ServiceNow for Workflows

Use the ServiceNow integration in Workflows to connect ControlUp with ServiceNow and automate tasks across incident management, Configuration Management, Event Management, Asset Management, and service catalog data.

This article explains how to configure the ServiceNow integration and use the available ServiceNow action nodes.

Supported ServiceNow Actions

The ServiceNow integration supports the following actions:

• Incident Management:

  • Create New Incident

  • Get Incident

  • List Incidents

  • Update Incident

  • Upload Attachment

• Configuration Management:

  • Create or Update CI

  • Get CI Relationships

  • Get Configuration Item

  • List CI Classes

  • List Configuration Items

  • Update CI Attributes

• Event Management:

  • Send Event

• Asset Management:

  • List Hardware Assets

  • List Stockrooms

• Service Catalog:

  • Get Request Item Variables

• System Management:

  • List Categories

  • List User Groups

  • List Users

• Task Management:

  • Create Task

  • Update Task

Add the ServiceNow Integration

Before you can use a ServiceNow action in a workflow, add and configure a ServiceNow integration. You can authenticate using Basic authentication with a ServiceNow username and password, or OAuth 2.0 with client credentials. OAuth 2.0 requires additional setup in ServiceNow. Learn more about Workflow Integrations.

Configure OAuth 2.0 in ServiceNow

If you use OAuth 2.0, create an OAuth client in ServiceNow before configuring the integration in ControlUp. If you use Basic authentication, continue to Configure the Integration in ControlUp.

1. In ServiceNow, go to Machine Identity Console > Inbound integrations and create a new integration.

2. Select OAuth - Client credentials grant.

3. Set the OAuth Application User to the user the integration will act as. The roles assigned to this user determine which ServiceNow operations your flows can perform.

4. Under Scope validation settings, either clear Allow access only to APIs in selected scope or assign an authorization scope that includes the APIs used by your flows, such as the Table API.

5. Save the integration and copy the Client ID and Client secret.

The ServiceNow system property glide.oauth.inbound.client.credential.grant_type.enabled must be set to true.

Configure the Integration in ControlUp

After you configure OAuth 2.0 in ServiceNow, or if you use Basic authentication, configure the ServiceNow integration in ControlUp.

1. Go to Workflows > Integrations.

2. Click Add new integration.

3. Select ServiceNow.

4. Enter an Integration name. This name appears in Select integration config when you configure a ServiceNow action node.

5. Under Authentication method, select one of the following:

   • Basic authentication

   • OAuth 2.0

6. Enter your ServiceNow Instance URL.

7. Enter the credentials for the selected authentication method:

   • For Basic authentication, enter the Username and Password of the ServiceNow user the integration will use.

   • For OAuth 2.0, enter the Client ID and Client secret from the inbound integration you created in ServiceNow.

8. Set the Permissions for the integration:

   • All organization: Everyone in your organization can access and use the integration.

   • Specific users: Only the users you select can access and use the integration.

   • Just me: Only you can access and use the integration.

9. Click Add Integration.

Add a ServiceNow Action to a Workflow

After you configure the integration, add a ServiceNow action node to a workflow.

1. Go to Workflows > Flows and create or open a flow.

2. Add an action node.

3. Search for ServiceNow.

4. Select the ServiceNow action you want to add.

5. In Select integration config, select the ServiceNow integration to use.

6. Configure the action as described in the sections below.

To learn more about creating flows, adding nodes, and configuring standard node settings such as Flow logic and Retry Configuration, see Create a Flow.

ServiceNow Actions

Create or Update CI

Creates a new configuration item (CI) or updates an existing CI using ServiceNow Identification and Reconciliation.

Configure the following fields:

• CI Class: Select the ServiceNow CI class.

• Attributes: Enter the CI attributes as key-value pairs. Include the attributes used by the class identification rule so ServiceNow can identify the same CI in future runs.

If ServiceNow finds a matching CI, the existing CI is updated. Otherwise, a new CI is created. The output indicates whether the CI was matched or created and returns its sys_id.

For dependent CI classes, provide the parent CI information required by ServiceNow.

The action processes one CI per run and does not create or update CI relationships.

Get CI Relationships

Retrieves relationships for a configuration item.

Get Configuration Item

Retrieves details about a configuration item from ServiceNow.

List CI Classes

Retrieves the available configuration item classes from ServiceNow.

