The security_admin role is required to create and edit Access Controls.

Admin alone is not sufficient to edit Access Controls.

Users with the security_admin role need to use the Elevate Roles menu item in the User menu before creating and editing Access Controls.

The security_admin role is an elevated privilege role provided with High Security Settings that lets users create and change access controls and change High Security Settings.

In the base system, only the default System Administrator (admin) user has the security_admin role. Since it requires elevating privileges, the admin user does not have this role at login. After elevating privileges, the admin user has the security_admin role for the duration of the user session.

Screenshot: The security_admin role record

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Visualisations convey complex data, which can be difficult to describe in words using a chart or graph. Application developers visualise data to transform records into meaningful information for the application's users. The information should drive actions.

Data visualisations allow developers to present data to users in easily consumable ways. The formats are:

Reports: visualisation of data for analysis

On-demand bar and pie charts created from lists: users create charts for any column on a list

% Complete indicators in lists: bar indicates how close a record is to completion

Chart data type for forms: inserts a report into a form

Dashboards: collection of widgets consisting of reports and analytics

Screenshot 1: Example of a report

Screenshot 2: Example of an on-demand bar and pie charts created from a list

Screenshot 3: Example of a percent complete indicator in a list

Screenshot 4: Example of a chart data type that inserts a report into a form

Screenshot 5: Example of a dashboard

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You can assign user criteria to control read or contribute access. 'Can Contribute' is the list of user criteria that grants contribute access and enables users who match the criteria to create and modify articles in a knowledge base.

Only the Knowledge Base Owner and Knowledge Base Managers can contribute if no User Criteria are specified for 'Can Contribute'.

Note: It is recommended to assign appropriate user criteria to secure contribute access.

Depending on the user criteria you want to set, select one or more of the relevant related lists:

Can Read: Users can read knowledge articles in the knowledge base.

Cannot Read: Users can't read knowledge articles in the knowledge base.

Can Contribute: Users can create, modify, and retire knowledge articles in a knowledge base. Contribute access to a knowledge base also provides read access to all articles in the knowledge base.

Cannot Contribute: Users can't create, modify, retire, or read knowledge articles in the knowledge base.

For example, you could enable all users in your Support department to have contribute access to a knowledge base by creating a user criteria record with the required department set to Support and then including the user criteria record in the Can Contribute user criteria.

Screenshot: The Owner and the Managers on the Knowledge Base record

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With the ServiceNow Service Catalog application, you can create service catalogues that provide customers with self-service opportunities. You can customise portals where customers can request catalogue items such as service and product offerings. You can also standardise request fulfilment to ensure the accuracy and availability of the items in the catalogues.

Service Catalogue contains a collection of orderable products and services.

Service Portal is a customised interface used to build and submit an order.

Service Catalogue Request is a collection of one or more ordered items.

Requested Items are products placed in the shopping cart.

Screenshot 1: Service catalogue page on the platform

Screenshot 2: Service catalogue landing page on the Portal

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Spending time to define the import strategy before importing data saves time and effort.

Some of the activities you should do before importing data into ServiceNow are:

Understanding the data you plan to import,

Deciding what to do with incomplete or erroneous data, and

Determining which source data maps to which target fields.

Removing or correcting unwanted records after importing can be tedious and time-consuming.

Screenshot: The data flow for importing data

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An update set is a group of configuration changes that can be moved from one instance to another. This feature allows administrators to group a series of changes into a named set and then move them as a unit to other systems for testing or deployment.

Process records such as Business Rules, Client Scripts, Fields, Forms and Form Sections, Report Definitions, Tables, Views, Roles, and Published Flows are captured in an update set.

Data such as New Data Records, Modified Data Records, Tasks, Modified CIs, new Users and Groups, Schedules, Scheduled Jobs and Homepages (if not manually added) are not captured in an update set.

Screenshot 1: Displaying the update set picker from the Developer tab in System Settings in UI16

Screenshot 2: Setting the application scope and the update set from the top banner in the Next Experience UI

Screenshot 3: Accessing an update set record when a different application is current

Screenshot 4: Editing an update set or making it your current update set within the same application

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You can view the callers with VIP status on the incident records list view and the incident form. Organisations commonly designate VIP status in the user record for some of their VIP users.

The user record is automatically checked for VIP status when a caller is assigned to an incident. If the Caller is a VIP caller, an icon appears beside the Caller's name in the list view or the caller field in the form view.

By default, the Caller's name will turn red, and a VIP icon will appear next to the Caller field when a user has the VIP field set to true on their User [sys_user] record.

Screenshot: The VIP status of the Caller on the Incident list view

Screenshot: The VIP status of the Caller on the Incident form

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The state closure in the request fulfilment process of a catalogue item depends on the status of the associated catalogue tasks, request items, and the request. Here is the state closure dependency between a catalogue task and RITM:

If all catalogue tasks are closed as Closed Complete, the RITM is closed as Closed Complete.

If at least one catalogue task is closed as Closed Incomplete, the RITM is closed as Closed Incomplete.

If all catalogue tasks are closed as Closed Skipped, the RITM is closed as Closed Skipped.

Therefore, when all catalogue tasks are closed, the parent requested item is set to Closed Complete by the workflow.

Note 1: This is applicable only for execution flows.

Note 2: When the 'Request lifecycle' option is set to request-driven, the assigned agent can complete and close the request once all the tasks in the request are complete. Also, a 'Close Complete' button is visible to the agent assigned to the request. The agent enters work notes before clicking Close Complete. When the button is clicked, the open task is automatically completed (if applicable) and the request transitions to the Complete state.

Diagram 1: Request fulfilment hierarchy showing the different layers for a sample request

Diagram 2: A request that contains more than one requested item with approval steps

Screenshot: Example of a Service Catalog Item Request workflow

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You can edit more than one record simultaneously using the list editor or an editing form.

The list editor allows you to edit field values directly from a list without navigating to a form. You can edit multiple records at the same time using the list editor. The list editor is the quickest method to update a single field on multiple records to have the same value.

You can edit multiple records at the same time using an editing form. You can use an editing form if you want to edit multiple fields or fields that do not appear in the list view. You can update selected records by right-clicking any column header and selecting the Update Selected action (in List v2) or update all records in the list by choosing Update All.

Screenshot 1: Updating the category field on multiple Incidents using the List Editor

Screenshot 2: Updating multiple Incidents using the Update Selected action

Learn more about the list editor here!

Learn more about the editing form here!

The Now Platform includes a default homepage and the ServiceNow Service Desk application to provide a basic set of service desk functions.

Both can be customised to suit the processes you are involved in and the needs of the organisation.

A process user can navigate to Service Desk, and My Work or My Groups Work to locate the relevant tasks and assign them appropriately.

Tasks in the My Work module are assigned to individuals

Tasks in the My Groups Work module are assigned to a group, but not yet assigned to a specific user

Screenshot: My Groups Work module under the Service Desk application

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