Lost access to previous PDI dev403583

[sakshiskpal]

Hello,

My developer account email is sakshiskpal5@gmail.com.

I previously had a Personal Developer Instance (PDI) named dev403583 where I built an Employee Break Management application.

After returning after a few days, I was assigned instance dev393228, which is empty. Password recovery on dev403583 shows a phone number that does not belong to me.

Could someone help verify whether dev403583 is still associated with my account and whether the application can be recovered?

Thank you.

[Dr Atul - LNG]

We have some clarification from the PDI team now. New software installations across the PDI server infrastructure have temporarily caused several instances to go offline. The affected PDIs will remain unavailable until the installations are complete. Thanks for your patience in the meantime!!!

[Tanushree Maiti]

Hi @sakshiskpal 

 Unfortunately, once you receive a new PDI, there is no way to recover your previous PDI, and support for recovering it is not available.

Please check this Personal Developer Instance (PDI) Guide

Where it is written-

"When a PDI is reclaimed, the instance is unassigned from you, reset to its original state, and reassigned to another Developer Site user. Reclaiming instances allows ServiceNow to supply active developer site user with free instances."

Therefore, I'll suggest that you do not attempt to log in to your previous PDI, as it may have been reassigned to another user (you have seen Phone number is not matching).

[Dr Atul - LNG]

Hi @sakshiskpal 

Once a PDI taken back, it's gone. so no way to get it back. What I suggest going forward

Key Takeaway

If your PDI is older than 90 days and you haven't logged into it within the last 10 days, it may be reclaimed. Log in regularly and back up your work to avoid losing your customizations and development artifacts.

https://www.servicenow.com/community/developer-blog/keeping-pdis-available-for-active-builders-upcom...

How to Take Backup of PDI going forward:

Summary: How to Back Up Your ServiceNow Personal Developer Instance (PDI)

This guide explains the different methods for backing up your Personal Developer Instance (PDI) to protect your work before a reset or reclamation.

1. Back Up Using ServiceNow Studio (Scoped Applications)

Use ServiceNow Studio for scoped applications.

Steps:

• Create a GitHub account (if you don't already have one).
• Generate a GitHub Personal Access Token (PAT) with the repo scope.
• Create Basic Auth Credentials in ServiceNow using your GitHub username and PAT.
• Create a GitHub repository for your application.
• In System Applications > Studio, select your application.
• Link the application to Source Control using the GitHub repository URL and credentials.
• Push your application to GitHub.

Restore: Import the application back from Source Control using the same repository and branch.

---

2. Back Up Using App Engine Studio (AES)

For applications built in App Engine Studio:

Steps:

• Configure GitHub and a Personal Access Token.
• Create ServiceNow credentials.
• Open App Engine Studio.
• Select your application.
• Choose Link to Source Control.
• Connect it to your GitHub repository.

Restore: Use Import App in App Engine Studio to retrieve the application from GitHub.

---

3. Back Up Using Update Sets

Update Sets capture configuration changes made on the platform.

Steps:

1. Create a new Local Update Set.
2. Make it the Current update set.
3. Perform all configuration work within that update set.
4. Set the update set to Complete.
5. Export it as an XML file.

You can also:

• Export multiple update sets as a batch.
• Publish an entire scoped application to an Update Set and export it.

Restore: Import the XML file into Retrieved Update Sets, then Preview and Commit the update set.

---

Important Notes

• Always store backups outside your PDI.
• GitHub is recommended for application source control.
• Update Sets capture configuration changes, not business data.
• Metadata such as records is not backed up automatically.
• Export any required custom data, attachments, scripts, and configurations separately.
• Never store passwords or sensitive credentials in a public GitHub repository.

Link: https://www.servicenow.com/community/developer-blog/how-to-backup-your-personal-developer-instance-p...