Did you know that you can amplify your ServiceNow instance with plugins? Or maybe you already know about them, but aren't sure how to "plug them in"? In this ninth installment of our best practices series, we offer plugins best practices to help you navigate the following scenarios:
- You may already have the desired plugin activated on your instance, but you don't know how to find out.
- You want to activate a plugin, but you can't find it in the System Definition > Plugins module.
- When requesting a plugin through HI, the form requires you to set the planned date and time at least two business days in the future. But you need the plugin before that!
Before we delve into the details, here's a quick primer on plugins.
What's a plugin?
Plugins are software components that provide specific features and enhanced functionalities within a ServiceNow Enterprise instance. New plugins become available with each new release. Check out the list of plugins available on the Istanbul release.
Certain plugins are activated by default on a new Enterprise instance. When you upgrade, most plugins aren't enabled on your upgraded Enterprise instance. If you want additional plugins, you must activate them. Users with the admin role can activate some plugins through self-service. Other plugins must be requested through HI and activated by ServiceNow personnel, either because they require a subscription or for some other reason—for example, because they are appropriate only for certain deployments. Plugins cannot be deactivated once they are activated, with a few exceptions.
Plugins best practices:
When activating a plugin on your ServiceNow instance, follow these best practices. (Role required: admin):
Avoid mistaking one plugin for another
- Write down the name of the plugin you want. Some plugins have similar names that can be mistaken for each other.
Check to see if the plugin is already active on your instance
- You can do this by entering sys_plugins.list in the navigation filter and searching for the plugin. This list includes all plugins that are active on the instance, whether they were activated by default when the instance was new or upgraded, through self-service, or by ServiceNow personnel at your request:
- Don't rely on the System Definition > Plugins module to determine which plugins are active on the instance. That module lists only plugins available through self-service.
Search for a plugin to see if it's available for self-service activation
- You can figure out if the desired plugin is available for self-service activation, and if so, activate it yourself. Begin by searching for the plugin in the System Definition > Plugins module:
- If it's not listed there, it isn't available for self-service activation.
- If you find the plugin in the list, follow the procedure to activate a plugin.
Request a plugin through HI
- If the desired plugin isn't listed in the System Definition > Plugins module, request the plugin through HI by navigating to Service Catalog > Activate Plugin:
- On the request form, you must select a time at least 48 hours in the future. However, if you want the plugin activated before 48 hours, specify the time and date you need it in the Reason/Comments field before submitting the form. Even after submitting the form, you can request the plugin sooner by opening the change request and adding a comment to specify the date and time you need it.
Still have questions? Get more information about ServiceNow plugins
For more information about ServiceNow plugins, see:
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Behind the scenes here at ServiceNow, the Knowledge Management and Multimedia teams work closely with subject matter experts to disseminate critical information to our customers. We've found that certain topics come up frequently, in the form of best practices that can help you keep your ServiceNow instances running smoothly. This series aims to target those topics so that you and your organization can benefit from our collective expertise. If you have a best practices topic you'd like us to cover in this series, please let us know in the comments below.
See Annotate scripts and customizations with comments for the first installment on script comments.
See Limit the number of users with the Admin role for the second installment on user roles.
See Where to avoid linking to a reference field when configuring a list for the third installment on list configuration.
See Developing on your production instance for the fourth installment on development.
See When to create a new table vs. when to extend for the fifth installment on application development.
See How to clone to a target instance that has in-development applications for the sixth installment on cloning.
See Why you should never use external iFrames - and the one exception to this rule for the seventh installment on using iFrames.
See Outsmart fickle networks, firewall changes, and down servers in your web services integration for the eighth installment on web services integrations.
To access all of the blog posts in this series, search for "nowsupport best practices series."
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