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Mastering ServiceNow
Mastering ServiceNow

Mastering ServiceNow: Unleash the full potential of ServiceNow from foundations to advanced functions, with this hands-on expert guide fully revised for the Helsinki version , Second Edition

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Mastering ServiceNow

Chapter 2. Developing Custom Applications

The ServiceNow platform provides a rich functional interface for getting things done, whether you are building a new application or using it. Chapter 1, ServiceNow Foundations, looked at some basic elements, such as creating tables and fields to store your data, and how your data is displayed in tables and fields. This chapter builds on those fundamentals, looking at more ways to connect and model data, build applications faster, and prevent unintended consequences through conflicts. It's a little like having an architect providing that extra flourish to make our hotel not only sturdy, but also work well.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

  • How ServiceNow Studio provides a single, integrated IDE that collects everything in one place
  • Seeing how applications control the flow of information with myriad of settings and options
  • Use Delegated Development to let other users configure your application
  • Using hierarchical tables...

Developing applications in Studio

In the previous chapter, we started building the Hotel application. This included defining the data storage needed by building tables, exploring the dictionary, and creating relationships. All these items are in different menus, meaning you need to keep navigating to different places, without a consistent overview.

ServiceNow Studio is designed to help with this. It provides a single location where all the configuration for the app is collected together. This lets you jump among the things you are working on without the clutter of configuration from other areas. Here's how to use it:

  1. Open up Studio by navigating to System Applications > Studio, click on the Go button under Open Studio, and then click on Hotel in the Load Applications dialog.
  2. Studio collects all the configuration together, making it easy to find existing artifacts and create new ones. The Application Explorer sidebar contains a categorized list of Application Files, while the Go To...

Scoping out limits

Running multiple applications on the ServiceNow platform brings benefits of scale. You may have IT using it to organize production issues, HR may perform case management, while the maintenance team use it to track leaky taps-each using separate, specialist applications that are built for their use. Since you are using a single platform, it makes it possible to share some data.

The Users table is a great example of this. While each department will want to control the privileges that each person has (someone from the facilities team probably shouldn't have access to all the payroll data), sharing the core data means there is one place to go and update. If you change your name, isn't it nice to do it on one system, without relying on complex integrations to simulate a cohesive system?

The diagram below represents how many applications all need to reply upon shared resources, like the user table.

Scoping out limits

Also, you often want applications to talk to each other. Consider that...

Enforcing the separation

Consider your ServiceNow applications as a room (or floor) within a building (what an original metaphor, right?). While open-plan living is sometimes an advantage, it doesn't afford much privacy. Sometimes you want a door (and lock) to stop people wandering in and out of your room.

The ServiceNow platform gives you control. It acts as the application's doorman, deciding what comes in and what can go out. We'll see that there are many ways to be specific about how apps can affect each other. This is especially important when you install apps you haven't developed yourself.

Whenever the platform performs an action, it checks to see if it crosses a scope boundary. If a script was run in an IT scope, it will have access to all the tables and data that belong to the IT app. But it may not have access to data in the HR scope. The scope acts as the containing bubble; if all the elements have the same scope, it's fine. But the doorman will intervene...

Building hierarchical tables

Chapter 1ServiceNow Foundations,  introduced the foundations of ServiceNow. One of the most fundamental parts of an application is how it stores its data, and we saw how virtually everything you see and do in the platform is stored in the database.

Specifically, ServiceNow is built on a relational database. Instances hosted by ServiceNow use MySQL, a popular open source database that is robust, well featured, and scalable. These kinds of relational databases are relatively simple to understand, which is one of the reasons they are most commonly used: data is held in tables and columns, and relationships may exist between rows.

Tip

The ServiceNow platform can run on almost any relational database, such as Oracle or SQL Server. But supporting different architectures is difficult, so it is not a standard offering.

Benefiting from an object-oriented design

The simplicity of a relational database means that, on its own, it does not easily represent the data...

Many-to-many relationships

Another type of relationship between records is many-to-many. The relationship between siblings is many-to-many. I can have many brothers and sisters, as can they. But how can I store this information? A reference field can only point to one record.

Adding a lot of reference fields into a form is one way. I could create as many reference fields as I have siblings. However, that's not great design. What if another brother or sister were born? Making new fields every time a new baby arrives is not cool.

