Re: Application category

miftikhar20 · ‎10-20-2025

To make the "Application category" field optional when creating a new Business Application, you can disable the client script that enforces it as mandatory.

The script responsible is the "Set Application Category mandatory" onLoad Client Script. This script checks if the field exists and then sets it as mandatory.

If your use case requires this field to be optional, you can simply deactivate this client script.
Here is the link: https://<your-instance>.service-now.com/sys_script_client.do?sys_id=1c12958653372010c8d4ddeeff7b120b

If my response helped, please mark it as the accepted solution so others can benefit as well.

Thanks & Regards,
Muhammad Iftikhar

If my response helped, please mark it as the accepted solution so others can benefit as well.

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YakupT · ‎10-21-2025

Hi @miftikhar20,

Thanks for the helpful answer regarding the “Application category” field and how to make it optional by deactivating the related client script.

We are now considering not using the "Application category" field at all and instead classifying Business Applications using other fields such as "Business Unit" or "Department".
Before we move forward with this approach, we’d like to understand if there are any known implications—especially in the context of the Common Service Data Model (CSDM)—when "Application category" is not used. Could this impact reporting, service mapping, or other integrations within the CMDB or Service Portfolio?

We’d appreciate any insights or experiences from others who have taken a similar approach.

Thanks and Regards

Mathew Hillyard · 3 weeks ago

Hi @YakupT

If you can see Application Category then you must have an Enterprise Architecture subscription as the field is in the EA scope, whereas the Business App table and most of its fields are in Global.

Application Category is a table and Application Categories can be grouped. It's one of the fundamental metrics used in the Bubble chart in EA Workspace and is important in understanding overlapping Business Apps when conducting application rationalization. It's also something that will be time consuming and tedious to populate later when you have hundreds/thousands of Business Apps.

If you plan to ever use the EA application, then you should work with your organization to define the Application Categories (and Category Groups) now and enforce its population.

I hope this helps!
Mat

GeoffL-Coles · 3 weeks ago

>Is there an out of the box possibility to set the field to optional or other possible way to do so.

Don't

>We are now considering not using the "Application category" field at all and instead classifying Business Applications using other fields such as "Business Unit" or "Department".

Don't

It is a very simple question that is trivial to answer and adds value to an organisation. Someone down the line will ask about applications in categories. Don't 'customise' it (besides maybe adding some industry specific categories).

Mahesh Kumar R · 3 weeks ago

Even after disabling the client script the error is still coming up

This is the correct solution, please like and share if this helped.

Application Category a Mandatory Field? - ServiceNow Community