Categories and Subcategories in ITSM

[nataliya_b]

Hello All,

We are looking to optimize our current setup for categories and subcategories in ServiceNow and would appreciate your advice.

Our current structure is based on the Company selected on the Incident form:

Each company has its own list of categories.
Each category has its own list of subcategories and subcategory has it is own subcategories_2
So, we have a 4-level structure: Company → Category → Subcategory->Subcategory_2

We don't use Business Services, Service Offerings, or CMDB.

What would be the best way to manage this setup in ServiceNow?

Would you recommend dependent choice lists, custom tables, or another approach?

If you have dealt with a similar scenario, would you be able to share your solution or recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

[Tejas Adhalrao]

Hi @nataliya_b  ,

I would recommend using custom tables instead of dependent choice lists for this requirement.

Since you have a four-level hierarchy (Company → Category → Subcategory → Subcategory_2), create reference fields with relationships between the tables.

Use reference qualifiers to filter each level based on the previous selection.

This will make the setup easier to maintain when adding or modifying categories for different companies.

If this helped, mark it helpful and accept the solution.

Regards, Tejas

[Mohit 101]

Hi @nataliya_b ,

I would suggest using custom tables for this scenario, as you have a four-level hierarchy and the categories are different for each company.

You can create separate tables for Category, Subcategory and Subcategory 2, with reference fields to maintain the relationship between them.

For example:

• Category table – Reference to Company (core_company).

• Subcategory table – Reference to Category.

• Subcategory 2 table – Reference to Subcategory.

On the Incident form, you can use reference qualifiers to filter the values based on the selection made in the previous field.

This way, when a user selects a company, only its categories will be available. The same applies to subcategories and Subcategory 2.

I think this would be easier to maintain, especially if you have multiple companies and expect the lists to grow in the future. Dependent choice lists can also work, but managing four levels may become difficult over time.

Hope this helps! If you find this information useful, please mark it as Helpful and accept it as a Solution.

Regards,

Mohit

[Aditya_hublikar]

Hello @nataliya_b ,

I would recommend the OOTB dependent list approach , because its simple and easy to configure rather than custom table / client script .  Client script and custom table approach requires lot of things to handle and configure so dependent list approach i should recommend .

If this helps you then mark it as helpful and accept as solution .

Regards,

Aditya