ServiceNow Administration Advanced (SAA)

ServiceNow Administration Advanced (SAA) Overview

Work with Application Data Management, Visualizations, Development, Debugging, Integrations, Security, and Platform Optimization and Maintenance.

The ServiceNow Administration Advanced course teaches about the robust controls in the base instance in modules and labs to reinforce daily tasks. Course labs are designed step-by-step to facilitate the application of concepts.

This course explores the ServiceNow application and how it is defined. It continues by covering the components of an application, focusing on application scopes and the different types of application data. Development and Debugging tools are introduced. The course examines the importance of reporting. Also, ServiceNow’s ability to integrate with many third-party applications and data sources is analyzed. The course reviews how ServiceNow data visualizations enables the user to create and distribute reports that show the current state of instance data, such as how many open incidents of each priority exist. Tools for data hygiene are reviewed. The course emphasizes the importance of maintaining the system to provide a better user experience.

The ServiceNow Administration Advanced course will prepare administrators through advanced concepts by:

• • Identifying ServiceNow applications and application components
  • Explaining the difference between application configurations and customizations
  • Introducing students to development and debugging tools
  • Describing best practices for reporting efficiencies within the ServiceNow platform
  • Discussing integrations with the ServiceNow platform
  • Review good security practices available for an instance
  • Identifying various factors affecting performance

Audience

This course is designed for ServiceNow administrators and consultants who have maintained production ServiceNow systems for at least six to 12 months and have successfully passed the ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals course. Passing the Certified System Administrator exam is recommended.

Suggested Prerequisites

• • Welcome to ServiceNow
  • ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals (ILT)
  • Scripting in ServiceNow (ILT)

ServiceNow Administration Advanced (SAA) Course Objectives

Upon completion of ServiceNow Administration Advanced, participants should be able to understand the components of an application, use visualizations and
dashboards to monitor the instance, be able to use tools for debugging, integrate with other ServiceNow instances, and understand some maintenance practices for their instance.

Course Structure and Flow

During this two-day interactive training course, attendees will access the ServiceNow platform in their own student instance loaded with test data.

The course weaves a scenario throughout, simulating situations one might find in the real world. The class features lecture and group discussions, as well as hands-on practice and reinforcement delivered through a variety of labs.

ServiceNow Administration Advanced (SAA) Outline

Application Data Management

Topic: Application Data Management 

• ServiceNow Applications
• Components of an Application
• Application Scopes
• Application Data: Foundation vs. Process
• Accessing Application Data
• Maintain Data
• Examples
• Topic: Data Population
• Methods for Data Population
• What Are Update Sets?
• Named and Default Update Sets

Lab 1.1.1 Configurations and Update Sets

Topic: Data Population Continued 

• Import Sets
• Transform Maps
• What Is System Cloning?
• System Cloning: Benefits
• System Cloning: Exclusions, Preserve Data, and Cleanup Scripts
• Clone Admin Console
• Examples
• Instance Data Replication
• Integrations

Lab 1.2.1 Clone an Instance

Topic: Data Searching 

• Search Administration Overview
• Database Indexes
• Text Indexes
• Contextual Search
• Configuring Contextual Search
• Search Administration

Lab 1.3.1 Create a Database Index

Development and Debugging

Topic: Development

• Types of Development: No Code, Low Code, Pro Code
• Developer Tools: Code Editors
• Types of Scripting
• Developer Tools: No Code and Low Code Tools
• Developer Tools: Support

Lab 2.1.1 Code or No Code / Low Code

Topic: Debugging 

• Navigate Quickly: Unique Letters
• Navigate Quickly: Application Navigator
• Navigate Quickly: Navigate Directly to Table Configurations
• Navigate Quickly: Keyboard Shortcuts
• Show – ‘Field Name’
• Utility URLs
• URL
• Show XML
• Session Debug
• Detailed Session Debug
• Access Analyzer

Lab 2.2.1 Session Debug

• Scripts – Background
• Fix Scripts

Lab 2.2.2 Scripts – Background and Fix Scripts

• Script Debugger
• Script Tracer

Lab 2.2.3 Script Debugger

Application Data Management

Topic: Data Visualization Review 

• Visualization Review

Topic: Database Views 

• Database View
• Database View: Joining Tables
• Database View: Using a Join
• Database View: Restrict Returned Fields

