What is the Clone and Clone Process? After Clone What Will happen in the instance and Why go for Clone and Why clone from product instance to Dev or Test Instance?

ram2497 · ‎08-05-2020

Thanks

Ram

Sudhanshu Talw1 · ‎08-05-2020

Hi Ram,

Clone means to copy everything in a database from one instance to another.

Cloning(or Clone process) is typically used to copy a production instance to a pre-production instance to test changes. Cloning data comes from the most recent, nightly backup.

After clone your instances will be in synchronization means you have the upto date data on DEV, PRODUCTION or TEST instance.The best part of cloning is that the records have same sys_id's across various instances.

Cloning is done from production to TEST or DEV because the PRODUCTION instance is the one where the real business requests are made. The DEV is for development & TEST is for the user acceptance. The PRODUCTION is where you have the most sensible data the business process owned. That's why usualy cloning is done like this. Although there is no hard & fast rule sometimes test is cloned to DEV as well.

The biggest advantage that cloning an instance you will get everything on your development instance as such on PROD & with same sys_id as well.

For more info:

https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/orlando-platform-administration/page/administer/managing-data/con...

Thanks

Sudhanshu

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verda · ‎08-10-2022

Lately after cloning, stuff disappears. I don't do the cloning, admins do it but my applications get impacted by it. For examples update sets and data disappears. Can you tell me what can be done to prevent this from happening besides saving everything on my own machine.

Community Alums · ‎08-12-2022

For update sets, the best practice is to complete the update sets & export their XML's so that they can be loaded again after the cloning process. This is what you can do for all the development work so that it can be restored after cloning.

For other issues such as if we want to preserve some data we need to setup clone preservers & exclude tables accordingly this is something that the admins do on demand based on DEV team request.

Hope it answers your question!!

Let me know if it helps!

Thanks

Sudhanshu

pawan k singh · ‎08-11-2024

Rather than going on definitions, I will try to explain ServiceNow "Preserve" and "Exclude" outcome in cloning.

Although "Preserve" and Excludes go hand in hand while cloning but sometimes it may create confusion on the outcome. So, I'm trying to make it simple here.

Assume you are cloning the Production instance (Source) over the Dev instance (Target).
Any particular table (INC, PRB, CHG etc. ) in the Production instance has records (1, 2, 3) and the same table in the Dev Instance has records (A, B, C).
Now, check how the clone outcome will change based on your Exclude/Preserve setting in clone profile.

Please Mark helpful if this helps.

Regards

Pawan K Singh