Instead, we could create another table that sits in between two records, acting as the "glue" that sticks them together. This many-to-many table has two reference fields, each pointing to a different side of the relationship.

In the hotel application, we want to take reservations for our guests. Each reservation might be for more than one person, and each person might have more than one reservation. This sounds like the perfect use for a many-to-many...

Developing applications in Studio


In the previous chapter, we started building the Hotel application. This included defining the data storage needed by building tables, exploring the dictionary, and creating relationships. All these items are in different menus, meaning you need to keep navigating to different places, without a consistent overview.

ServiceNow Studio is designed to help with this. It provides a single location where all the configuration for the app is collected together. This lets you jump among the things you are working on without the clutter of configuration from other areas. Here's how to use it:

  1. Open up Studio by navigating to System Applications > Studio, click on the Go button under Open Studio, and then click on Hotel in the Load Applications dialog.

  2. Studio collects all the configuration together, making it easy to find existing artifacts and create new ones. The Application Explorer sidebar contains a categorized list of Application Files, while the Go To and Code...

Scoping out limits


Running multiple applications on the ServiceNow platform brings benefits of scale. You may have IT using it to organize production issues, HR may perform case management, while the maintenance team use it to track leaky taps-each using separate, specialist applications that are built for their use. Since you are using a single platform, it makes it possible to share some data.

The Users table is a great example of this. While each department will want to control the privileges that each person has (someone from the facilities team probably shouldn't have access to all the payroll data), sharing the core data means there is one place to go and update. If you change your name, isn't it nice to do it on one system, without relying on complex integrations to simulate a cohesive system?

The diagram below represents how many applications all need to reply upon shared resources, like the user table.

Also, you often want applications to talk to each other. Consider that a new employee...

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Key benefits

  • Give your ServiceNow Helsinki implementation a powerful kick-start by understanding the deep capabilities of the platform,
  • Learn by doing with an extended, comprehensive example, creating a feature-rich, secure and automated application from the ground up
  • Interact with your whole organization by integrating with REST web services and build a custom Service Portal interface

Description

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.

Who is this book for?

This book is aimed at advanced ServiceNow System Administrators and developers who would like to gain greater control of ServiceNow and its architecture. The book expects you to be new to ServiceNow, but have a good grounding in internet and computing technologies, like HTML, JSON, REST and database systems. Readers should be especially familiar with JavaScript, and be keen to extend and alter the platform. With this book, they will be able to develop a new application for their company.

What you will learn

  • Build custom scoped applications that access the full ServiceNow API
  • Build a modern, responsive self-service interface with Service Portal
  • Design feature-rich, responsive, automated workflow systems
  • Design powerful data-driven applications
  • Control information flow and apply business logic with Business Rules
  • Write efficient and effective client-side JavaScript
  • Learn how to authenticate and secure Web Services
  • Integrate and exchange data with people and systems
  • Create and secure your systems with proper access control

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Oct 27, 2016
Length: 656 pages
Edition : 2nd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781786465955
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Product Details

Publication date : Oct 27, 2016
Length: 656 pages
Edition : 2nd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781786465955
Tools :

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Mastering ServiceNow
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ServiceNow Application Development
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Learning ServiceNow
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Table of Contents

11 Chapters
1. ServiceNow Foundations Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Developing Custom Applications Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Server-Side Control Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Client-Side Interaction Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Getting Things Done with Tasks Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Events, Notifications, and Reporting Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Exchanging Data – Import Sets, Web Services, and other Integrations Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Securing Applications and Data Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Diagnosing ServiceNow – Knowing What Is Going On Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Packaging with Applications, Update Sets, and Upgrades Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
11. Making ServiceNow Beautiful with Service Portal and Custom Interfaces Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

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4 star 11.8%
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Brian R. Baber Mar 05, 2017
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Exceptional reference guide. Well worth the cost.
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Francisco Jul 31, 2017
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Excellent book!!
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Dipanjan Saha Jul 21, 2020
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The book is good for developing your skills in ServiceNow. it teaches from basic to advance level
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George Russell Jan 12, 2018
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Wow! walks you through step-by-step. My entire team has this book now.
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Sam Feb 08, 2021
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A great addition to keep for when you get stuck and prefer a book over the docs site.
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