ServiceNow Glossary of Terms

access control list rule or ACL rule

An ACL rule controls what data users can access and how they can access it. ACL rules require users to pass a set of requirements to gain access to particular data.

account

In the Sales Force Automation plugin, accounts represent companies that are sales prospects or customers.

activity

In the Sales Force Automation plugin, activities track sales-related actions, such as email messages, phone calls, or meetings. Activities may be associated with a contact, account, or opportunity.

admin

admin

A user with the admin (administrator) role in ServiceNow has permission to perform almost all functions. The term admin usually includes both the global admin, and the admin for a given application. For example, both the admin andcatalog_admin roles have rights to administer the service catalog.

affinity

Affinity is the association of a computer or network device to its credentials as established by ServiceNow Discovery or Orchestration. Once a device is matched with its credentials, the relationship is written to a database table, and those credentials are used to query the device in subsequent discoveries and workflow activities.

agent

An agent is the name of an external system (integration) that writes messages to the Queue \[ecc_queue\] table. For example, the agent name for a MID Server is in the form mid.server.xxx, where xxx is the name of a particular MID Server.

aggregation relationship paths

Depending on how CI relationships are defined, not all of the associations will be useful when aggregating expenses to parent CIs. The Relationship Path records define which relationships to traverse based on the class of the parent and child, and/or the type of relationship linking the two CIs.

allocation rule

Allocation rules define how to process each expense line to generate one or more expense allocation records. Rule conditions are based on data from the expense line source.

allocation unit

An allocation unit tracks the total capacity of a business service as well as the number of units being consumed as defined by the CI Cost Center Relationship records.

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API functions

API functions are small, globally defined sets of remote functions that can be performed on a targeted resource.

application

An application is a packaged set of configuration records that provides a business solution. Administrators can use the ServiceNow platform to build and manage custom applications.

application file

An application file associates a configuration record with an application and contains metadata for the record.

application menu

An application menu is a grouping of modules as they appear in the application navigator. Users may refer to an application menu as simply an application.

application navigator

The application navigator is a navigation bar on the left side of the screen that displays a list of applications and modules.

approval

An approval is a task within a workflow that requests an action (approval or denial) from a user or user group before the workflow continues.

approval rules

Approval rules are the configured steps required to approve a service or catalog request.

assessable record

In the Assessments application, an assessable record links a record you want to evaluate, such as the company record for Amazon or the user record for a sales representative, to a metric type, such as vendors or employees. You define sets of assessable records when you create metric types.

assessment instance

In the Assessments application, an assessment instance represents one occurrence of an assessment questionnaire assigned to one user.

asset

An asset is any hardware, software, or consumable found in the business environment. Assets of a service provider include anything that could contribute to the delivery of a service.

asset class

An asset class is a group of assets all stored in the same database table (alm_asset or a table that extends alm_asset). In ServiceNow, the default asset classes are hardware, software, and consumables. If the default classes are not appropriate for a specific group of assets, a custom asset class can be created.

audit

ServiceNow defines audit as follows: \n Tables can be audited, meaning that changes to any of the values in a record on that table are tracked. These changes are stored on the Sys audit \[sys_audit\] table and the Record History \[sys_history_set\] table. \n Scheduled certification audits detect discrepancies between a CI's expected state and it's actual state.

automation task

See scheduled job.

backlog

A backlog in the scrum agile development environment is an ordered list of stories that team members agree to work on during a sprint. The scrum process uses three backlogs product, release, and sprint.

base class

A base class is a table which is extended but does not extend any other tables.

baseline (CI)

\n A CI baseline is a snapshot of a configuration item as it appears in your system in its basic form. All the changes you make to that configuration item since the snapshot was created are displayed on the CI form as basic attribute changes. When a baseline is created, the attributes of the CI are captured as well as all first-level relationships for the CI. Any changes to the base CI or to any related CI will be captured and displayed.

banner frame

The banner frame is the portion across the top of every page that contains the logo and basic global navigation choices.

blackout window

A blackout window is a schedule that defines a period of time in which no changes should be performed. The Change Management Collision Detector plugin uses blackout windows to detect conflicting changes.

bookmark

In UI11, a bookmark is a link to information in the ServiceNow system. All users create and manage their own bookmarks, which appear on the edge.

breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are filters displayed as a series of links above the record list. Click the individual elements of the path to see a different view. \n breakdowns. Sometimes also called dimensions or drill-downs, breakdowns divide data in different ways. For example, incidents can be divided by priority or by assignment group. In Performance Analytics, data can be subdivided two levels deep for further analysis. A first-level breakdown could be by priority, for example grouping all Critical incidents. In this example, a second-level breakdown could be by assignment group, subdividing Critical incidents into, for example, Service Desk, Database, CAB, and so on. The breakdowns can also be turned around; for example, first by assignment group and then by priority, creating a so-called breakdown matrix.

bubble chart

In the Assessments application, a bubble chart is a graph with three axes that plots the assessment results for multiple assessable records. Use bubble charts to determine the relative standing of assessable records in selected categories, with an emphasis on one category.

