ServiceNow Fundamentals
This document is a platform-wide mental model of ServiceNow.
It answers three questions:
What is ServiceNow? How do the pieces fit together? How do I know which tool to use?
What is ServiceNow?
ServiceNow is a cloud-based enterprise platform used to:
- manage work
- store and relate data
- enforce business rules
- automate processes
- present controlled user experiences
At its core, ServiceNow is:
A relational database + execution engine + UI framework
Everything you configure maps to one or more of these layers.
Everything in ServiceNow is a record in a table. Every record is represented as a JavaScript object at runtime.
Core Platform Architecture
The Three Layers
| Layer | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Data Layer | Stores records in tables |
| Logic Layer | Enforces rules and automation |
| UI Layer | Displays and controls user interaction |
Every feature you use lives in at least one of these layers.
Data Layer
Tables
- Tables store records (rows)
- Tables contain fields (columns)
- Tables can extend other tables (inheritance)
Example:
task(parent)incident(extendstask)
Child tables inherit all parent fields automatically.
Records
- A single row in a table
- Represent a unit of work or data
Examples:
- One incident
- One request item
- One user
- One CI
Fields
- Attributes of a record
- Defined in the Dictionary
- Common types:
- String
- Reference
- Choice
- Date/Time
- Boolean
Examples:
state(choice)caller_id(reference)
Reference Fields & Relationships
- Reference fields point to another table
- Enable dot-walking
Example:
incident.caller_id.email;