Professional Developer Guide to

the Now Platform

Guide to developing custom business
applications on the Now Platform
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Plan ................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Candidates for a good ServiceNow app ............................................................................................. 6
Pre-Build Decisions .................................................................................................................................... 6
Scoped vs. Global Applications ........................................................................................................ 6
Start in the Appropriate Instance ...................................................................................................... 7
Naming Decisions ................................................................................................................................ 7
Prerequisites for building an app ............................................................................................................ 8
Managing Development ........................................................................................................................ 8
Source Control ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Delegated Development ................................................................................................................... 8
Build ............................................................................................................................................................. 10
Data ......................................................................................................................................................... 10
Create an app ................................................................................................................................... 10
Build the Data Model ........................................................................................................................ 10
Choice Lists vs Reference Fields .............................................................................................................................. 13
Secure Data ....................................................................................................................................... 13
Encryption ...................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Manage Data .................................................................................................................................... 15
Import Sets ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Inbound Integrations .................................................................................................................................................. 16
Design ...................................................................................................................................................... 16
Primary Interfaces .............................................................................................................................. 16
Forms and Lists .............................................................................................................................................................. 16
Mobile ............................................................................................................................................................................. 18
Self-Service ......................................................................................................................................... 19
Service Portal ................................................................................................................................................................ 19
Widgets ........................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Virtual Agent ................................................................................................................................................................. 20
Communication................................................................................................................................. 21
Notifications ................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Translations..................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Reporting and Dashboards .............................................................................................................. 22
Logic......................................................................................................................................................... 23

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 Scripting and Modifications ............................................................................................................. 23
Modifying Default Behavior ...................................................................................................................................... 24
Form Logic .......................................................................................................................................... 24
Business Rules and Script Includes ................................................................................................... 25
Flow Designer and IntegrationHub.................................................................................................. 27
Validate ...................................................................................................................................................... 29
Unit Testing............................................................................................................................................... 29
System Testing ......................................................................................................................................... 29
Automated Test Framework ............................................................................................................. 29
User Acceptance Testing ...................................................................................................................... 30
Deploy ......................................................................................................................................................... 31
Application Repository .......................................................................................................................... 31
Update Sets ............................................................................................................................................. 31
Naming Convention.......................................................................................................................... 32
Update Set Management ................................................................................................................ 33
Update Set Batching ......................................................................................................................... 33
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 35
What to do next ...................................................................................................................................... 35
Feedback ................................................................................................................................................ 35
APPENDIX A – Now Platform Development Tools .................................................................................. 36
Studio ....................................................................................................................................................... 36
Import Sets ............................................................................................................................................... 36
REST API Explorer ..................................................................................................................................... 36
Form Designer ......................................................................................................................................... 36
Mobile ...................................................................................................................................................... 37
Service Portal .......................................................................................................................................... 37
Virtual Agent ........................................................................................................................................... 37
Reporting ................................................................................................................................................. 37
Flow Designer .......................................................................................................................................... 37
IntegrationHub ........................................................................................................................................ 37
Script Debugger ..................................................................................................................................... 38
Syntax Editor ............................................................................................................................................ 38
Automated Test Framework.................................................................................................................. 38
APPENDIX B – Now Platform Resources................................................................................................... 39
Onboarding a New Developer ............................................................................................................ 39

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 Resource Links ......................................................................................................................................... 39
APPENDIX C – Common Tables within ServiceNow .............................................................................. 40

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Introduction
ServiceNow provides a single mobile and web application development platform to quickly
build business applications to power digital transformation. Learn how anyone can automate,
extend, and build digital workflow apps across the enterprise with the Now Platform.

Plan Build Validate Deploy

• Plan: Think through the application before building it

• Build: Create and configure the application and its components
• Validate: Perform functional testing and write test cases
• Deploy: Move the application into production

The remainder of this guide provides guidance for each of these steps to help developers easily
build, test, and deploy a ServiceNow application.

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Plan
Paramount in building any app is the planning process. Being intentional about the planning
step has both immediate and long-term benefits for the app.

Candidates for a good ServiceNow app

Not every application idea is a good fit on the Now Platform. Some apps are better suited for
the Now Platform than others:

Good Fit Poor Fit

• Simple forms • Unstructured data
• Task management • Unrepeatable processes
• Request fulfillment • Requires graphics processing
• Excel driven processes • Streaming audio or video
• Repeatable processes • Highly customized UI
• 3rd party integrations
• Orchestration of multiple systems
• Single experience from functions
in multiple systems
• Web and Mobile access to the
same apps and data
simultaneously

Pre-Build Decisions
Some actions taken when building an app are irreversible. Plan for these topics in advance.
• Scoped vs. Global Applications
• Instance Selection
• Naming Decisions

Scoped vs. Global Applications

One of the first major decisions to make when creating an app is: Should the app be in its own
private scope or in the global scope?

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By default, apps are created in their own private application scope. Applications in a private
application scope restrict access to their application artifacts so that only application artifacts in
the same scope have full access to create, modify, remove, or run application data. Scoped
applications can use source control integration and delegated development. Globally scoped
applications cannot integrate with source control or use delegated development.
Create custom business applications in scope unless:
• the application has to delete global data.
• the application needs to change application access settings on multiple default tables to
function.
• the application needs to access APIs only available in the global scope and creating a
globally scoped passthrough script include is not enough for this requirement. A globally
scoped passthrough is a script include created in a global scope that is accessible from the
private scope and gives access to a global API that is not accessible by default from a
private application scope.

DOCUMENTATION : Application Scope

COMMUNITY WHITEPAPER : Understanding Application Scope on the Now Platform

Start in the Appropriate Instance

Proof of Concept (PoC) application builds can and should be built in a separate instance from a
regular development instance. The instance can be a sandbox instance or a personal
developer instance (PDI) from the Developer Portal [developer.servicenow.com]. PDIs are
named in the format of dev12345.service-now.com.
If utilizing an instance with a different scope namespace, rebuild the PoC apps in the
organization’s development instance, but do not import them into that instance as the scoped
namespace on the app will not match that of the company’s development instance.
Applications that the organization intends to use (i.e., production apps) should be created in the
organization’s dev instance so the application can follow the organization’s testing and
deployment process.

