E-bonding : Integrating ServiceNow Instances with OOTB Integration Hub Spoke & Flow Designer

maheshchokkara
Tera Contributor

       

Hello ServiceNow Community!

 

  • In today's interconnected enterprise landscape, streamlining communication and data exchange between different systems is paramount. For many organizations, this extends to integrating with partner or vendor ServiceNow instances – a process often referred to as "e-bonding." E-bonding automates critical workflows, reduces manual effort, and improves overall efficiency.
  • While custom scripting has traditionally been a go-to for such integrations, ServiceNow's Out-of-the-Box (OOTB) Integration Hub Spoke, combined with the intuitive Flow Designer, provides a powerful, low-code/no-code solution. This approach not only accelerates development but also enhances maintainability.

Why OOTB Integration Hub Spoke?

 

  • Low-Code/No-Code: Minimize the need for custom scripts, making integrations accessible to a wider audience.

  • Rapid Development: Leverage pre-built actions to quickly configure common integration patterns.

  • Enhanced Maintainability: Visual flows are easier to understand, debug, and update compared to complex scripts.

  • Robustness: Built-in error handling and comprehensive logging features.

    Prerequisites

    To follow along with this guide, ensure you have:

    1. Two ServiceNow Personal Developer Instances (PDIs):

    2. Integration Hub Plugin: Activated on your Source Instance.  



                                      Step-by-Step Implementation Guide

     


    Initial Setup

    Activate the Integration Hub Plugin:

    • On your Source Instance (https://dev313686.service-now.com)

    • Search for Integration Hub and activate the plugin if it's not already active. (This usually also activates the core "ServiceNow Spoke" - com.sn.servicenow_spoke).

      maheshchokkara_0-1752508847597.png                                              

         Create an Integration User (Target Instance):

 

  • On your Target Instance (https://dev313508.service-now.com), navigate to User Administration > Users and click New.

  • Create a dedicated integration user (e.g., integration.user).

  • Important Roles: itil (for Incident access) and web_service_admin (crucial for API access).

  • Set Web service access only to true and establish a strong password. Record this password.                           

     

    maheshchokkara_2-1752509684576.png

     

       

    Configure Credentials & Connection Alias (Source Instance):

     

    • On your Source Instance (https://dev313686.service-now.com), navigate to Connections & Credentials > Credentials.

    • Click New and select Basic Auth.

    • Name: Target Instance E-bonding Credential

    • User name: integration.user (from Target instance)

    • Password: The password you set same as target.

    • Click Submit.             

      maheshchokkara_4-1752509850050.png
       

       

    • Next, navigate to Connections & Credentials

    • Under Connections, click New.

    • Name: Connect to Target Instance dev313508 

    • Connection URL: https://dev313508.service-now.com (Base URL only).

    • Credential Alias: sn_ebonding_ah.ServiceNow
    • Credential: Select the credential you just created (Target Instance E-bonding Credential). Click Submit.

       

      maheshchokkara_10-1752510122109.png

       

                                         Flow Designer Implementation

      Use-case:

      creating a P1 Incident in the Target whenever a P1 Incident is created in the Source, and updating the Target Incident when the Source Incident is updated.

       

      Flow 1: Create Remote Incident

      This flow triggers when a P1 Incident is created on your Source Instance and creates a corresponding Incident on the Target Instance.

      1. Create a New Flow (Source Instance):

        • Navigate to Flow Designer > Designer.

        • Click New > Flow.

        • Name: Create Incident

        • Application: Global

      2. Trigger: Record Created on Incident table, with Condition: Priority is 1 - Critical. 

      3. Add an Action and select the ServiceNow eBonding spoke's. 

      4. Connection Alias: ServiceNow (the one pointing to your Target).
      5. Select the create remote Incident

      6.  Activate the Flow.

        maheshchokkara_11-1752510612587.png 

      maheshchokkara_12-1752510889231.png

       

      Flow 2: Update Remote Incident

       

    • This flow triggers when a P1 Incident is created on your Source Instance and creates a corresponding Incident on the Target Instance.

      1. Create a New Flow (Source Instance):

        • Navigate to Flow Designer > Designer.

        • Click New > Flow.

        • Name: Update Incident

        • Application: Global

      2. Trigger: record Updated on Incident table for each unique change. 

      3. Add an Action and select the ServiceNow eBonding spoke's. 

      4. Connection Alias: ServiceNow (the one pointing to your Target).
      5. Select the Update remote Incident
      6. Activate the Flow

        maheshchokkara_15-1752511467419.png

         


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                                                                                 Test Result


       1.  Created an incident in source instance with description Create Incident and Caller Abel tuter

 

maheshchokkara_17-1752511621229.png

 

     2. Incident created same as Source in target

maheshchokkara_18-1752511692375.png

 

          
      3. Source instance description changed to Update Incident

maheshchokkara_19-1752511860854.png

 

4. Target Instance also updated same as source

maheshchokkara_20-1752511966089.png

 

 

Conclusion:

E-bonding between ServiceNow instances no longer needs to be a daunting task. By harnessing the power of Integration Hub's OOTB ServiceNow Spoke and the intuitive capabilities of Flow Designer, you can establish robust and maintainable bidirectional integrations with minimal coding. This approach empowers you to automate crucial cross-instance workflows, significantly enhancing operational efficiency and collaboration.

I hope this detailed guide proves helpful for anyone looking to implement e-bonding in their ServiceNow environments. Have you tried a similar setup, or do you have alternative approaches you prefer? Share your thoughts, experiences, and any questions in the comments below!

 

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