SIM Card Management - European Style and OOTB missing expected attributes

[Clueless_Config]

Hi,

While working on our CMDB classes, we encounter a bit of an issue with the way Mobile Devices and SIM cards are handled in ServiceNow (we're on Tokyo, using the CMDB CI Class Models add-on).

I notice that Communication hardware has a Carrier attribute... but SIM Card only allows for a Type and Assignment.

Here in Europe (at least in The Netherlands), a SIM is the item that is connected to a Carrier (so that you can keep your phone and perform a simple card swap if you switch providers).

The challenge we have is that custom fields are considered a bit of a no-no in our instance (dictated from far above, no discussions accepted), so now we're running into a bit of a brick wall on how to properly manage SIM Cards, as the class does not offer any attributes related to carriers or subscriptions.

I have been reading up a bit, and found some vague references to HAM (Hardware Asset Management) where an option to create SIM assets (as opposed to Configuration Items) should exist, but try as I might, haven't been able to find any working system that lets me use an OOTB method (so without custom u_ fields) to create items that allow us to have carrier/provider and subscription info connected to the SIM instead of the mobile device (even if the latter is an in-class dropdown, that would be acceptable)...

What am I missing? Or is what we want simply not possible without customization?

And will future releases possibly maybe include the carrier and subscription attributes in the SIM Card class? 

[Daniel Oderbolz · Accepted solution]

Hi @Clueless_Config 
It is extremely difficult to run ServiceNow without adding custom fields. I have seen many instances, and all of them have custom fields. I would recommend you to talk to your (Top Level?) Management and try to understand what they fear. A custom field will never keep you from upgrading, the only negative impact I can see is data growth, but here, sys_attachment is usually the most important contributor and it is not due to custom fields.

A guidance of "never ever add custom fields" will seriously hamper what your organisation will get out of ServiceNow.

I know this does not really answer your question, but honestly, ServiceNow will need a while to improve the OOTB tables (this is an excellent example where they start from the US point of view and bring in the rest of the world later). Adding the fields on your end is much faster (and is sustainable).

Just my 2 cents.

[Clueless_Config]

Hi @Daniel Oderbolz,

We actually had a last-minute talk with our Dev Manager - turns out the no custom attributes mandate should specifically not have applied to our little group of Config Managers. The rule was put in place for pretty much everyone else to prevent forms (and reporting based on them) from becoming a tangled mess where attributes are used to circumvent or replace OOTB functionality... and the exception for our team got lost in translation somewhere.

Thank you for your answer! 

[Wippenxy]

It's great that you got clarification on the custom attributes rule. Managing SIM cards and configurations can be tricky, especially with different mandates and rules. If you're dealing with international SIM cards and need some reliable options, check out International SIM Card https://internationalsimcard.com.au/. They might have what you need to simplify things!