Naming Decisions
The application Name matters. ServiceNow suggests a Scope based on the application’s Name.
Application file names are appended to the Scope to uniquely identify application resources in
an instance. Scope has the form of x_[company code]_[app_name] with a maximum of 18
characters. For example, an application name Legal Request has a suggested scope of
x_acme_legal_reque.
Because all application files within the app inherit the Scope, carefully consider what the value
should be. The Name of the application can always be changed.

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Prerequisites for building an app
The following are required to build an app:
• A ServiceNow instance
• An admin or delegated developer role in that ServiceNow instance. A delegated developer
role is a role with fewer privileges than the admin role that still allows for application
development.

See Appendix B for recommended training when onboarding a new developer.

Managing Development
Source Control
To enable simple, future-proof collaboration for your app, use Source Control Integration. Source
control allows an organization to adopt industry standard toolsets while following modern
application development and team management paradigms. See the ServiceNow
documentation for more on Source Control Integration.
While source control platforms, such as Git and GitHub, align an organization with current and
future best-practice trends in ServiceNow application development and management, some
organizations might not be ready to adopt the current source control integration:
• Branch merging is not currently supported
• Corporate Git repositories behind a firewall cannot be directly integrated without additional
firewall configuration
• Global applications are not currently supported

For more guidance on developing as a team on the Now Platform reference the Developing as
a Team Guide on the developer site.

Delegated Development
Delegated Development allows designated users without the admin role to develop or deploy
applications on the Now Platform. Users with the application-specific admin role or the system-
level admin role can delegate application development to designated developers at the
application level.
If possible, use delegated development and give developers the lowest set of privileges
required.

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To become familiar with the ServiceNow interface, take this SELF-PACED T RAINING : Build My First
Application
Note: Delegated development is only available to privately scoped applications.

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Build
Once planning is complete, build the data model.

Data
Define the data model first in the build process. Create one or more tables with fields, load the
table with demo data, and verify access controls to that data.

Create an app
The first action to take is to either create or open an application record:

• Create: Use ServiceNow Studio to create the data model ServiceNow recommends that
the Create a custom application option, which allows creates a table, user role, and
application menu as the scoped application is created. Any additional tables created
will use the application menu and role rather than creating new ones.
• Open: If developers do not have the admin role, the ServiceNow System Administrator
needs to create the application and grant developers a delegated development role.
Developers then use Studio to open the application for editing.

Expert tip
The application Scope and table Name, sometimes referred to as the internal names for these objects,
cannot be changed once they are created. However, the application Name and table Label can be
changed. Application users only see the internal names in the URL, but internal names should be consistent
with what the user sees wherever possible.

Build the Data Model

Create tables and fields on the tables to support the application’s data model.

N OTE : ServiceNow automatically adds six fields to each new table. The new fields contain auto-
populated information about the table, such as when the record was created, when the record
was last updated and by whom, and a unique identifier for the record. These fields cannot be
manipulated.

Field name Database Name Description

Created by sys_created_by The user that created the record

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 The date/time which the record was
Created sys_created_on
created

Updated by sys_updated_by The user who last updated the record

The time at which the last record was

Updated sys_updated_on
updated

The unique identifier for the record. This is

Sys ID sys_id auto-assigned and unique throughout the
instance

A numeric field that counts the number of

Updates sys_mod_count updates for this record since record
creation

New tables can extend an existing table to inherit fields and functionality from the table being
extended. Add to and modify the components of the extended table to tailor its. The most
common table to extend in ServiceNow is the task table.
COMMUNITY BLOG: When to Create a New Table vs. When to Extend
DOCUMENTATION : Create a Table

Add fields to the table to support the data model required by the application. ServiceNow has
many different field types with built-in validation. Select the field type that best fits that field’s
data. Plain text (String) fields are the easiest to configure, but because users can enter anything,
String fields can result in bad and inconsistent data that is difficult to use.

EXAMPLE:

What NOT to do: Use a String field for a user’s name. Notice the Caller field is different for each
Incident record, but the caller could be the same person:

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What to do: Use a reference field type that references the User table instead of a String field.
Users then need to select a single consistent record in the Caller field:

Reference fields ensure consistent data by normalizing date in another table in ServiceNow.
ServiceNow has over 2000 baseline tables available to reference. Appendix B lists some
commonly used tables for building an app.

While a reference field can normalize data, other fields can be used for specific types of data.
The ServiceNow Documentation site has the complete list of Field Types. Some common field
types:

Field Type Notes

Integer Stores number values and can be used in calculations.

Holds a currency value and will show values in the currency of the logged in
Currency
user.

Phone number Includes validation and formatting for E164-compliant phone numbers.

Reference Displays a record from another table and helps to normalize data.

Displays a select box with a predefined list of choices. Choice lists should
Choice
include fewer than ten items.

Stores a date value selected with a date picker. Use Date if you do not need a
Date
specific time.

Stores date and time values selected with a date and time picker. Use
Date/Time
Date/Time to compare specific times or if the exact time is important.

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 Holds freeform text. Use String if no other field type matches the values stored in
String
the field.

N OTE : Field types should not be changed after a field is created.

Choice Lists vs Reference Fields

Choice lists and Reference fields both offer users a way to choose a value from a list. Choice lists
are name/value pairs. Users select from the names, and the field stores the value of the selected
choice. Scripts use the value. Add and remove name/value pairs from the choices to manage
the list of options.
Reference fields point to a table. Manage choices in the table. The value stored in the
Reference field is the sys_id of the referenced record.
Choice lists do not require a reference table and are easier to configure than Reference fields.
Use Choice lists when the field has ten or fewer options and the options will not change.
Consider using a Reference field and table when:
• the field requires more than ten choices.
• the choices will regularly change.
• someone other than an administrator needs to manage the choices.
• the value of the field has an impact on decision logic. For example, Decision Tables in Flow
Designer.
• the data has multi-level dependencies between different fields, which would result in
complex and unwieldy combinations of choice fields.
• the choices require more than a name/value pair. For example, referencing a User record
gives the referencing table access to other user details, such as Email and Department.
• a table already exists that includes the data needed for the field.

