Data source

[anvitha ash]

Hello,

What is the difference between data source and import set

Import set: is a staging table which temporary holds the data untill it is processed into servicenow table

data sources: ?

Can we load data with import sets without having data sources ?? 

[Community Alums]

Hi @anvitha ash ,

Data sources are used to create an import set so that data can be processed, if necessary, prior to being mapped onto a production table.

Data Source Types

Type	Description
File	Data is in a recognized file format, accessible locally or remotely through several file retrieval methods.
JDBC	Data is in a database, accessible using JDBC. Customer Service and Support supports Oracle, MySQL, Sybase, DB2 Universal, and MS SQL Server drivers.
LDAP	Data is in an LDAP server, accessible through the LDAP or LDAPS ports, 389 and 636 respectively.
OIDC	Data is accessible via OpenID Connect.
REST (Integration Hub)	Data is in a REST API, accessible through Integration Hub.
Data Stream Integration Hub	Data is loaded from a Data Stream Action, accessible through Integration Hub.
Custom (Load by Script)	Data is obtained using a custom script.

Import sets enable administrators to import data from various data sources, and then map that data into ServiceNow tables. The import sets table acts as a staging area for records imported from a data source. A transform map determines the relationships between fields displaying in an import set table and fields in an existing ServiceNow table, such as the Incidents or Users table.

So an example might be that you need to import your Company's Department data into ServiceNow's cmn_department table so that Department reference fields can be populated with your Company's Departments -- the proper approach would be to use import sets.

And you will need Data Sources to load data with import sets.

[Ankit Rawat]

Hi @anvitha ash ,

Data source and an import set are both used for importing data, but they differ in their functionality and purpose.

A Data source is a connection between ServiceNow and an external system that provides data for import. A data source defined the format of the incoming data, how it is mapped to ServiceNow tables and fields, and the frequency of the data import. Data sources can be configured to use various protocols such as JDBC, LDAP, REST and SOAP.

On the other hand, an import set is a staging table for importing data into ServiceNow. An import set is a temporary table where data can be loaded from various sources such as CSV, Excel or XML files. The data can be transformed and validated in the import set table before it is moved to a target table in ServiceNow.

In summary, a data source is used to establish a connection with an external system to retrieve data, while an import set is used to stage data before it is imported  into ServiceNow.

Yes , it is possible to load data into ServiceNow using import sets without having a data source.

Regards

Ankit

[Ankur Bawiskar]

@anvitha ash 

yes without data source import sets can be used.

Best example is Import Set API where you share endpoint to 3rd party and they send data in json format and it gets transformed into target table.