Q&A from our Configuration vs. Customization Event

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Question: Where can I find the on-demand version of this presentation? 

Answer: Our YouTube channel. Our other recorded Welcome Sessions are here too! 

Question: Are there slides available to be downloaded, so we can get the links in one of the last slides?

Answer: The PDF of the slides are attached in this post.

Question: Where can I find best practices for ServiceNow products?
Answer: We suggest the community or our customer success center.

Question: Can you please share the link to that upgrade webinar?
Answer: Here it is: Upgrade Webinar link.

Question: Recommendations on ATF on custom applications that have enhancements made to it?
Answer: You can attend one of our ATF 360 meetups. 

Question: How do I know when my changes will be negatively impacted by a ServiceNow update?

Answer: You can use the Preview feature in Upgrade Center. 

Question: Are there ServiceNow resources that could help us as customers understand whether our specific change is config or customization, and identify the risks when performing an upgrade? 
Answer: Since the terms customization and configuration are subjective, there's no definitive document or website for that. The best place to start is with the technical best practices, and understanding if you've modified or created any scripts. Those tend to carry the most risk.

Question: There is a script include for something to do with incidents. It includes a user-modifiable script where you're directed to override functions. Is this a model that will be rolled out to other includes?
Answer: Extending classes from script includes is a standard part of JavaScript, so there's nothing to preclude you from doing the same. The general strategy is to provide more low/no-code solutions like flows and actions than script includes in the future, so I don't know if providing OOB extensible solutions is part of our roadmap.

Question: Is that a pre-2016 recommendation to copy and tweak the copied code, rather than modifying the original because pre-2016, a deactivated record would still get updated, but post-2016 that's not the case? 
Answer: If I understand correctly, we changed our recommendation based on customer support cases. Deactivating and modifying the copy (the old recommendation) was deprecated because customers were not getting the functionality from updates and not getting any warnings either. 

Question: Is it a best practice to bring OOB baseline scripts back to active? (We have disabled many over time.)
Answer: Do this with caution. In other words, if you do--test, test, test. You may be turning on functionality that was turned off for a reason.

Question: Will there be the ability in the upgrade to have an option to update all plugins at the same time?
Answer: I'd have to know more context for this. When you upgrade an instance, it updates the respective plugins at the same time. If you're doing one plugin independently (say, from the application manager), it will update the dependencies also.

Question: What is the best practice to record and track customization made in our system?
Answer: Document all changes. Code, comment it. When there's a description (or comment) field on a record, use it. For architectural designs (e.g., integrations and cross-departmental processes), third-party tools work well.

Question: Will ServiceNow introduce more OOB instances scan checks?
Answer: Over time, yes. I don't have specifics on that. I recommend your account team work with our product teams for specific questions.

Question: How do we get the instance scan results?
Answer: In the instance scan, there's a results-related list or you can navigate to Instance Scan > Results.

Question: Instance scan? Is that the same as a health scan?
Answer: Very similar. Instance scan can be run by you at any time using your checks (definition). Health scan is initiated through support and runs ServiceNow checks.

Question: Health scan report from ServiceNow vs. instance scan on platform. We see health scan from ServiceNow captures more info than instance scan. Why this discrepancy?
Answer: Health scan uses ServiceNow checks (definitions) and is looking for common things that all customers may do/have. Some of these are not available on instance scan. If you have additional questions, I recommend reaching out to customer support.

Question: Is it true that instance scan copies data to another server/location to run the scan? I was told that recently, but it sounded a bit unnecessary?
Answer: Not that I'm aware of. I can't see why that would be necessary since it's scanning records (e.g., sys, user, sys_script, or whatever you define) on the local instance.

Question: Do you have stats on how many customers have upgrade problems and their level of problems? 
Answer: No, we do not.

Question: How can I start professional certifications? Can you please share info on Solution Partner Certifications and Individual Certifications? 
Answer: You can find information on certifications on our NowLearning website.

Question: I got from this session that customization is not always bad, but I'm still not sure how to evaluate if a specific customization is okay to move forward or not.
Answer: When in doubt, ask. Before implementing a change, ask the community and ask customer support. Also ask your account team's solution consult or partner. 

Question: Does ServiceNow on-premises installations in private cloud?
Answer: I don't know. It's a bit outside the scope of this presentation. I recommend reaching out to customer support.

Question: Can we refer our customers to any webinars on this topic?
Answer: Of course, please do!

Question: Are workflows created in traditional Workflow Editor now considered "customization" because Flow Designer is now advised to be used?
Answer: Again, the term customization is subjective. Is the legacy Workflow Editor still supported, no. Should you be building all new flows in Flow Designer, absolutely. Should you migrate your old WF flows to Flow Designer, only as deemed necessary.

Question: Can you speak to licensing in regards to building custom scoped apps? Is there a limit? Are there charges?
Answer: We would recommend you speak with your account executive.

Question: Can ServiceNow post more videos on YouTube with better examples and content?
Answer: We will continue to build out this series.

Question: What is the recommended approach when someone intends to use out-of-the-box workspace with a bit of customization? Can it be cloned and then customized OR is it recommended to customize the same?
Answer: You cannot clone a workspace. We recommend that you implement one of our 50+ out-of-the-box workspaces we ship. Within that workspace, you can clone pages into new variants and make any necessary changes there. We go into that a little bit here.

Question: Does ServiceNow have templates for documenting that embed the best practices?
Answer: Not that I've seen, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I suggest working with your account team who should be able to connect you with the customer success team.

Question: When will ATF get a "fill all mandatory fields with demo data" action for record creation?
Answer: Not a bad idea. I recommend suggesting it directly to our product managers on the customer support website.

Question: Is there a list of objects or items for configuration/customizations, like Chuck said changing the properties of the form is a configuration, which I thought was a customization until now?
Answer: There's no list because nobody can agree on what those terms "configuration" and "customization" mean. If you would like to try and define them in your own organization, be my guest, but I suggest taking the "risk vs. cost vs. value" approach instead. It's a lot easier to define. 

Question: Is there anything that we REALLY shouldn't touch?
Answer: I recommend staying away from ServiceNow-provided code (script includes, scripted business rules, script actions, client scripts, etc.). Modifying other logic should be assessed carefully (e.g., ServiceNow or store actions in Flow Designer, for example).