When using Reference fields, review the tables available in the instance to reference before
creating a table. If creating a new table, check the list of exempt tables in section 2 of the
Custom Table Guide. If appropriate, extend the new table from one of these.

Expert tip
Before creating new fields on an extended table, check for an existing field inherited from the base table
that has a similar purpose. If a field is found, override the Label on the extended table.

Secure Data
Data security is one of the most important and overlooked aspects of creating an app.
ServiceNow automatically configures access control for a new or selected role during the table
creation process. Only users with the role can access the table to read, create, write, and
delete.

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Use Access Control rules to configure table and column-level security in the Now Platform. To
properly configure access to an application, developers should understand how Access
Controls work and the order in which Access Controls are evaluated. Apply multiple Access
Controls together make an Access Control List (ACL).
SELF-PACED T RAINING : Securing Applications
DOCUMENTATION : Access control list rules

When considering security:

• be sure to protect all tables, UI pages, Property pages, and other content with the
appropriate Access Controls and roles.
• limit the use of GlideRecord queries in Access Control scripts as it can affect performance.

As of the Madrid Platform Subscription model, customers are charged by how many tables a
user can access, regardless of whether the user does access the table. Configure ACLs to restrict
access to a table to ensure that only the users that need access to a table can access the
table.

Expert tip
Consider making any auto-populated fields read only. If the system is populating the data a user
usually should not be able to do so.

Alternately, secure data on the Now Platform with before-query Business Rules. Before-query
Business Rules run before the database query and are limited to controlling read access to a
record. Only use before-query Business Rules when necessary. Some considerations when
deciding to use Access Controls or before-query Business Rules:
• GlideRecord queries will bypass read Access Controls on a table but will be restricted by
before-query Business Rules on a table.
• When Access Controls restrict read access to records in a list, ServiceNow shows a message
saying that access has been restricted for the records. With before-query Business Rules, the
number of records in the list total matches the number of records shown to the user. The user
receives no indication that some records have been hidden from the list.

Review the user query Business Rule on the User [sys_user] table for reference.
N OTE : Before-query Business Rules do not take the place of ACLs. Denying users access to a table
via before-query Business Rule will still count the table against the subscription model. Use Access
Controls to prevent the table from being counted for the users in the Platform Subscription
model.

Review the ServiceNow Security Best Practices Guide [requires login] on the HI portal
(https://hi.service-now.com) for additional security recommendations.

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Encryption
The Now Platform also provides various encryption solutions at the application tier, database tier,
and hardware tier. Learn more in the Data Encryption Whitepaper.

Expert tip
Set up security before configuring any interfaces or business logic. Since security affects the data available
to interfaces and business logic, waiting until the end of the application build process may cause rework
and issues.

Manage Data
With the data model (tables and fields) created and security set up, add data into the
application’s table(s).

Import Sets
To populate tables in ServiceNow from an external platform, use import sets and transform maps.
To retrieve data from an external source on a regular basis, use a scheduled import.

SELF-PACED T RAINING : Importing Data into ServiceNow

Guidelines for Import Set Performance:

• Break up large amounts of data into smaller sets for faster imports. Consider 100,000 rows to
be a baseline and break up anything larger than that into sets of 100,000. For example,
importing 10 sets of 100,000 will finish quicker than on set of 1,000,000 records. Also consider
using Concurrent Imports with larger numbers of records.
• Importing large data sets simultaneously can put load on an instance. Stagger large imports
so the imports do not overlap.
• If possible, deselect the Run business rules check box on the transform map table to avoid
running Business Rules and other logic during an import. Consider using an onComplete
transform script to run business logic, such as calculations, at the end of an import rather
than on each record as Business Rules do.
• Use default functionality for imports. Whenever possible, avoid writing custom scripts. For
example, use the coalesce functionality rather than writing a custom coalesce script.
• Avoid GlideRecord queries in an Import Set.
• Make sure any fields configured to Coalesce are indexed.

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• If replacing a system with a requirement to import historical data, import only the historical
data required for the application. Consider storing historical data in a data lake.

Inbound Integrations
In addition to Import Sets, ServiceNow includes APIs to accept data from external platforms.
To push data directly into an application table from another system, use Web Service Import Sets
instead of writing directly to application tables using the REST Table API or SOAP APIs.
SELF-PACED T RAINING : Web Service Import Sets

To handle data transactions that are more complex than writing data to a table, such as
sending an attachment or ordering a catalog item, review the available APIs to see if one exists
that supports the required logic.
Use a Scripted REST API or Scripted SOAP Web Service to build REST or SOAP endpoints,
respectively. Scripted REST API and Scripted SOAP Web Service endpoints can execute
ServiceNow server-side code when the endpoint is consumed by an external system.
SELF-PACED T RAINING : REST Integrations

Design
With the application’s data model is created, secured, and populated with data, Create the
design elements to access that data.

Primary Interfaces
The primary way for users to interact with your data model is through Forms and Lists or Mobile.

Forms and Lists

The standard method of accessing data in ServiceNow is through the default forms and lists. A
form displays information from one record in a data table, and a list displays a set of records
from a table. When configuring forms and lists, follow these guidelines:
1. Keep the number of fields on a form to a minimum. The more fields on a form, the longer
the form takes to load resulting in a poor user experience. Use form views to create
different sets of fields for different situations.
2. Use form sections to logically group fields together and keep users from having to scroll.
The top section of the form should contain the fields that are always needed or used,
while the other form sections contain less frequently utilized fields.

