How to fix applications, that don't deploy all updates when updating

[Simon Ohle]

How to fix your application if not all updates are deployed

Have you ever had the problem, that you tried to update your application via Studio, you published it, installed it and some of the updates have just not been installed?

Well, I did.

Through investigations with help of the ServiceNow HI-Support I've learned a few new things about Studio-Applications, that I'd like to share with you.

There are several steps you have to take for successfully upgrading a company application:

Step 1: Check if the updated record is captured in the to-be-published version.

• Open Studio on Development instance
• Select your Application (if not preselected)
• > File
• > Settings
• > Related Lists: Application File
• See if your update appears here.

If yes: Go to Step 2
If no:

Solution: Select the Application in your Application picker and update the record again to capture the update.

Step 2: Publish to the next version

• Go to "File"
• > "Publish"
• > "Version"
• Iterate to the next ersion (e.g. from 1.0.28 to 1.0.29)
• Press "Submit"

Step 3: Install Application

• On Target Instance go to "System Applications"
• > "My Company Applications"
• Upgrade Application to updated version 

Step 4: Check if the changes have been deployed

If yes: no further steps have to be taken

If no:

Solution: 

• Go to "System Diagnostics"
• > "Upgrade History"
• Select the newest entry with the Application-name in the "To" column
• > Related List "Skipped Changes to Review"
• Open a skipped change
• Click "Revert to Base system"

Why does this happen?

The most likely cause: You (or a colleague) changed the record via an update set or xml import before, without updating the application.

As with System Upgrades, these customized records will not be changed by ServiceNow application upgrades nor ServiceNow major system upgrades.

Revert to Base System means in this case, to revert it to your published Application version (the version you want to have implemented).
(When doing a System Upgrade this would mean, to revert it to the ServiceNow Standard)

After reverting it, it will be updated on future version upgrades.

It's important to update application records always via the studio, because updating them via update sets will lead to customized records that will not be updated on the next version upgrade.