update, or delete records

Tests include a series of steps that the test attempts to execute when ran. Once run, the Automated
Test Framework creates a Test Results record, which is available through a related list on the test
record.

Additionally, all test records are defined with test steps - the individual steps and the order in which
the test should execute them. A test step includes an action to take and the data needed to take
that action. ATF includes a number of a default set of step types (or step configs), but custom types
can also be defined.

If a test includes steps that involve a form or other user-interface element, it will run the steps in a
browser tab or window on-demand, or scheduled at a set time. Running tests in a browser is
especially useful to watch the test execute in real-time.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 301


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Documentation: Developer

developer.servicenow.com is a great resource for developers, but also anyone interested in


developing applications within ServiceNow.

There are great resources here related to development, including: scripting API references, free
training and documentation, and access to a free, personal developer instance.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 302


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab 5.3:
Update Source -
Update Sets

As an Application Developer,

I want to retrieve
configuration changes
directly from an existing
instance of ServiceNow

So I can avoid downloading


Time Pages and uploading update sets
10-15m 304-309 on my local machine.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 303


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Update Source – Update Sets 5.3
610-15m

Lab Objectives
You will achieve the following objectives:
• Sign up for a developer instance
• Define an Update Source
• Retrieve an Update Set, committing platform changes to the developer instance
Scenario

To end class, you will be walked through the steps to sign up for a developer instance on the
ServiceNow Developer Portal.

You will also practice the procedure of retrieving completed update sets from one instance of
ServiceNow to another. This emulates the experience of taking configuration changes made to
the platform of one instance and pulling them into another – just like pulling work from a
development instance into production.

Lab Dependency: Requires the completion of Lab 5.2: System Update Sets

A. Register for the ServiceNow Developer Program


Even if you are not a developer or plan to create custom applications in ServiceNow, once you
have access to a developer instance you will be able to use it to revisit the topics discussed in
class, as well as have fun within your very own instance of ServiceNow!

1. Go to https://developer.servicenow.com/

2. Select Register from the upper right-hand menu, then fill out the form, then finally
read and agree to terms of use before clicking Submit.

3. Look for and open an email from ServiceNow (signon@service-now.com).

4. Select the link in the email message to validate and activate your account.

5. Sign in with your username and password created in step 2, then read and accept
the ServiceNow Developer Agreement.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 304


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
6. Answer a few questions to maximize your experience, then click Submit.

7. Under My Instance, click Request Instance:

Note: If this page does not display, you can click on the ServiceNow logo or, from the main
menu, select Manage > Instance.

8. Complete the form to tell ServiceNow how you will use the personal developer
instance, then click I understand.

9. You may choose any available version of ServiceNow you would like, but the most
recent version is recommended.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 305


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
10. After selecting the ServiceNow version of your choice, the credentials to your
personal developer instance will appear under the My Instance section:

IMPORTANT:
Capture your username and password as it will not be available after the next step.

11. Under the instance log in credentials, click the link to log into the instance directly:

12. Use the credentials above on the login screen, then change the temporary password
to successfully sign into your instance as system administrator.

B. Define an Update Source


1. Within your developer instance, navigate to Service Catalog > Catalog Definitions >
Maintain Items.

2. Select New

3. Observe the Updated and Updated by fields are not displayed on the form.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 306


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
4. System Update Sets > Update Sources.

5. Click New.

6. Name: Imported Catalog Item Form Edits

7. Click the padlock to the right of the URL field.

8. Input your course lab instance URL: https://instance-###.lab.service-now.com/

9. Enter this instance’s admin username and password.

Note: These are the system administrator credentials your instructor provided, and which you
have been using during class.

10. Type in a brief description of the Update Set into the Short Description field:
Modified Catalog Item form fields, adding Updated and Updated by.

11. Your form should look like this:

12. Click the Test Connection button.

Note: A brief Connection is OK message will display, which may also include language about
varying version snapshots.

13. Save.

14. Click Retrieve Completed Update Sets.

15. Close the Retrieve Update Sets progress pop-up once it has reached 100%.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 307


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
C. Locate Retrieved Update Sets
1. From the Retrieved Update Sets tab, open the Catalog Item Form Changes record:

2. From the form header, click the Commit Update Set button.

Note: This update set has already been previewed – checked to make sure its contents do not
interfere with the target instance. If your developer instance is not running the same version of
ServiceNow as your student instance, you may need to click Preview and will get a collision
error. You may accept the remote update and Commit to continue with the lab.