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 3. Make sure fields appear in the right order. For example, the start date field should always
come right before an end date field.
4. Use seven or fewer columns in a default list. Users can add more by personalizing their
lists.
5. Avoid using a reference field as the first item in the list view as it is shown as hyperlinked
text. Clicking on the reference field will redirect the user to the referenced record instead
of the list record and results in a poor user experience.

The figure below shows an example of a poorly designed form as it contains the following
characteristics:
• The form has no sections. Users need to scroll through the entire form to see all the fields.
• Similar fields are not grouped together. For example, Assignment group and Assigned to
are on different sides of the form.

Below is a well-designed form that contains the following characteristics:

• Fields are grouped together logically, like Assignment group and Assigned to.
• The form has been broken into sections for easier viewing and data entry.

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Mobile
If users will interact with the app on their mobile devices and will need native iOS or Android
functionality, like geolocation or offline access to application data, use the ServiceNow Agent
app. Use Studio to create a mobile application for the application.
Create applets in the mobile application. Applets are tiles within an application include a
master screen, such as a map or a list, and various details screens, such as an activity stream or
related lists. Applets should have focused experiences.

Expert tip
Individual applets can be secured by role as well as made available in offline mode.

SELF-PACED T RAINING : Mobile

O THER RESOURCES : Mobile Resources

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Self-Service
Your app also may need a way for end users to be able to access your data model, so there are
also some self-service options.

Service Portal
If the application has Requestor or Self-Service users, use Service Portal to provide a friendly web
experience.
To give self-service users the ability to easily create application records from the Service Portal,
create a record producer. A record producer can provide a better end-user experience than a
regular form. Talk to your ServiceNow Administrator about the appropriate catalog and
categorization to make the record producer accessible through the Service Portal.
Alternatively, create a Service Portal for an app if the following are true:
• The application needs different branding, navigation, or user experience than an
organization’s current Service Portal.
OR
• The organization does not have an existing Service Portal,
AND
• The application needs more functionality than the default portals provide.
AND
• The application requires a more customized user experience than the default forms and lists
can provide,
OR
• The application needs more control over branding and themes than the default interface
provides

Expert tip
Do not try to reuse any existing service portal pages in an app. Create new pages and then reuse
components in your pages, like widgets and headers.

Widgets
Widgets are what define the content in the portal. The base system widgets provided with
Service Portal can be used, or developers can build custom widgets to fit business needs.
Considerations for creating custom Service Portal widgets for an application:
• Start from an existing widget instead of creating a widget from scratch. To protect existing
widgets from accidental modifications, all baseline widgets are read-only.
• When developing a widget, Use the Preview pane to quickly test the widget's behavior.
Always test the widget on a portal page before releasing a widget to production.

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• Use third-party debugging tools when debugging browser-based applications. For
example, the ng-inspector Chrome extension.
• Avoid the use of $rootScope.$broadcast(). Instead, use $rootScope.$emit() to publish an
event to the rootscope.
• Use widget options to make widgets more easily reusable. The widget option schema defines
the user-configurable fields.
• For field types not supported in the option schema, create an extension table to store a
custom widget option schema.
• Make use of Angular Providers, which are reusable components that can be injected into
multiple widgets. To ensure quick loading widgets and a high performing portal, create
Angular Providers instead of overloading your client controllers with persistent data and
additional logic. With Angular Providers, you can maintain data for the lifetime of
your Service Portal and reuse components and data objects across multiple widgets.

SELF-PACED T RAINING : Service Portal

Virtual Agent
Consider Virtual Agent, ServiceNow’s conversational bot platform. Use ServiceNow Virtual Agent
(VA) to build and design bot conversations to help users quickly obtain information, make
decisions, and perform common work tasks.
Some considerations when building VA conversation topics:
• If adding VA to a portal, create topics that focus on particular use cases rather than a broad
topic.
• Read topics out loud to keep the topic from sounding too robotic or being too verbose.
• Do not try to design the whole interaction at once. Instead take an iterative approach when
building the bot and test the conversation frequently.

DOCUMENTATION : Virtual Agent

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Communication
With the data model defined and users able to interact with the application, next determine
how the application should communicate with users. Configure Notifications to alert users to
important application-related events, share application information in the Knowledgebase, and
add translations to allow users to interact with the application in their native language.

Notifications
The Now Platform can notify users by email, SMS text message, or push notifications. Build
notifications into an application to alert users to important application-related information.

Triggers: Event driven notifications vs table updates:

Configure Notifications to trigger based on updates to a table or based on an event. Use event-
based triggering when triggering requirements cannot be easily implemented in the notification
conditions or when the notification is triggered from a Workflow. Creating specific events also
enables easier notification debugging.
Use the Notification activity in a workflow or the Send an email action in Flow Designer for simple
notification use cases. For complex or critical notifications, trigger an event from a workflow or a
Flow Designer flow and configure a notification to fire off that event.

Notification content:
Notifications in ServiceNow support static and dynamic content using Email templates, email
scripts, and notification variables.
Notification variables add dynamic information to the body of a notification, like field values
from the base record, link to a record, etc. The variables also support dot-walking, which means
field values from any of the related records can be included in the content without scripting.
For example, use the URI_REF variable to point to the record that originated the email.

Use Email scripts to include dynamic content that is not available in the record or by dot-walking
from the base record. Apart from populating dynamic content, use the mail script API to set
notification details, such as the recipient and sender addresses, etc.
Note - Scripts entered in the notification body using <mail_script> tags may not always work
correctly. Always create email scripts at System Notifications > Email > Notification Email Script
and include them in the notification body with ${mail_script:script_name}.

Create Email templates for content used in multiple notifications. Adding the content to an
Email template enables administrators to create reusable content for the subject line and
message body of email notifications.

