ServiceNow Cloning: A Guide to Resolving Missing Attachments

[Amit Gujarathi]

ServiceNow Cloning: A Guide to Resolving Missing Attachments

In the dynamic world of ServiceNow, cloning instances is a common practice, but it often comes with its own set of challenges, particularly when it comes to attachments. This article delves into why attachments might be missing after a clone and provides a comprehensive guide to resolving this issue.

🤔 Understanding Cloning in ServiceNow

Cloning in ServiceNow refers to the process of creating an exact copy of a ServiceNow instance. This is often done for testing, training, or development purposes. While cloning is a powerful feature, it can sometimes lead to issues, such as missing attachments.

🤧 Identifying Common

The most noticeable symptom is the absence of some, but not all, attachments in the target instance post-cloning. This partial availability can cause confusion and disrupt workflows.

🙄 Exploring the Causes

The primary cause of missing attachments is often the selection of the 'Exclude large attachment data' option during the cloning process. This option, while useful for reducing clone size, can inadvertently lead to missing important attachments.

⛷ Step-by-Step Resolution

1. Accessing Clone History: Begin by typing "Clone" into the navigation filter in your ServiceNow instance.
2. Sorting and Locating the Last Clone: In the Clone History, sort the records from newest to oldest (Z to A) and locate the most recent clone.
3. Checking the 'Exclude Large Attachment Data' Option: Open the record of the last clone and check if the 'Exclude large attachment data' option was selected.
4. Re-running the Clone: If this option was selected, deselect it and re-run the clone to include all attachments.

🤺 Best Practices for Managing Clones and Attachments

To ensure a smooth cloning process, it's crucial to review all settings before initiating a clone. Pay special attention to attachment-related options to avoid data loss.

Regularly update cloning protocols and checklists to include a review of attachment settings. This proactive approach can save time and prevent issues in future cloning operations.

♻️ Conclusion

Understanding and resolving attachment issues in ServiceNow clones is crucial for maintaining data integrity and ensuring smooth operations. By following the outlined steps and adopting best practices, you can effectively manage your ServiceNow environment.

[Shaqeel]

Hi,

Kindly help me.

ATFs are created on Dev an pushed to Acceptance and  Prod. Some ATF Steps have an attachment step with an Attachment.

The issue is that after we clone Prod back to Acceptance, we are missing the attachment.

The Clone request we

• Make sure NOT to check Exclude large attachment date.
• We doe have Exclude for sys_attachment and sys_attachment_doc
• We do have a Preserver for sys_attachment where table name = sys_atf_step AND sys_attachment_doc where table = sys_atf_step

So why are attachment not preserved on Acceptance? We do not want to have other attachments in Dev due to sensitive information.

Any sugestions?

Note: I do notice there are no Preserves on ATF tables and the seem to intact (include the Attachment step itself with a sys id mentioned of the attachment, but attachment is not found)