List Configuration Items

Retrieves configuration items from ServiceNow.

Update CI Attributes

Updates attributes on an existing configuration item.

Create New Incident

Creates a new incident in ServiceNow.

Configure the following fields:

• Urgency: How quickly the incident requires attention.

• Short Description: A brief summary of the incident that appears as its main title in ServiceNow.

• Description: A detailed description of the incident.

• Assignment group: The team or group responsible for handling the incident.

• Assigned To: The person responsible for handling the incident.

• Category: The incident category, such as Hardware, Software, or Network.

• Comment: Additional context, troubleshooting information, or other details about the incident.

For fields that support variables, enter a string or use a workflow variable.

Add Custom Fields

Use Custom Fields to send additional ServiceNow fields that are not available as built-in fields in the action.

1. Under Custom Fields, click + Add.

2. In Name, enter the ServiceNow field name, such as caller_id or a custom field beginning with u_.

3. In Value, enter a string or use a variable.

You can add multiple fields. Duplicate field names cannot be added.

Get Incident

Retrieves details about a specific ServiceNow incident.

1. In Retrieve By, select how to identify the incident:        

   • Incident Number

   • System ID (sys_id)

2. Enter the corresponding incident number or system ID. You can enter a string or use a variable.

3. Optionally, select Return Display Values to return human-readable values for reference fields instead of sys_id values.

Get Request Item Variables

Retrieves the catalog variables answered on a ServiceNow requested item (RITM), including the questions shown on the request form and their answers.

Configure the following field:

• Request Item Number / sys_id: Enter the RITM number, such as RITM0010014, or the requested item's 32-character sys_id. A parent request (REQ) does not match because the variables belong to the requested item.

List Categories

Retrieves a list of incident categories from ServiceNow. Use this action to retrieve categories that can be used to classify incidents.

List Hardware Assets

Retrieves hardware assets from the ServiceNow alm_hardware table.

Configure the following fields:

• Query: A ServiceNow encoded query used to filter the returned assets, such as by serial number, asset tag, or assignee.

• Limit: The maximum number of matching assets to return. Defaults to 100.

• Offset: The number of matching assets to skip before returning results. Use this with Limit for pagination.

• Sort By: The field used to sort the results in ascending order. Leave empty to use ServiceNow's default order.

List Incidents

Retrieves a list of incidents from ServiceNow. You can optionally filter the incidents returned by the action.

• Query: Filters incidents using ServiceNow query syntax. Leave this field empty to retrieve incidents without applying a query filter.

• Limit: The maximum number of incidents to return. Leave the field empty or enter 0 to retrieve all matching incidents.

List Stockrooms

Retrieves stockrooms from the ServiceNow alm_stockroom table.

Configure the following fields:

• Query: A ServiceNow encoded query used to filter the returned stockrooms, such as by name.

• Limit: The maximum number of matching stockrooms to return. Defaults to 100.

• Offset: The number of matching stockrooms to skip before returning results.

• Sort By: The field used to sort the results in ascending order. Leave empty to use ServiceNow's default order.

List User Groups

Retrieves a list of user groups from ServiceNow.

• Limit: The maximum number of user groups to return in a single request.

• Offset: The position in the list of user groups from which to start returning results. Use 0 to start from the first group.

List Users

Retrieves a list of users from ServiceNow. Use this action to retrieve user information or find users for use in later workflow actions.

• Limit: The maximum number of users to return.

• Filters: Conditions used to narrow the list of users, such as by department, status, or role.

Send Event

Sends an event to ServiceNow Event Management.

Configure the following fields:

• Source: The system that observed the event.

• Node: The host or device the event relates to. ServiceNow uses this value to associate the event with a configuration item (CI).

• Type: A short name for the condition being reported.

• Severity: The event severity: 1 Critical, 2 Major, 3 Minor, 4 Warning, 5 OK, or 0 Clear. Sending 0 clears an alert previously raised with the same Message Key.

• Resource: The component the event relates to, such as a drive or service.

• Description: Additional details about the event.

• Message Key: Identifies duplicate events. Reusing the same key updates the existing alert instead of creating a new one.

• Event Class: Groups related events from the same tool.

• Metric Name: The measurement represented by the event.

• Additional Info: Additional key/value data to include with the event.

Update Incident

Updates an existing ServiceNow incident.

