Glossary

To get started with the ServiceNow integration, it’s important to understand the common terms used in the Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) sector. Below is a list of useful terms:

• ServiceNow: ServiceNow is a tool of the ITSM sector that helps solve end to end IT automation issues across various disciplines e.g. HR, Finance, IT helpdesk, etc.
• ServiceNow Store: ServiceNow has its own app store called the ServiceNow Store. All the ServiceNow applications are available on this store. You can install any application on your instance from the ServiceNow Store.
• Service Portal: Each instance of ServiceNow is managed, configured and controlled through a website (navigation page). It is similar to the Admin console of a shopping platform, which is used to configure and set up various elements such as applications, packages, approval chain configurations, and more. Additionally, this main service portal can also be used to create self-service requests.
• Version: ServiceNow releases its versions in alphabetical order. The current version of ServiceNow at the time of writing this page is Xanadu with Washington DC and Vancouver being previous releases. You can see a history of all the released versions of ServiceNow on the Home page.
• Instance: ServiceNow offers cloud instances to its customers, technology partners (vendors) and community developers.
• Application scope: An application scope is a logical boundary in ServiceNow which allows restricted access to services inside the ServiceNow portal. Anything that you work on must come under an application scope in ServiceNow. Every instance of ServiceNow comes with a default application scope called Global scope.
• Application menu: Application menus form the main navigational flow of the website. Every top level node on the left navigation pane is an application menu
• Modules: Every menu item within an application menu is a module. Every module navigates to a specific page within or outside ServiceNow.
• Tables: All the tables in ServiceNow can be viewed under the navigation path System Definition > Tables. Some tables are included by default when you initialize a new instance of ServiceNow. You can also create your own tables which are called custom tables. The schema of any table can be modified from the ServiceNow portal.
• Catalog: Catalog in ServiceNow refers to any items which can be requested by an end-user or a third party application.
• Requests: Any ticket which can be serviced in ServiceNow is called a request.
• Properties: Properties are like global variables accessible to all scripts. They are key-value pairs. To view all properties from navigation, just type sys_properties.list in search box of the navigation pane and press enter. Some properties come with default instance of ServiceNow and users can also create their own which can be used in any module.
• Authentication mode: Supports both Basic and OAuth authentication modes.
• Business Rules: Business rules are server-side scripts which can be run or executed based on changes happening in a table. You can view all business rules using the navigation path System Definition > Business Rules.
• Import Set tables: Importing sets allows administrators to import data from various data sources, and then map that data into ServiceNow tables.
• Plugins: Plugins are software components that provide additional features and functionality on top of default features of a ServiceNow instance. Any plugin can be enabled or disabled.
• Related lists: Related lists appear on forms and show records in tables that have relationships to the selected record. Users can view and modify information in related lists like any other list.