Importing into Variable Formatter (or Editor)

[Shunji]

So we are offloading a Sharepoint InfoPath site form to ServiceNow

Background:

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In this form, user can input so many fields (it’s not pretty but it’s compliance that user checks EVERY boxes for the government compliance)

We recreate the forms and functionality and they can INSERT NEW record in SN

We now would like to IMPORT previous SharePoint data as there is a need to retain record for a certain years

We DID NOT build all the fields SharePoint has because in NEW RECORD, we can use Variables Formatter to capture what users entered in the Service Portal Catalog

Problem:

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With the legacy data, can we import them into Variable Formatter?

1 - Will CartJS work with Import Set and Transform Map to recreate these legacy records and put all those

XLSX fields from the file into the VARIABLE FORMATTER?

2 - Will this work Programmatically instead of User Input for the Variable Formatter to show because if you Export record XML from one env to another, the Variable Formatter will not follow, ONLY the record

SideQuest:

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What are the relationship between the Variable Formatter (item_option_new?) and current record sys_id of the record created?

[pavani_paluri]

Hi @Shunji ,

The Variable Formatter doesn’t actually store data — it just shows values that live in special “variable” tables.

If you only bring over the RITM record, the variable formatter will look empty.

To make it work, you must also bring over the old values and link them to the RITM.

What you can do

Don’t use CartJS → that’s only for ordering in the Service Portal.

Use Import Set + Transform Map →

Step 1: Load your old SharePoint data (Excel/CSV) into a staging table in ServiceNow.

Step 2: Transform each row so that:

It creates a legacy RITM record (to represent the old submission).

It creates variable entries for each old field value and links them to that RITM.

Once you do that, when you open the RITM, the variable formatter will display all the imported values as if the user had filled them in originally.

The relationship between ritm and variables is 

RITM record = the “container” of the request.

Variable records = the answers to the form fields.

Variable Formatter = just the window that shows those answers on the RITM.

Mark it helpful if this helps you to understand. Accept solution if this give you the answer you're looking for

Kind Regards,

Pavani P

[Shunji]

Thank you, Pavani. @pavani_paluri   

The problem is our custom table, Retirement Plan, has NO user created fields we can mapped to.  

We only CAPTURE the User Input as Variables on the front end (Service Portal) and display them in the back end as Variable Formatter so our Fulfillers can work/edit them.

I do realize it's a design choice so we don't have to create hundreds of extra fields on the table and it has limitation.  Hence our choice of using CartJS to recreate these fields.

So when it's time to Import legacy data, if we re-create the record, it won't have those fields to map to directly.  Hence the need for CartJS to recreate the record AS IF a User creates them.

Also, more interesting is how does that Variable tables related to the record?
I found the Variables I've created for the Catalog Item, but cannot list them to see all the User Inputs or how it is related to the sys_id of a particular record (to show up in that Variable Formatter)