Configure recipients:

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ServiceNow emails can be sent to users, groups, or individual email addresses. When sending to
groups, check the Include members field on the group record for the notification to be sent to
all members of the group in addition to the group email.
Subscription-based notifications - Select the Subscribable option on the notification to allow
recipients to pick and choose the emails they want to receive.
For a subscription-based notification, the Mandatory option can be set to true for the recipients
to receive the notification regardless of their individual preferences. Optionally, configure
unsubscribe links in the outgoing email to allow users to remove themselves from the notification.

ServiceNow uses email watermarks to correctly process user responses to notifications. Email
notifications automatically include watermarks unless the Omit watermark option is checked in
the notification. Omit watermarks only when no email response is expected from the recipients.

The following KB article provide troubleshooting steps for the most common notification issues.
https://hi.service-now.com/kb_view.do?sysparm_article=KB0521382

Translations
When using one of the Internationalization plugins, most of the fields in the instance are
automatically translated. However, customizations are not translated automatically, and need
to be translated by hand. In this case, it is best to locate the individual untranslated strings, and
insert those translations manually.
DOCUMENTATION : Language Internationalization Support
To implement a new language, activate the plugin for the new language. Then export the
existing values from any of the Translation tables.
For example, export all sys_choice records. Provide the export to a translator to provide
translations for the Label field in the provided file. The Value field should not change. Update the
Language value to the new language. Then, upload the translated values back to the
sys_choice table.

Note: To insert values, make sure you are setting all the necessary fields; table, element,
language, label, value, and sequence (as well as Dependent value and Hint where
applicable). This logic is the same for all translation tables.

Reporting and Dashboards

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Most applications will have some level of reporting requirements. Reports should be actionable
to drive change. Follow these guidelines when building reports:
• Reporting on large tables can have performance impact on a ServiceNow instance. Be sure
to filter by a date range or other limiting criteria rather than showing all records on the table.
• Grouping records by fields that contain many possible values can negatively impact
performance.
• If running a report gives Long running transaction timer message, consider adding more data
filters to reduce the report run time.
• Schedule reports needed on a regular basis to be sent via email.

Use dashboards to show multiple reports on one page. Be careful with the number of reports on
a dashboard. Too many reports on a dashboard and multiple users are using that dashboard
can negatively affect instance performance.

SELF-PACED T RAINING : Reporting and Analytics

Logic
The next step in designing an application is to build logic. Logic includes form logic (what people
can and cannot see/use on a form) and business logic (rules that govern what happens to data
when it is entered).

Scripting and Modifications

Before writing any code, be aware of the impact on upgrades and the adoption of new
ServiceNow features. Particular care should be taken when modifying baseline artifacts and
processes.
Consider the following before scripting:
• Asses the requirement. Is the logic critical to the functioning of the app?
• Determine if ServiceNow can be configured to fulfill the requirement without code.
• Leverage options, such as Flow Designer, Virtual Agent, and UI Policies to take advantage of
platform capabilities without writing code.
• Low and no-code approaches to logic are easier to debug and upgrade.

Examples of when scripting is appropriate:

• Building Flow Designer actions
• Creating a Scripted REST API
• Creating logic for scoped applications in Script Includes
• Customizing and creating widgets for Service Portal

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Evaluate the business requirement and consider a no-code route before using a scripted
solution.
Be aware of ServiceNow enhancements. For example, in the Madrid release, Virtual Agent
conversations have more no-code options than London. Read release notes and other
publications. Get certified and stay current with your certifications.
To better understand when to customize, review the Innovate at Scale Success Playbook on the
Customer Success Center.

Modifying Default Behavior

In the past, one of the strategies used was to copy the artifact to update and to deactivate the
original. The copy/deactivate approach is no longer recommended due to the following issues:
• Developers cannot tell if a deactivated artifact was upgraded without research.
• Two files, the original and the copy, need to be maintained. Maintenance doubles each
time a customization is made.
• With each release, the customized record becomes older.
– Customers do not receive the enhancements included in a new release.
– A new release may rely on the original record being updated.
– Developers may make more changes to compensate for the original record being
inactive.

A script where only the Active flag is changed will be updated, but the script does not appear
on the skipped list. With the copy and deactivate strategy, a developer has less visibility into
customizations and cannot easily assess or revert to the baseline version.
Rather than copying and deactivating the original artifact, edit the artifact directly. The
ServiceNow Upgrade Engine will add the latest version to the version history and report that the
artifact was skipped. Developers can see a new version is available with the upgrade.

Form Logic
Controlling what users see when they visit a form can greatly increase productivity and
responsiveness. For example, users should only see fields that are useful to them. Users may only
need to see certain fields based on what is configured on the form. Apply form logic to control
what is visible, read-only, and mandatory on a form.
The following question will help direct you to the right decision for when to control user access to
information: Is this a suggestion or enforcement? A suggestion makes the form easier to
complete whereas enforcement forces the user to do something in order to complete the form.
UI Policies are useful for conditional suggestions like showing and hiding fields or adding field
messages based on another field’s value, while Data Policies and Business Rules are better suited
for doing conditional enforcement like making a field mandatory.
The best user experience is to utilize both suggestion and enforcement together.
SELF-PACED T RAINING : UI Policy Section

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Build UI Policies and Data Policies to handle client-side activities before scripting any client-side
logic. Use of Client Scripts to validate user input and provide feedback while the user is
completing the form.
Some general practices for client scripting are:
• Optimize for performance by using asynchronous GlideAjax over client-side GlideRecord or
multiple getReference() calls.
• Keep the isLoading check in onChange client scripts.
• Keep the newValue check and add a newValue != oldValue check.
• Use all client-side scripts possible before making a server call with GlideAjax. Server roundtrips
can impact performance.

Some client scripting practices to avoid are:

• Global Client Scripts or Global UI Scripts: Global scripts will run on every page load and
introduce browser load delay.
• DOM Manipulation: Using document object model manipulation against default UI elements
introduces upgrade risk and maintainability issues. The exception is using DOM manipulation
against the DOM in pages authored in the same scoped application, like UI Pages or Service
Portal widgets.

