New custom application licensing - interaction with custom table subscriptions

[Fabian Kunzke]

Hello everyone,

We are a partner company developing multiple different solutions for ServiceNow customers. Many projects involve interface or automation projects. As we are striving to build reusable packages, we started putting solutions into scoped applications, easing up team development and deployment.

Now, since most of these applications, basically contain configuration tables and logic to trigger automation, interfaces, imports or clean-ups they very rarely are bound to a user-based subscription model (as essentially no user except the system admins have to access those tables). This was fine so far, as we could just implement the application for the customer, finish the project and get on.

Now with the new licensing model comes a custom table based subscription model. To my understanding each custom table needs its own dedicated table license, regardless if it is a configuration table, a table to "cache" interface records or a table actually used within processes. Lets suppose a customer needs such an integration sporting multiple tables: (lets choose some number) 42 in total. So far so good. Until now he would pay for the implementation, maybe a fixed price for the application (if it was not implemented but rather used from the store).

However, and i hope i completely misunderstood that, now he would pay the one-time cost for implementation (or again the ontime-cost / subscription for the application) AND would have to pay for 42 custom licenses (the amount of tables within the application). Could someone please correct me on this?

If this was indeed true, it would bring a huge bump in cost for all existing implementations as well (as it applies to existing integrations, too). The only alternative then being, instead of configurable AND low cost applications/developments, static, low cost developments with close to no reusability, bringing back large tables, unnormalised datastructure and hardcoded scripting values for no reason but cost savings.

tl:dr:
1) Does the new licensing model for custom table licenses consider application based tables as "already licensed"?
2) Are all custom tables connected to this "custom table" licensing or are tables only included if accessible by users?

Thanks for answers, i hope i am not alone with this question.

Regards

Fabian Kunzke

[Fabian Kunzke]

Short update: after digging around the documentation, this is what i have found for application development on an instance: https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/madrid-application-development/page/build/applications/task/t_Cre...

"Now Platform application subscriptions include custom table entitlements. You can create custom tables for any purpose, up to the entitlement limit in the subscription."

Short update 2: ServiceNow has an official knowledge base article for this topic here: Custom Table | Licensing Overview

[Fabian Kunzke · Accepted solution]

Aight, answers found.

As of right now https://www.servicenow.com/content/dam/servicenow-assets/public/en-us/doc-type/legal/custom-table-gu... -> this is the guide to determine, which extension/table creation is suitable for a custom table entitlement. Also, https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/madrid-application-development/page/build/applications/task/t_Cre... -> this holds true. Custom apps will be eligible for custom table entitlement.

NOTE: store apps are excluded in this case (talked with an application developer about this, did not find an official source though).

However which table is licensed under which circumstance is user dependend. Therefore, if a user A accesses 5 custom tables and user B accesses only 5 other custom tables, in total 5 custom table entitlements are needed. There is a course and a video for this on the sabacloud (just search for "ServiceNow Platform Subscription Model") explaining this in depth.

Regardless: Integration-tables are NOT hit by this change.

Please keep in mind: I am NOT a service now rep. These answers are based on my understanding and i could be completly wrong, so take it with a grain of salt. However all these links should guide you to a well prepared discussion. As a direct customer of service now please (PLEASE) contact your sales rep for valid and up to date information.

Greetings

Fabian 

[felladin]

A little addition to this regarding amounts per subscription, and this is not set in stone, but a good indicator I got from a discussion:

ITSA (exisiting clients) have unlimited custom tables
ITSM standard 25
ITSM Pro 50
ITBM 5
HR 5
CSM/Pro 25/50 (same as ITSM)

[Fabian Kunzke]

Hello,

Thanks for the addition, this is an important one! Although, keep in mind, that these packages are only accountable for tables within the same "feature set". E.g.: If you have a table which is used by itsm users, a itsm entitlement can be used. However, if you have a custom table which (again an example) sets the visibility within the service portal, this cannot be accounted to any of those. Reason beeing: The users accessing this table (indirectly) are not "assigned" to any of those packages as the access is not restricted. This is explained within the video on the saba cloud in more detail.

Still, great addtion. Thanks.

Regards

Fabian.