We're reclaiming inactive PDIs to keep them available for active builders. Learn what's changing, who's affected, and how to protect your work. Read More

Understanding Service catalog flows

DikshithaRao
Tera Contributor

yesterday

Hi All,

I have worked on ServiceCatalogs before but not in depth. I was wondering about the process engine related tab under service catalog. I wanted to understand the fields "flow", "execution plan" and "workflow" in depth. I mean I understand the fields, but I wanted to understand the flows or execution plan that are attached to the service catalog OOB. 

Zurich version:
For ex: I want to understand what flows mentioned below does or what are their functionality:
Procurement Process Flow - Hardware 

Procurement Process Flow - Mobile 
Service Catalog item request 
Service Catalog Request Price Approval 
Software Procurement Flow 

and I also wanted to understand the DEFAULT execution plan.

I was just wondering if there are any service now documentation for the same, if yes, could you please provide the links to me. If not I will go through the flows and understand them.


Thank you.

0 Helpfuls
  • 55 Views
2 REPLIES 2

Martin iTSM
Tera Guru

15 hours ago

Hi,

here's what I found on this doing a quick search:

1. Official ServiceNow doc — "Procurement workflows" (Zurich, IT Asset Management docs): https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/zurich-it-asset-management/page/product/procurement/concept/c...
This is the most relevant page - covers the OOB procurement workflows and how to edit/replace them in Workflow Studio. Worth checking first.

2. Also relevant — "Procurement view" (Hardware Asset Management docs): https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/it-asset-management/hardware-asset-management/procurement-v...

3. Execution Plan mechanics (how tasks are generated from an Execution Plan): https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/zurich-servicenow-platform/page/product/service-catalog-manag...

4. Flow Designer execution details: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/zurich-build-workflows/page/administer/flow-designer/concept/...

If those pages are too high-level for what you need: the most reliable way to fully understand each named flow is to open it directly in Workflow Editor / Flow Designer and trace the trigger >> conditions >> actions. There's no single doc that walks through each flow's internal business logic step-by-step, so direct inspection is the fallback.

One practical note that will save you time: the Hardware and Software Procurement flows only work correctly if the catalog item is linked to a Hardware Model / Software Model in the Product Catalog. If that link is missing, the flow just stalls "waiting for item to be sourced" - this can look like a bug but isn't. (Reference: https://www.servicenow.com/community/developer-forum/how-does-the-oob-procurement-process-flow-work/...)

Not sure these cover you questions in the depth you´d like - but might be a starting point...
Sometimes it is easier to just have the stuff run (DEV/ PDI or such) and check by yourself what it is doing.

Cheers!

Martin

0 Helpfuls

Tejas Adhalrao
Kilo Sage

15 hours ago

hi @DikshithaRao  ,

The official ServiceNow documentation explains how to configure Flows, Workflows, and Execution Plans, but it generally does not provide a detailed functional explanation of each OOB flow (such as Procurement Process Flow - Hardware, Software Procurement Flow, or the Default Execution Plan).

The best way to understand these is to open them in Flow Designer or Execution Plans and review each action/activity. Most OOB flows are self-explanatory, and many include descriptions or annotations.

Useful documentation:

 

 

I'd recommend reviewing the OOB flows alongside the documentation to understand both the framework and the business logic behind each implementation.

 

If you found my solution helpful, please mark it as Helpful and Accept Solution.

thanks,

tejas😊

0 Helpfuls