RESOURCE : Client Scripting Technical Best Practices

Business Rules and Script Includes

Business Rules are server-side actions that can be run during CRUD (Create, Read, Update,
Delete) operations on instance records. Some good practices when using Business Rules are:
• Keep Business Rules small and specific.
• Avoid modifying base system Business Rules.
• Use Script Includes instead of global Business Rules.
• Use scripting only when necessary.
• Store reusable script logic in a Script Include.
• Use queries to limit records processed within a Business rule.
• Avoid client-callable Business Rules to improve efficiency when running client scripts.
• Always use a condition with Business Rules to control when the Business Rule runs. Running
Business Rules with conditions can also aid in debugging. Business Rules rarely run with no
conditions.

Business Rules can be configured to run before or after a database operation. They can also be
configured to run asynchronously and also before displaying a form or executing a query.

Value Runs When to use Example

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 A developer wants to
Synchronously • Set or update values on the current object set the state of the
before the as part of the save operation
Before current record based
database
• Validate and abort execution if required on another input in
operation
that record.

• Trigger events and notifications after the

database update to access the
previous object or to make something A developer wants to
Synchronously occur in sequence cascade values from
After after the database
• Update related records other than the the current record
operation
base table being updated to access the down to child records.
previous object or to make something
occur in sequence

• The process triggered by the rule may take

a while to run
Asynchronously • When the user who triggered the A developer needs to
executed as a operation does not need the output trigger an external
separate process right away process that may take
Async
after the database a while or update a
• Trigger events, notifications, or related
operation is large number of
record updates when access to the
completed records.
previous values of the record or a
specific sequence of actions is not
required

A developer wants to
write information
Executed every
about a user
time the
• Used to make server-side objects available associated with the
Display corresponding
to client-side scripts current record to the
form is displayed
g_scratchpad object
to use in a client-side
script.

Note: current.update() should not be used in any Business Rules. Using current.update() triggers
an additional database operation, which could cause duplicate notifications, recursive loops,
etc.

RESOURCE : Business Rules Technical Best Practices

Use Script Includes to store JavaScript functions and classes for use by server scripts. Each Script
Include defines either an object class or a function that can be reused among any server-side
scripts.
Store any code that might need to be used elsewhere in a Script Include. Call the Script Include
from a Business Rule, UI Action, workflow script, Scripted REST API, etc. Instead of calling a
Business Rule from a UI Action or a UI Action from a Scripted REST API, put the code in a Script
Include and call the Script Include from both places.

26
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Keeping functions in a Script Include allows testing of the function before deploying the function
in other scripted areas, thus reducing overall development and testing time.

DOCUMENTATION : Business Rules

Flow Designer and IntegrationHub

Flow Designer is a Now Platform feature that enables rich process automation capabilities in a
consolidated design environment. Flow Designer enables process owners to use natural
language to automate approvals, tasks, notifications, and record operations without having to
code.
Flow Designer vs. Workflow
For any new process flow requirements, ServiceNow recommends using Flow Designer over the
legacy workflow for almost all circumstances except for the few functions that are only available
in the workflow tool.
Flow Designer vs Business Rules
You should use Flow Designer instead of Business Rules unless:
• Business logic needs to run in a specific sequence with other Business Rules. For example,
new business logic needs to run after one Business Rule but before another.
• Logic needs to execute immediately before or after writing to the database in the same
thread.
• The logic only calls a Script Include.

When designing a flow, follow these design principles:

• Single Purpose: each flow should have a singular goal.
• Reusability: Design with reusable subflows in mind (approval is a great example)
• Clarity: The language and layout of a flow should make each action’s purpose clear.

Start with a white board design of a business flow. Then build the flow action by action to align
with the process. More than one flow may be required for a for a single process to keep to the
design principles.

Use the following practices when working with Flow Designer:

• Use records, not SysIDs.
• Provide a guided experience with inline documentation.
• Learn how to use template objects to work with both static and dynamic inputs.
• Avoid passing around blobs of data unless absolutely necessary.
• Only pass information to a flow that the flow is going to use.

Use the following practices when working with Flow Designer Actions:

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• Always create actions under the scope of the application’s spoke, if applicable.
• Set access to Accessible from all scopes in actions to be able to reuse actions across other
apps and scopes in the future.
• Set Protection to Read-only to avoid any unwanted edits to the actions by users.
• Make sure inputs have a specific type.
• Ensure that Mandatory is selected where required.
• If using a choice input type, use a default value.

Use the following practices when working with IntegrationHub:

• Create one spoke per integration system. Only put actions for a single system in a spoke.
• When creating the scoped app for the spoke, use a version naming convention that makes
sense.
• Use a connection alias instead of an inline connection. The Base URL will be automatically
extracted.
• Use connection attributes under the Alias to pass the version in a REST step giving future
flexibility for versioning in the resource path.
• Use Save as Attachment to save the content in the response instead of creating another
step to save the data.
• If the Alias is dynamic, make Alias one of the inputs and use the data pill to provide the Alias.

Use the following practices in Flow Designer and IntegrationHub for Error Handling:
• Create a Script Include to handle errors.
• Write short and understandable error messages.
• Incorporate all of the possible error messages the API returns.
• Ensure that the outputs from the integration step are validated before using them.
• Fail Early: If the inputs are not available, do not call the integration.

SELF-PACED T RAINING : Flow Designer

SELF-PACED T RAINING : IntegrationHub

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Validate
As the application is built, validate that it works as expected.

Unit Testing
Unit/Story testing ensures requirements specified in a story are validated before closing the story.
A Story/Unit is a smallest testable portion of system or application that can be configured and
executed.
When the configuration of the story is complete, developers need to unit test the features not
only in the context of that particular story, but also other related stories that share components
with the current story.
As a good practice, developers need to assign the story to process owner or designated
stakeholder to validate the story configuration meets expected outcomes before closing the
story.
ServiceNow’s Automated Test Framework (ATF) is primarily meant for automating functional
testing of applications but in few cases can be used to automate unit testing of configurations
that involve Script Includes and Business Rules.