3. Close the Update Set Commit pop-up when its succeeded.

4. System Update Sets > Retrieved Update Sets.

5. You should see the new Update Set with a Committed state:

ServiceNow Fundamentals 308


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab Verification
1. Service Catalog > Catalog Definitions > Maintain Items.

2. Select New.

3. You should now see the Updated and Updated by form fields:

Good job, you have learned how to bring over an update set from another instance without
having to export and import the update set!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 309


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Knowledge Check

Which ServiceNow tool is used by What protects applications by


developers to create custom identifying and restricting access to
applications? available files and data?
- Studio - Application Scoping

A non-administrator user who is How can a user display the current


assigned one or more permissions application scope in the banner
to develop applications is called: frame?
- Delegated Developer - System Settings (gear icon)
- Developer tab
Which site offers help and training to - Show application picker in header
ServiceNow developers?
- https://developer.servicenow.com

ServiceNow Fundamentals 310


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Module 6
Capstone Project

ServiceNow Fundamentals 311


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Capstone Project

Show off your skills!

To help reinforce the various topics


presented in ServiceNow
Fundamentals, we present the final
course component: a take-home, eight-
task Capstone Project

ServiceNow Fundamentals 312


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Formats

The Capstone Project is available in two formats:

1 2
Challenge Step-by-Step
• Included in your participant guide • Downloadable from your instance
• Provides minimum assistance to • Provides full assistance to achieve
achieve end results; objectives end results; detailed instructions
are given but how you get there is are given to walk you through the
mostly up to you completion of each task

The Capstone Project: Challenge Format is included in your participant guide. We strongly
recommend that you try to solve each Capstone Project task using just the Challenge format. If you
have difficulty completing a task, you can refer back to slides, notes, and labs.

If you find yourself still struggling, or prefer to complete the tasks “by the book” then no worries!
Step-by-Step task solution guides are available. Locate and download these solution guides from
your class lab instance. They are located under Capstone Project in the ServiceNow Fundamentals
Class Knowledge Base.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 313


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Scenario for the Capstone Project

Cloud Dimensions has developed and tested a series


of Infinity devices, used as an example throughout
this course

After great success demonstrating said devices at


various trade shows and conferences, Cloud Handheld
Dimensions has officially begun production on a new
product: the Handheld Holographic Display Holographic
ServiceNow will act as a Support Portal for HHD. Display

Cloud Dimensions needs a software solution to support new business processes, which are still
being developed, and requires that the solution be able to scale appropriately in order to support
ongoing, rapid growth.

ServiceNow has proven to be the best solution to meet Cloud Dimensions current requirements and
support plans for ongoing expansion. Therefore, Cloud Dimensions is ready to move forward with a
ServiceNow implementation for their latest product, the Infinity Handheld Holographic Display
(HHD).

A worldwide product launch date is aligned with the ServiceNow Go-Live date, so as a Cloud
Dimensions System Administrator, you have been tasked with the responsibility to customize the
Cloud Dimensions instance in support of technical needs for employees and customers alike!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 314


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Completing the Capstone Project
Working within a developer instance of
ServiceNow, impersonate a system
administrator and use the knowledge gained
from this course to complete eight
implementation tasks.
These tasks include topics discussed here in
detail – as well as new topics giving you the
opportunity to explore ServiceNow.

The ServiceNow Fundamentals Capstone Project is meant to be completed on a developer instance


of ServiceNow. Refer to Lab 5.3: Update Source – Update Sets in the course for registering in the
developer program.

Remember once you start the Capstone Project: this is suppose to be a fun exercise! It is meant to
test the knowledge you gained in class and, most importantly, give you a chance to look around in
the ServiceNow platform.

If you start with the Challenge format as suggested, remember to use all of the resources discussed
in class, including docs.servicenow.com.

Enjoy!

ServiceNow Fundamentals 315


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Lab
Capstone Project - 6.1
Challenge Format 6120-150m

Capstone Tasks Overview


The Capstone Project has been divided into eight task categories to guide your deployment:

1. Instance Customization

2. Incident Management Configuration

3. User Administration

4. Service Catalog Configuration

5. Knowledge Base Management

6. Mobile UI

7. Task Assignment and Communication

8. Scheduled Reports

These tasks correlate to topics found in the ServiceNow Fundamentals materials.

To successfully complete the Capstone Project, you must select the Capstone Project article in
the ServiceNow Fundamentals Class Knowledge Base of your lab instance.

This will download a zip file to your local machine titled Capstone Project which contains
relevant task files, as well as the Step-by-Step Solution guides for every task.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 316


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Task 1: Customize Your Instance
Customize the instance to feature Cloud Dimensions branding styles that are familiar to both
employees and customers.