**budget**

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Tracks planned and actual expenses allocated to one or more cost centers.

budget cost center relationship

A budget can represent one or more cost centers. The Budget Cost Center Relationship table represents the association.

bundled model

A bundled model is a single model comprised of individual models. For example, a laptop, printer, keyboard, and mouse can be combined in a single, bundled model.

burn down chart

The burn down chart is used by scrum masters in an agile development environment to view ideal sprint progress against actual sprint progress.

business rule

A business rule is a piece of JavaScript configured to run when a record is inserted, updated, or deleted, or when a table is queried. A business rule can be set to run before or after the database action has occurred. In the case of a query, the business rule should run before the database operation, so that the data returned to the user is appropriate to his system privileges (user roles). A typical business rule might execute a script after a user updates an incident or escalates the priority of a change request.

business service

A business service is a service (such as email or electronic messaging) delivered to customers by business units. The business service is supported by an IT infrastructure of configuration items (CI).

Business Service Management (BSM)

A BSM map is a graphical display of the configuration items (CIs) within a system and their relationships to one another.

call

a simple record used with service desk call, to record basic call information from a customer contact.

camel case

Camel case is the convention of removing the spaces between words and using an uppercase letter to start each word in a multiple word name. In Live Feed, consider using camel case to create a tag that is more than one word long. For example, to create a topic about the service desk, use #ServiceDesk.

capabilities

MID Server capabilities define the specific functions of a MID Server within an IP address range. The base system functionality enables an administrator to select specific capabilities (such as SSH, SNMP, and PowerShell) for the probes launched by each MID Server.

category

In the service catalog, a category is a grouping that organizes catalog items. Each catalog item, order guide, record producer, content item, and subcategory appears as a single item within a category or subcategory.

category user

In the Assessments application, a category user is a person who knows about a specific metric category. One person can be a category user for multiple categories. Examples of category users include a vendor manager who oversees all purchasing operations, or a supervisor of a sales team.

catalog item

A catalog item is any unique item or service in the service catalog that can be ordered by the end user. To specify how a catalog item is procured, who works on it, or how it is delivered, the item must be tied to a service catalog fulfillment process.

certification

See data certification.

change

A change is the addition, modification, or removal of anything that could have an effect on IT services.

chat

Chat allows users to communicate via instant message with other users in a ServiceNow instance (requires the Chat plugin).

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chat action

Chat actions are additional items that appear in the chat window menu (requires the Chat plugin).

chat queue

Chat queues define the schedules, support staff, and system messages for help desk chat (requires the Chat plugin).

chat queue agent

Chat queue agents are service desk staff that provide support for a help desk chat queue (requires the Chat plugin). To support a particular queue, a user must be a member of the assignment group for the queue.

checkout

In the service catalog, checkout is the stage during the ordering process at which an item is either purchased (one-step checkout) or is available for review and editing before purchase (two-step checkout).

CI cost

A CI cost is the total of cost of a configuration item. The CI cost is typically associated with a single CI.

CI cost center relationship

\n A CI cost center relationship is a record associating a cost center to a business service that it consumes and the number of units it uses. This is used to calculate the number of allocated units to update the allocation unit record.

CI rate card

A CI rate card represents a collection of recurring CI costs associated with a collection of configuration items. Rate cards are usually designed around a certain cost model. An example might be a certain model server running in the New York datacenter. The costs associated could be different than the same server model running in the London datacenter. Each model would have a separate rate card.

CI rate card cost

A CI rate card cost is a recurring cost definition that is processed monthly for each CI in the rate card. The rate card is a template that duplicates each cost for each CI, as opposed to managing individual cost records.

class

A class is a table that extends or is extended by another table.

content item

A content item is a service catalog item that provides information instead of goods or services. Content items may reference knowledge articles, static blocks of text, or external web-based content.

contract

A binding agreement between two parties usually containing information such as start date, end date, terms and conditions, renewal information, and financial terms.

clickthrough

Clickthrough is a property that allows users to open a referenced record in the current window. Reference icons allow clickthrough by default. Administrators may also enable pop-up icons, which open a referenced record in another window.

client script

A client script is a JavaScript you create to run in the client browser. ServiceNow supports the following script types: \n onLoad() runs when a form is loaded. \n onChange() runs when a particular widget changes value. \n onSubmit() runs when a form is submitted. \n onCellEdit() runs when a cell on a list changes value.

clone

A clone is a snapshot of your production ServiceNow instance that you use to refresh your test or development environments.

cluster

A cluster is a ServiceNow instance comprised of two or more nodes one or more interface nodes to which all user requests from the browser are directed, and worker nodes that handle discrete operations, such as Discovery probes. A cluster can exist on the same physical machine or on separate machines. In a cluster, all the nodes point to the same database and have the same instance ID. The node and cluster concept only applies to instances hosted in a Gen1 datacenter.