Lab 3.2.1 Create a Visualization Using a Database View

Topic: Data Sources for Reporting

• Data Source
• Data Source for Reporting
• Report Source

Lab 3.3.1 Create a Report Source

 Topic: Dashboards 

• Dashboards
• Building a Dashboard
• Configuring a Dashboard
• Platform Analytics
• Benchmarks

Lab 3.4.1 Create a Dashboard

Topic: Good Practices

• Good Practices: Slow Server Response
• Good Practices: Efficiencies

Integrations 

Topic: Integrations Overview 

• Integrations Overview
• The Big Picture

Topic: Web Services REST 

• Web Services: What is a Web Service?
• Web Services: Inbound and Outbound
• Web Services APIs
• ServiceNow Provided APIs
• REST API Explorer
• Outbound REST Web Service
• Outbound REST Web Service Results
• Web Services: JSON
• Inbound Web Services with REST

Lab 4.2.1: Web Services

Topic: Web Services REST continued 

• ServiceNow as a Consumer
• ServiceNow as a Publisher
• Reasons to use SOAP

Topic:  MID Server 

• MID Server
• Consume Mid Server Data

Topic: Direct Web Services and Scripted Web Services

• Direct Web Services
• Scripted Web Services

Topic: Integration Hub

• Integration Hub
• Integration Hub Installed Spokes
• Connections Dashboard
• Action Designer

Lab 4.5.1 Integration Hub

Access and Security

Topic: Authentication, Authorization, Hardening

• Be Prepared
• Access Control: Authentication
• Access Control: Authentication Mechanisms
• Access Control: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
• Data Control: Authorization
• Data Control: Anatomy of an ACL
• Data Control: Data Filtration
• Data Control: Data Filtration Attributes
• Data Control: Data Filtration Subject Criteria
• Data Control: Data Filtration Security Attribute

Lab 5.1.1 Data Filtration

 Topic: Authentication, Authorization, Hardening

• Instance Security: Instance Hardening
• Instance Security: Security Center

Lab 5.2.1 Security Center

Topic: ServiceNow Vault 

• ServiceNow Vault

Platform Optimization and Maintenance-Data

Topic: Data Hygiene and CSDM

• Data Hygiene
• Schema Map
• Tables
• Table Cleaner
• Data Archiving
• Archiving Email
• Table Rotation
• Table Extension
• Import Set Scheduled Cleanup
• Cascade Delete Rules
• Reports and Dashboards
• Roll Back and Delete Recovery

Topic: Common Service Data Model 

• Common Service Data Model Overview
• CSDM: What It Is, What It Is Not, What’s in It for You
• CSDM: Why?
• Process of Implementing CSDM
• Common Service Data Model Diagram
• CSDM Conclusion

 Platform Optimization and Maintenance – Instance

Topic: Performance Factors 

• Application Performance
• Application Performance: Response Time Indicator
• Browser Rendering Performance: Form Optimization
• Browser Rendering Performance: Views
• Browser Rendering Performance: Optimize Performance and Minimize Clutter
• Browser Rendering Performance: Review Transaction Logs
• Browser Rendering Performance: Good Practices

Topic: Instance Maintenance 

• Instance Maintenance: Daily Activities – Instance Stats
• Instance Maintenance: Daily Activities – Slow Transactions
• Instance Maintenance: Daily Activities – User Preferences
• Instance Maintenance: Weekly Activities
• System Cloning: Exclusions, Preserve Data, and Cleanup Scripts
• Instance Maintenance: Monthly Activities – Slow Queries
• Instance Maintenance: Monthly Activities – Slow Scripts
• Instance Maintenance: Ongoing Activities

Lab 7.2.1: Explore Instance Scan

Topic:  Releases and Upgrades 

• ServiceNow Release Cycle
• ServiceNow Store
• About Upgrades
• Upgrade to the latest release
• What is Upgraded and What is Not?
• Upgrade Tracking
• Upgrade Center
• ServiceNow Patching Program (SPP)
• Now Support
• Lab 7.3.1: Upgrades and Calculations