System Testing
System testing is performed on a complete system when development is completed. Test the
overall interaction of components and integrations with other applications within scope. System
testing is performed by the QA/Testing team, but developers need to collaborate with the QA
team and process owners to ensure test cases provide comprehensive coverage. Developers
will be responsible for remediation of issues found during System Testing.

Automated Test Framework

Automated Test Framework (ATF) should be leveraged for automating functional system testing
of ServiceNow applications to reduce testing time and costs and make testing repeatable and
UI independent. When creating test cases, follow these guidelines.
When Creating Tests:
• Use parameterized testing to avoid duplicate test cases.
• Follow a Test naming standard.
– <app initial>: <functionality that is being tested>
CSM: Resolve case
• Describe each test’s use case in its description.
– Description: “Sample that tests <x> use case”
• Develop tests on a Dev instance and promote/run the test on a Test instance.

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• Clones wipe out tests. Use one of these options to preserve tests:
– Bundle tests in a scoped app and upload the app to GIT.
– Save tests before the clone.
– Promote tests to prod instance, but DO NOT EXECUTE THE TESTS IN PROD.
• Create self-contained tests.
• Create new server-side or REST test steps any test steps are missing.
– Ex: Email body verification.
• Use server-side test step whenever possible and when screenshots are not important.
• Start with the Impersonate step.
• Be aware of browser throttling.
• Use the Test Logs and Test Transactions to troubleshoot test errors.

When Creating Test Suites:

• Follow a test suite naming standard.
– <app initial>: <functionality that is being bundled>
Ex: ITSM INT: Use cases
• Describe the suite.
– Test suite description: "This is a sample test suite to test <x> plugin/application."
– Provide any additional information possible in the description.
• Organize test suites by feature areas.

User Acceptance Testing

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is a test conducted to evaluate the application’s compliance
with the business requirements and assess whether the application is acceptable for delivery.
Users, customers, or other authorized stakeholders perform acceptance testing. Developers will
be responsible for remediation of issues found during System Testing.

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Deploy
Once the application is built and validated, the application needs to be moved to the
production environment. Applications can be moved through an application repository or by
using Update Sets. Applications should be deployed to test environments prior to moving to
production.

Application Repository
Publishing an application to the App Repo makes this version of the application available to all
of an organization’s ServiceNow instances. Use the App Repo to deploy an application to QA /
Test instances (for testing) and finally to Production (Prod) instances.

Documentation: Publishing an application to the application repo, Install an application

Update Sets
If the application repository cannot be used to deploy applications, use Update Sets instead.
The diagram shows the best practice lifecycle of an Update Set to deploy a customization from
the development instance to the test instance.

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Practices that lead to a quality development and release process:
• Always move customizations from the bottom of the stack up.
– Ensures down-stack instances match up-stack instances.
– Customizations introduced mid-stack can be overwritten by future pushes from down-
stack.
– Common scenarios include:
▪ Fixes need in test or prod – always push them from dev up.
▪ Common Prod admin customization, such as choice lists – always push
updates from dev up.
• Always review updates contained in an Update Set before transferring.
– Look for updates associated with other dev efforts and updates associated with testing.
– Watch for system properties and integration end-points changes.
Ex: pushing sys_properties change that directs all email to test email account
– Move updates to a “scrap” Update Set rather than deleting the update.
• Always test after pushing.
– Ensure that all desired customizations are captured and applied as expected.
• In situations with multiple, parallel releases, ensure communication and coordination
between the development teams.
• Avoid experimenting on the development instance.
– Customizations can be captured accidentally and migrated by other team members.
• Do not capture development in the Default Update Set.

Naming Convention
List all user Story numbers with a short description in the Description field of an Update Set.
Include all manual steps that are required to deploy the Update Set.
Some typical examples of manual steps that are needed for a deployment that are not
captured in an Update Set:

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• Plugin activation.
• Transfer of tables that are not tracked in the Update Set (typically, starting with “x_” or “u_”).
• Creation of database indexes on the tables. The index creation is not tracked via Update Set
and needs to be done manually.

Update Set Management

Be sure the correct Update Set is selected when working on a story or a defect and check the
records in the Update Set daily.
Do not manually move sys_update_xml records between Update Sets! The only exception is to
move a record to the Default Update Set.
Update Sets capture configuration information but not task or process data. For example,
Update Sets track Service Catalog item definitions and related configuration data like variables
and variable choices. However, the orders (requests, items, catalog tasks) placed in testing are
not tracked by Update Sets.

Be aware of Update Set DOs and DON’Ts:

• To remove a specific sys_update_xml record from the current Update Set, move the record
to the Default Update Set and populate the field sys_update_set.comments of the record
with reason for moving the record to the Default Update Set.
• Never move customization records from one Update Set to another Update Set.
• Never delete an Update Set unless the Update Set has been merged successfully into a new
Update Set.
• Always use data extracts or Import Sets to move data from one instance to other (and not
Update Sets).

Update Set Batching

Batch Update Sets to preview and commit Update Sets in bulk.
Dealing with multiple Update Sets can lead to problems, including committing Update Sets in
the wrong order or inadvertently leaving out one or more sets. Avoid these problems by
grouping completed Update Sets into a batch.
The system organizes Update Set batches into a hierarchy. One Update Set can act as the
parent for multiple child Update Sets. A given set can be both a child and parent, enabling
multiple-level hierarchies. One Update Set at the top level of the hierarchy acts as the base
Update Set.
Previewing or committing the base Update Set previews or commits the entire batch. The system
determines the processing order and checks for collisions based on the dates the changes were
recorded and on their sequential ancestry. Their ancestries are the specific instances in which
the changes in the Update Sets took place.
Update set batching can be applied to releases, where an empty parent Update Set is created
for the release, and actual Update Sets are included in the release as children.

