What exactly is the point of the "business service catalog" feature??

[Chris Sanford1]

(SN jargon in italics to easily identify)

We have enabled the Service Portfolio Management plugin. Our intention in doing so was, to associate the individual service "Catalog Items" we offer with the "Business Services" in the "CMDB", and hopefully more specifically associate them with the "Service Offerings" of these "Business Services".

However it would appear this is not the way ServiceNow intended it to work. I see no such way to make these associations between business services and "Catalog Items". What I do see is a "Business Service Catalog" and "Business Service Catalog Entries" that are actually an extension of the "Catalog Item" table. If I create a "Business Service Catalog Entry" what I get is a link in the "Service Catalog" that displays the "Business Service" and a list of its "Service Offerings", with no actual button to order this "item"??

So as the title suggests, my question is what exactly is the point of this? Is the "Business Service Catalog" just supposed to be a way to provide a list of information rather than an actual catalog? And is it true that a "Business Service" and a regular "Catalog Item" are not supposed to have any association with each other?

[Chris Sanford1]

Can anyone with experience in Service Portfolio Management help me out on this one? Another thing I noticed is that the "business service catalog items" render blank in the portal?

[WLNono]

Hi

I have the same needs ... do you find an alternative ?

Kr

Henri