coalescence

Coalescence is the method by which import sets may update existing records in a destination production table, rather than simply inserting new records. When coalescence is configured for a field, the import set application attempts to match the source value to the currently existing target value on a production table for updating. If the source value does not match, a new record is created.

collision

A collision is when an incoming customer update in an update set applies to the same object as a newer local customer update. The system update sets preview lets administrators determine whether or not the incoming customer update is applied.

condition builder

A condition builder constructs a condition statement with a series of contextually generated fields. Condition builders are used in filters, survey administration, access control administration, and other areas.

configuration item (CI)

Any computer, device, or piece of software in the CMDB. A CI's record includes all relevant data, such as manufacturer, vendor, and location.

configuration page

The configuration page is the module within the content management system (CMS) that sets the global defaults for content pages and sites.

configure

Configuring a form or list changes the layout and appearance of the form or list and may add, remove, and rearrange fields and columns. Configuring a form or list is called personalizing in versions prior to Fuji.

configuration management database (CMDB)

The CMDB is a database of the configuration items (CI) and their relationships within an enterprise network.

configuration record

Configuration records are the types of records that define an application, such as tables, roles, menus, or business rules. Tables that contain configuration records extend the Application File \[sys_metadata\] table (starting with the Fuji release). In versions prior to the Fuji release, the Application File Types table defines which tables contain configuration records.

conflict

A conflict is a record generated by the change management collision detector when a scheduled change overlaps with other changes or is otherwise improperly scheduled. Conflict records detail the type of conflict and what items or schedules were in conflict.

consumable asset

A consumable asset is tracked qualitatively and can be transferred in quantities greater than 0. Details such as all locations where the consumable is installed are not tracked. Examples of assets that are often managed as consumables include pencils, chairs, and monitor stands.

contact

In the Sales Force Automation plugin, contacts represent sales contacts at companies. A contact is linked to an account and hence is assigned to the sales representative for the account.

contact definition

used with contact management, provides a set of conditions to determine which user or group to assign to a specific responsibilities for a record such as an incident alert.

contact responsibility

used with contact management, provides a contact label to associate with records such as incident alerts.

content block

In the content management system, a content block is an item that can be added to a homepage or a content page, and which contains a defined form of content, such as static HTML, a report, or a list.

content frame

The content frame is the main area of the primary user interface. The content frame displays pages to which a user navigates.

content link

In the content management system, a content link is a record on the Content Link \[content_link\] table that contains a URL. Content links are used by list blocks to generate a list of links rather than a list of records.

Content management system (CMS)

The content management system is an application that enables users to create a custom interface for the ServiceNow platform and ServiceNow applications. The CMS can also be used to create websites.

content page

A content page is a web page generated by the content management system.

content site

In the content management system, a content site is a series of content pages grouped together with the same base URL, intended for the same group of users.

content type

In the content management system, a content type is a series of definitions that control list blocks.

context menu

A context menu provides a limited set of actions based on the current state, or context. In ServiceNow, context menus are right-click menus. Administrators can customize context menus.

contract

In the Sales Force Automation plugin, contracts manage sales records for products or services. Contracts may have a limited time frame, track specific post-sale details, and identify renewal opportunities.

cost center

A generic representation of a business entity. This will be used as the primary link between IT costs and the business users consuming IT services.

critical path

Linked project tasks that determine how long the project takes to complete.

current release

Customers can upgrade instances to a current ServiceNow release.

current update set

A current update set is an update set that has been selected using the Update Set Picker. Customizations made by a user will be added to the user's current update set.

customer update

A customer update is a record on the Customer Updates \[sys_update_xml\] table that stores an individual change to a record. Customer updates are used to preserve customizations during upgrades and to transfer changes between instances with update sets.

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customizable record

A customizable record is a record that is tracked by update sets.

customization

A customization is a change to a customizable record.

dashboard

A dashboard is a collection of lists, graphs, charts, or other content items that automatically refresh.

data certification

Periodic or on-demand validations of data.

data source

A data source can be from a file or a Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) connection. Data sources are used to create an import set so that data can be processed, if necessary, prior to being mapped onto a production table. Data sources support the following remote file retrieval methods FTP. FTPS (Auth SSL, Auth TLS, Implicit SSL, Implicit TLS), HTTP, HTTPS, SCP.

database catalog

A database catalog lists all the catalog objects, or databases, discovered for an instance of a database. 

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decision matrix

In the Assessments application, a decision matrix is a graph with two axes that plots the assessment results for multiple assessable records. Use decision matrixes to determine the relative standing of assessable records in selected metric categories.

Default update set

The Default update set is an update set that can be used to store customizations that are not meant for transfer.

delivery plan

See Execution plan.

depreciation

Decrease in value of an asset.

derived field

A derived field is a field that is not in the primary table being displayed, but is instead a field that is obtained by following a reference from the primary table to some other table.

detail block

In the content management system, a detail block is a content block that displays the lists, forms, catalog items, or knowledge articles of a given table.