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