Book Image

Mastering ServiceNow - Second Edition

Book Image

Mastering ServiceNow - Second Edition

Overview of this book

ServiceNow is a SaaS application that provides workflow form-based applications. It is an ideal platform for creating enterprise-level applications giving requesters and fulfillers improved visibility and access to a process. ServiceNow-based applications often replace email by providing a better way to get work done. The book steps through the main aspects of the ServiceNow platform, from the ground up. It starts by exploring the core architecture of ServiceNow, including building the right data structure. To add business logic and control data, and interactivity to user interaction, you will be shown how to code on both server and the client. You will then learn more about the power of tasks, events and notifications. The book will then focus on using web services and other mechanisms to integrate ServiceNow with other systems. Furthermore, you will learn how to secure applications and data, and understand how ServiceNow performs logging and error reporting. You will then be shown how to package your applications and changes, so they can be installed elsewhere and ways to maintain them easily. If you wish to create an alternative simple interface, then explore ways to make ServiceNow beautiful using Service Portal. By the end of the book, you will know the fundamentals of the ServiceNow platform, helping you be a better ServiceNow System Administrator or developer.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Mastering ServiceNow Second Edition
Credits
Notice
About the Author
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
Preface

Designing integrations


How you connect other systems to ServiceNow requires considerable thought. Most of the time, the plumbing is fairly easy, but you need to know where to route the pipes. You don't want to get fresh and waste water mixed up!

At a very high level, there are two points to consider when importing data or creating an integration:

  • What data points am I transferring? For example, which fields should I match it with?

  • When do I want to transfer it? Is it on a nightly basis, whenever a ticket is created, or even when the Work notes field is updated?

This information should feed into whatever mechanism you eventually use.

Transferring bulk data

In general, if you are exchanging data that represents more than one record at a time, ServiceNow uses a pull mechanism. This generally happens on a scheduled basis, usually nightly, to keep the two systems in loose synchronization.

Importing an XML or CSV file is easy with ServiceNow. Place the file on an FTP server and have ServiceNow check...