In Incident SYS ID, enter the incident's sys_id, then configure the fields you want to change.

Fields that are left empty or unchanged are not sent to ServiceNow, so their existing values remain unchanged.

• Assigned To: Changes the person responsible for the incident. Leave this field empty to keep the current assignment unchanged.

• Urgency: Changes how quickly the incident requires attention.

• Impact: Changes how many users or systems are affected.

• State: Changes the incident's workflow state, such as In Progress, Resolved, or Closed.

• Severity: Changes the severity assigned to the incident.

• Comment: Adds a comment or update to the incident.

• Add as work note: Select this option to post the comment as an internal work note visible only to staff. Clear it to post the comment as a public comment visible to end users.

Add Custom Fields

Use Custom Fields to update additional ServiceNow fields that are not available as built-in fields in the action.

1. Under Custom Fields, click + Add.

2. In Name, enter the ServiceNow field name, such as caller_id or a custom field beginning with u_.

3. In Value, enter a string or use a variable.

You can add multiple fields. Duplicate field names cannot be added.

Upload Attachment

Uploads an attachment to a ServiceNow record from a local file or a publicly reachable file URL.

Configure the following fields:

• Table Name: The ServiceNow table that contains the record. For incidents, use incident.

• Table Record: The record sys_id. For the incident table, you can also enter the incident number.

• File Source: Select whether to upload a local file or retrieve a file from a URL.

Upload a Local File

1. In File Source, select Upload file.

2. In File, select the file to upload.

File Name and Content Type are automatically filled from the uploaded file.

When testing the action in the workflow editor, you can select a file up to 20 MB.

Upload a File from a URL

1. In File Source, select File URL.

2. In File URL, enter a publicly reachable URL for the file.

File Name and Content Type are optional:

• File Name: If left empty, the file name is inferred from the URL.

• Content Type: If left empty, the content type is inferred from the URL response.

Create Task

Creates a new record in a ServiceNow task table, such as sc_task, task, or incident_task.

Configure the following required fields:

• Table Name: The backend name of the ServiceNow table in which to create the task, such as sc_task, task, or incident_task.

• Short Description: A brief summary of the task.

You can also configure the following fields:

• Description: A detailed description of the task.

• State: The task state. Enter its numeric value or display label.

• Assignment Group: The display name of the group responsible for the task.

• Assigned To: The display name of the user responsible for the task.

• Work Notes: An internal note added when the task is created. Work notes are visible only to fulfillers.

Add Custom Fields

Use Custom Fields to set additional writable fields in the selected ServiceNow table.

1. Under Custom Fields, click + Add.

2. In Name, enter the exact ServiceNow backend column name.

3. In Value, enter a string or use a variable.

You can add multiple fields. ServiceNow ignores read-only fields.

Update Task

Updates an existing record in a ServiceNow task table, such as sc_task, task, or incident_task.

Configure the following required fields:

• Table Name: The backend name of the ServiceNow table that contains the task, such as sc_task, task, or incident_task.

• Task SYS ID: The task record's 32-character sys_id. You can use a value returned by a trigger or an earlier ServiceNow action.

Configure any fields you want to change. Fields left empty are not updated.

• State: The task state. Enter its numeric value or display label.

• Assignment Group: The display name of the group responsible for the task.

• Assigned To: The display name of the user responsible for the task.

• Work Notes: An internal note appended to the task. Each workflow run adds a new work note without replacing existing notes.

• Short Description: A new summary for the task. Leave this field empty to keep the existing summary.

Add Custom Fields

Use Custom Fields to update additional writable fields in the selected ServiceNow table.

1. Under Custom Fields, click + Add.

2. In Name, enter the exact ServiceNow backend column name.

3. In Value, enter a string or use a variable.

You can add multiple fields. ServiceNow ignores read-only fields.

Use Case Examples

• Create or update a task in a ServiceNow task table as part of an automated process.

• Create an incident automatically when a specific system alert occurs, such as a failed employee onboarding process.

• Update an existing incident when its status, priority, or assignment changes.

• Retrieve ServiceNow users, groups, or incident data for use in later workflow actions.

• Upload a file or other attachment to a ServiceNow incident.

• Send monitoring events to ServiceNow Event Management for alert processing.

• Retrieve hardware assets or stockrooms for use in asset management workflows.

• Retrieve the variables submitted with a ServiceNow requested item for use in later workflow actions.