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Advantages of using Update Set batching are:
• Individual Update Sets can be removed from the release at the last moment.
• Batching is similar to merging, except batching allows updates to be removed.
• Batch Update Sets are easy to deploy. Only the Parent Update Set needs to be processed.

DOCUMENTATION : System Update Sets

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Conclusion
Congratulations, the application has been planned, built, validated, and deployed to solve the
business problem it was designed to address.

What to do next
Now that the app is deployed, think about how to improve and enhance it. Here are some
suggestions for determining where to go next:
• The people using the application day-to-day will be the best source of feedback. Talk to
them about what new features or changes they would like to see.
• Determine if additional related process flows can be automated through Flow Designer.
• Determine if new IntegrationHub spokes can be leveraged for new integrations.

Feedback
For any feedback or questions regarding this document, please email
[email protected] or leave feedback on the developer site.

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APPENDIX A – Now Platform Development Tools

Studio
ServiceNow Studio is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that offers ServiceNow
application developers a centralized interface to create and manage their applications. Studio
is the primary interface for creating and updating an application. Use Studio for source control
integration, delegated development, or publishing an app to an Update Set or to the
application repository.
• How to access studio
• Practice with Studio

Import Sets
Import sets allow administrators to import data from various data sources, and then map that
data into ServiceNow tables.
• Intro to Import Sets
• Practice with Import Sets

REST API Explorer

The REST API Explorer uses information from an instance to provide a list of endpoints, methods,
and variables that developers can use to build and send a REST request. After building the
request, the REST API Explorer provides code samples in multiple programming languages that
developers can use to send the request, along with detailed request and response information.
• Get Started with REST API Explorer
• Practice with the REST API Explorer

Form Designer
Form configuration involves changing the form layout. The form layout changes what appears
on the form and the related list layout changes which related lists appear at the bottom of the
form. With Form Designer you can change aspects of a form such as showing or hiding fields and
adding sections and annotations.
• Using the Form Designer
• Practice with Form Designer

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Mobile
The ServiceNow mobile app is built with a mobile-first design. Configure the ServiceNow mobile
app so users can access an instance on a tablet or smartphone. Configuration for the mobile
application takes place in Studio.
• Mobile in Studio
• Practice with Mobile

Service Portal
• Service Portal Configuration
• Practice with Service Portal

Virtual Agent
Consider adding a conversational bot to Service Portal or third-party messaging platforms that
can chat with users and take actions based on these chats. Specify inputs and take action on
those inputs, like creating or looking up records. Find out more about Virtual Agent in the
ServiceNow docs site.
• Getting Started with Virtual Agent
• Practice with Virtual Agent

Reporting
ServiceNow Reporting enables users and developers to create and distribute reports that show
the current state of instance data, such as the number of open tickets of each priority. Reporting
functionality is available by default for all tables, except for system tables.
• Getting Started with Reports
• Practice with Reporting
• Practice with Performance Analytics

Flow Designer
Flow Designer is a Now Platform feature that enables rich process automation capabilities in a
consolidated design environment. Flow Designers enables process owners to use natural
language to automate approvals, tasks, notifications, and record operations without having to
code.
• Getting Started with Flows
• Practice with Flow Designer

IntegrationHub
IntegrationHub enables execution of third-party APIs as a part of a flow when a specific event
occurs in ServiceNow. These integrations, referred to as spokes, are easy to configure and
enable you to quickly add powerful actions without the need to write a script.

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ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc., in the United States
and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
• Practice with IntegrationHub

Script Debugger
The Script Debugger allows application developers to debug any server-side JavaScript that runs
in an interactive transaction, such as Business Rules, Script Includes, Script Actions, or UI Actions
that require a response in order to proceed.
• Get started with the Script Debugger
• Practice with the Script Debugger

Syntax Editor
The syntax editor provides support for editing JavaScript scripts.
• Intro to Syntax Editor

Automated Test Framework

With Automated Test Framework, create and run automated tests to confirm an application
works after making a change, such as after an upgrade, during application development, or
when deploying instance configurations with Update Sets. Use test results to identify changes
needing review.
• Get started with ATF
• Practice with ATF
• Self-paced ATF Fundamentals Training

38
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved.

ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc., in the United States
and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
APPENDIX B – Now Platform Resources

Onboarding a New Developer

If you are new to ServiceNow development, how should you get started? This section will provide
some options for developers who are new to ServiceNow to ramp up on the Now Platform.

Training:
• New to ServiceNow Learning Plan – Self-paced | Free
• Learn JavaScript on the Now Platform – Virtual | Free
• Scripting in ServiceNow Fundamentals Course – In-person/Virtual | Paid
• Application Development Fundamentals Course – In-person/Virtual | Paid

Other things to do:

• Join a ServiceNow User Group
• Join a Developer Meetup
• Attend the Knowledge Conference
• Try building an app!

Resource Links
Here are some resources you should bookmark for help.
• Product Documentation – Documentation on all of ServiceNow’s features and functionality
• Developer Portal – Portal where developers can get a developer instance and train
• Developer Training – Specific, constantly updated self-paced training classes
• Community – Active community forum where you can ask questions
• Customer Success – Best practice information
• Training Courses – ServiceNow’s virtual or in-person training classes

Expert tip
One of the best resources for your application is existing applications. You can look in your instance and
see how others have built and structured their application and learn from their example. Or look through
the ServiceNow Share site to find applications others have posted.

39
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved.

ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc., in the United States
and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
APPENDIX C – Common Tables within ServiceNow

Label Name Description

User sys_user All ServiceNow instance users

List of all user locations. Users are typically associated

Location cmn_location
with a location.

List of all of the groups. Users are typically associated

Group sys_user_group with groups and inherit any security roles associated
with the groups.

Company core_company List of companies that interact with your organization.

List of security roles in the instance. Some will be default

Role sys_user_role
roles and some will be created by your organization.

The most common base table to extend. Task has fields

and functionality related to assigning work across
Task task
teams and individuals, managing the state or the task,
and other functions.

40
© 2019 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved.

ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc., in the United States
and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.