ServiceNow Socials Episode 25 Recap
Welcome to the recap of ServiceNow Socials Episode 25! This edition covers our latest meetup, where we discussed several pressing challenges and explored innovative solutions. We also delved into career guidance, shared job opportunities, and provided insights on specific ServiceNow domains. Here's a comprehensive summary of the key discussions and takeaways.
Challenges with ServiceNow UI Builder
The meetup kicked off with a robust discussion on the challenges developers face with ServiceNow UI Builder. Participants expressed concerns over the difficulties in customizing and maintaining UI components.
Key Takeaways:
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Alternative Solutions: It was proposed that tools like Figma could be explored as a potential solution to overcome the limitations of the UI Builder.
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Migration Experience: A participant shared their experience of initially developing a solution in UI Builder and later migrating it to the ServiceNow Portal, highlighting the complexities involved.
ServiceNow's Custom UI Framework
The introduction of a new approach with ServiceNow's custom UI framework was discussed, which allows for the creation of external components and the utilization of advanced UI capabilities.
Key Highlights:
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Framework Capabilities: The framework enables developers to create React-based components, offering greater flexibility.
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Implementation Experience: Insights were shared on the support provided by ServiceNow for development and deployment within this framework.
Addressing UI Development Challenges
The group brainstormed potential solutions to improve UI development within the ServiceNow platform.
Discussion Points:
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Design Tools: There was a consensus on the need to explore design tools like Figma to create custom UI components that integrate seamlessly with ServiceNow.
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Custom UI Framework: There was strong interest in ServiceNow's custom UI framework as a promising avenue to address ongoing challenges.
Challenges with Cloning Production to Dev Environment
A significant portion of the discussion was dedicated to the ongoing issues related to cloning production environments to development environments, particularly due to database compatibility problems.
Issues Raised:
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Cloning Failures: The team has faced over 20 failed attempts at cloning, primarily due to compatibility issues, which have impacted 52 customers.
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Downtime Concerns: There is a pressing need to upgrade the production instance to resolve these issues, but uncertainty around database compatibility continues to cause delays.
Upcoming Upgrade Concerns
With the Washington version upgrade on the horizon, there were concerns about its potential impact, particularly regarding the unresolved cloning issues.
Discussion Points:
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Database Challenges: Participants highlighted the lack of access to database-level details, making it difficult to proactively address potential upgrade issues.
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Business Impact: The team is keenly aware of the significant impact these challenges could have on the development lifecycle and customer satisfaction.
Challenges with FedRAMP Support
Another area of concern was the difference in support and access between FedRAMP and commercial instances, which complicates the resolution of cloning issues.
Key Insights:
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Restricted Access: FedRAMP's restrictive access policies make troubleshooting and resolving issues more difficult compared to commercial instances.
GDPR Compliance and Data Replication
The team's GDPR compliance processes and data replication strategies between production and staging instances have been disrupted, leading to potential audit and compliance issues.
Critical Points:
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Disruption Risks: The disruption in GDPR compliance and data replication could lead to significant audit challenges, highlighting the need for a more robust strategy.
Escalating ServiceNow Support Tickets
The group discussed challenges in getting critical ServiceNow support tickets prioritized and assigned to an engineer in a timely manner.
Key Concerns:
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Support Delays: The team is facing delays due to the inability to escalate the priority of tickets, which is impacting project timelines.
Career Guidance and Job Market Insights
Towards the end of the session, participants provided career guidance and shared insights into the current ServiceNow job market.
Advice for Job Seekers:
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Expanding Skill Sets: It was advised that job seekers learn additional ServiceNow modules beyond CSA to enhance their employability.
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In-Demand Modules: GRC and SAM were identified as "hot cake" modules that could significantly boost a candidate's attractiveness to potential employers.
Networking and Collaboration Opportunities
The session also highlighted the importance of networking and collaboration within the ServiceNow community.
Key Actions:
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Job Openings: Information about job openings was shared, and participants were encouraged to connect on LinkedIn to expand their professional networks.
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Guidance Offer: Guidance was offered on increasing ServiceNow portfolios, with suggestions for direct connections for personalized advice.
Upcoming Events and Announcements
Before concluding, there was a reminder about an upcoming event and a confirmation of registration. We encourage all participants to keep an eye on future events and continue engaging with the community.
Snaps :
Thank you to everyone who participated in this insightful discussion! Your contributions are what make ServiceNow Socials such a valuable community. We look forward to seeing you at the next meetup, where we'll continue to explore the latest in ServiceNow and support each other in our professional journeys.
Stay Connected:
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Join our LinkedIn group for more updates and discussions.
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Keep an eye out for the registration details for our next event.