Additionally, you will create an organization company record to include contact information
and new welcome page content.

A. Configure Company Settings and Welcome Page


Use the ITSM Guided Setup to configure the following system properties:
• Page header caption: HHD Service Portal
• Browser tab title: HHD Service Portal
• Banner image for UI16: cd_sp.jpg
• Header background color: #387bcc

Create new Welcome Page Content text for all users on the login page to say:
• Short description: Welcome to Cloud Dimensions
• Text: Welcome to the home of Handheld Holographic Display! If you are an employee of
Cloud Dimensions, please use your company login credentials to enter.

B. Create New Organization Company Record


Use the Organization Application to create a company record with the following company
information:
• Name: Cloud Dimensions
• Phone: 800-555-5555
• Street: 3260 Jay Street
• City: Santa Clara
• State / Province: CA
• Zip / Postal code: 95054

ServiceNow Fundamentals 317


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
TASK VERIFICATION

Task 2: Update Incident Management


Modify the Incident form so that it can support a new process for troubleshooting technical
issues reported by HHD users.

A. Modify the Incident Form


1. Create a new field and add it to both the Default and Mobile View of the Incident
form with the following properties:

• Name: HHD Model


• Type: String
• Field length: Small (40)

2. Configure the Default View and place the HHD Model field beneath the Configuration item
field
3. Configure the Mobile View and place the HHD Model field beneath the Caller field
4. Modify the Category field on the Incident form to include a new HHD choice.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 318


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
TASK VERIFICATION

Task 3: User Administration


Create a new user group that is responsible for troubleshooting HHD incidents and fulfilling
Service Catalog HHD requests.

A. Create Users, Groups, and Roles


Under the existing Service Desk group, create a new child group called Infinity Support
that includes the itil role and has Fred Luddy as the group manager.

Then create or add the existing users to the group:


• Beth Anglin
• Bud Richman
• David Loo
• Kara Prince
• Waldo Edberg

Additionally, set Fred Luddy as the Manager under Kara Prince’s user record.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 319


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
TASK VERIFICATION

Task 4: Update Service Catalog


Import an HHD Prototype item into the Service Catalog to be requested, and develop a
workflow to support and complete the fulfillment process.

A. Import Service Catalog Item


Import an Update Set (cd_hhd_catalog_item.xml) containing the HHD Prototype Service
Catalog item into the instance. Remember to retrieve, preview, and then commit!

B. Create a New Workflow


Develop a workflow to fulfill internal HHD Service Catalog requests. It should feature the
following activities in this particular sequence:
• Approval by the requester’s manager
§ The Approved path marks the requested item as approved with an
Approval Action
§ The Rejected path marks the requested item as rejected and then
ends the workflow
• Continuing the Approved path are three Catalog Tasks:
§ Catalog Task 1 details the steps for ordering the HHD item and is
assigned to the Infinity Support group
§ Catalog Task 2 details the steps for configuring the HHD and is
assigned to the Infinity Support group
§ Catalog Task 3 details the steps for delivering the HHD and is also
assigned to the Infinity Support group
• Upon completion of all three catalog tasks, mark the requested item as complete
with a Set Values activity

ServiceNow Fundamentals 320


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Validate and test the Workflow to successfully order, fulfill, and deliver an HHD.

Note: Test by submitting a request for the Service Catalog item by a user with a manager and
then impersonating every stakeholder involved, as determined by the activities created above,
to ensure it would work in a real-life situation.

TASK VERIFICATION

ServiceNow Fundamentals 321


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Task 5: Update Knowledge Base
Populate the Knowledge Base with a new category that will contain two articles to support
internal requesters and fulfillers. Additionally, you must abide by company security protocols
and ensure the information is accessible by the appropriate parties.

Note: By default, all Knowledge Base articles must go through a Review Process before they are
published. You will enable automatic publishing on the Knowledge Base level.

A. Enable Automatic Publish


Adjust the settings for the IT Knowledge Base to allow for Knowledge Base articles to instantly
publish upon submission – using a publish workflow to bypass any review period.

B. Create a Requester Article


Create an article containing instructions for requesting an HHD through the ServiceNow
Catalog, before clicking the Publish button on the article form. This article must be available to
all users and located in the IT Knowledge Base under the HHD category. It should contain the
following properties:
• Short description:
Requesting an HHD from the Service Catalog
• Text:
To request an HHD, navigate to Self-Service > Service Catalog. Then, click on the
Hardware category and locate the HHD item. You may also use the Service Catalog
search field to locate the item.

