Connecting to web services

So far, this chapter has concentrated on how other systems can connect to a ServiceNow instance. But communication works both ways! Here's how:

• Creating an outbound SOAP message is achieved in just a few clicks. When the platform is provided with a WSDL, it scans it, automatically building the relevant methods. This process of consuming the WSDL means that the configuration of a SOAP message is very straightforward.
• Building an outbound REST integration won't be automatic, but since the majority of REST services follow conventions, defaults and assumptions usually work pretty well: POST to create, GET to retrieve, and so on.

However, regardless of the connection mechanism, to send a message, you must write some code, usually to include in a business rule. But the platform will generate a starting point for you!

Using SOAP to send tasks

One common use of SOAP web services is to send information about a task to a remote system. This often occurs when work is outsourced...