Click on the HHD item name to open the ordering screen where you can customize your
request. Once satisfied, click the Order Now button on the right-hand side.

C. Create a Fulfiller Article


Create an article containing instructions for supporting inquiries about HHD requests through
the ServiceNow Catalog, before clicking the Publish button on the article form. This article
must be available to all users with the itil role and located in the IT Knowledge Base under the
HHD category. It should contain the following properties:

• Short description:
Supporting HHD Service Catalog Requests

ServiceNow Fundamentals 322


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
• Text:
If the requester has a question about requesting an HHD, redirect them to the
other Knowledge Base article: Requesting an HHD from the Service Catalog.

If the requester has placed an order and would like to know about their request, please
have them contact hhdorder@cloudd.com.

TASK VERIFICATION

Task 6: Configure the Mobile UI


Configure the Mobile UI to allow users to request an HHD from the Service Catalog and create
a custom application menu with a module to track and manage active HHD incidents.

A. Publish a Service Catalog Item to the Mobile Interface


Update the HHD Service Catalog item and set its availability to display in both the Desktop and
Mobile User Interfaces.

B. Develop an Application Menu for the Mobile Interface


The application menu should be named HHD Incidents and limited in access to only those
users with the itil role. It should contain one module named Active that displays all incident
records that are active and associated with the HHD category.

Create a test incident by Kara Prince which has the HHD category and a short description My
HHD will not turn on.

ServiceNow Fundamentals 323


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
TASK VERIFICATION

Task 7: Enhance Task Assignment and Communication


Define an assignment rule that automatically assigns incidents to the HHD Support group, if
the category is HHD.

Then, develop an email notification related to new critical HHD incidents assigned to the HHD
Support group. Afterwards, test to ensure the email sends correctly.

A. Define an Assignment Rule


Define an assignment rule with the following details:
• Name: HHD Incidents
• Condition: Category | is | HHD
• Assignment group: HHD Support

ServiceNow Fundamentals 324


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
B. Create an HHD Priority 1 Incident Notification
Create an email notification containing details about newly opened Priority 1 incidents that
have HHD as the category. This notification should go to the current HHD Support Manager
only when a new Priority 1 HHD incident is created and assigned to the HHD Support group.
The notification should contain the following properties:
• Name: P1 HHD Incident
• Subject: A new P1 HHD Incident has opened: ${number}
• The Message HTML text should contain a collection of dynamic information listing:
o when the incident was opened
o who opened the incident
o the description of the incident

Verify the email is sending to the HHD Support Manager by creating a new Priority 1 HHD
incident assigned to the HHD Support group and checking the System Outbox.

TASK VERIFICATION

Task 8: Schedule a Report


Work with the Report Designer to create a report which displays the number of incidents that
are active and tied to the HHD category. Additionally, group the data by priority.

Schedule the report by sharing it with the HHD Support group every Monday to coincide with
their incident review meeting.

A. Create a Report
Set the following properties for the new report:
• Name: Active HHD Incidents by Priority
• Source type: Table
• Table: Incident [incident]
• Type: Pie
• Group by: Priority

ServiceNow Fundamentals 325


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
B. Schedule the Report
Schedule the Report to run weekly, every Monday at 8:30am, and sent to the HHD Support
group.

Add the following schedule details which will appear within the email containing a copy of the
report:
• Subject:
Current HHD Active Incidents Count

• Introductory message:
Please find included the current count of all active HHD incidents grouped by
priority.

This information will be discussed during the team’s incident review meeting today
at 9:00am.

TASK VERIFICATION

ServiceNow Fundamentals 326


© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ServiceNow Fundamentals 327
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
www.servicenow.com/services/training-and-certification.html

2225 Lawson Ln, Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA • (858) 720-0477 • (858) 720-0479 • www.servicenow.com

©2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved.


ServiceNow believes information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. This publication could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. The information is subject to change without
notice. Changes are periodically added to the information herein; these changes will be incorporated in new additions of the publication. ServiceNow may make improvements and/or changes in the product(s)
and/or the program(s) described in this publication at any time. Reproduction of this publication without prior written permission is forbidden. Then information in this publication is provided “as is”. ServiceNow
makes no representations or warranties of any kind, with respect to the information in this publication, and specifically disclaims implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
ServiceNow is a trademark of ServiceNow, Inc. All other brands, products, service names, trademarks or registered trademarks are used to identify the products or services of their respective owners.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy