On October 30, 2024, at noon Eastern, we hosted a Platform Analytics Academy session focused on "PA Before & After." In this session, we walked through common creation tasks familiar with Performance Analytics and demonstrated how to replicate them in Platform Analytics. It was a great opportunity to learn how to transition existing analytics workflows and optimize them within the Platform Analytics framework. For those looking to make a smooth shift, this session provided the practical guidance needed.
Useful Links
Share a Platform Analytics dashboard
Create a dashboard with the In-line editor
Create or configure a responsive dashboard
Platform Analytics Enablement Toolkit:
Questions & Answers:
Q1: Are there plans to have the ability to add multiple data sources to other visualization types like bar graphs (side by side vs stacked)? Looking for something similar to the functionality delivered for line graphs. This would prevent the need for us to build custom fields on tables or export data to 3rd party systems to reach the same outcome.
A1: Click here for Live Answer
Q2: What are the best practices for monitoring Exported visualizations? We have a requirement to only allow schedule visualization/reports to run for 12 months then must either be requested to extend or become deactivated, this varies by Function (HR Data = 12 months, IT Data = longer than 12 months). Looking at Platform analytics scheduled export there does not seem to be a way to configure this requirement and they will run forever unless someone manually stops them, which with turnover is a risk of data breaches.
A2: Maybe a flow or a BR to put the scheduled export to inactive based on when it was created?
Q3: Can platform analytics manage a YOY visualization like we can do in Performance analytics?
A3: Has of now YOY is not available like the previous period chart we had before in PA widgets.
Q4: Un-related to today's topic, so feel free to leave this to the very end of Q&A:
A recent update to the SIR PA app broke the SI.Open indicator. ServiceNow is tracking this internally in PRB1743752, and has provided a workaround. The workaround is essentially just a different set of conditions on the SI.Open Indicator Source. However, the workaround ALSO breaks a number of things (for example, it cannot possibly populate the smallest/most recent bucket group, because its conditions never overlap).
So there are THREE indicator sources:
1) The original conditions
2) The broken conditions
3) The workaround conditions
I have a support ticket, and when I ask them why we need to use the less-broken-but-still-broken workaround conditions instead of simply restoring the original condition, waiting for a fix, and then reverting to preserve upgradeability, they simply copy/paste the PRB at me. I'm losing what's left of my mind.
Help me Adam-Wan Kenobi (or anyone else, I just wanted to say "Adam-Wan Kenobi")
A4: Hey Stephen, what I see on the PRB/workaround is to update indicator source conditions to base the date condition on “yesterday” instead of “today”, which is good practice for indicator sources in general. It says it applies to all these indicator sources:
Number of open security incidents (indicator source - SI.open)
Number of closed security incidents (indicator source - SI.closed)
Summed duration of closed security incidents (indicator source - SI.closed)
Average Time to Contain (indicator source - SI.Completed Metric View)
Average Time to Eradicate (indicator source - SI.Completed Metric View)
Average Time to Identify (indicator source - SI.Completed Metric View)
My concern is that the PRB is shown as “fixed” with the Xanadu release of the SIRanalytics store app.
Unfortunately the PRB and fix records don’t tell me what the original symptoms are. Can you send me your case # so I can look up what you reported, and make sure the PRB really is related?
Q5: Will you share the links so we can click on them?
A5: Yes, all links will be shared in the Community post.
Q6: Hi, we have not migrated to the new Platform Analytics yet. We are testing the migration and working through those issues in the lower environment and hope to migrate sometime next year. Is the Dashboard Cache feature only available once we migrate to Platform Analytics?
A6: Yes, dashboard caching will be only available in the new inline dashboard in Platform Analytics. Classic “Responsive” dashboards do not have this feature. The feature is enabled per dashboard, so if you have some dashboards already in Platform Analytics - you can already use cache for those without the need to migrate all older dashboards
Q7: Regarding a BR/Flow to stop the export of visualization, what is the table name we would use do to this in Platform analytics? trying to get down to a specific table being utilized by Platform analytics.
A7: This should be the table - par_export
Q8: How can we migrate Performance Analytics to Platform Analytics?
A8: Hi, I will few resources for you:
Platform Analytics Enablement Toolkit
Platform Analytics Academy - Migration Center
Q9: Any ETA on when CSV files will be available for Scheduled export through Platform analytics?
A9: Safe harbor, but we are looking at that capability for Zurich
Q10: What if people don't have access to the reports? should not have access to the reports that a person creates a dashboard and shares? Our Vulnerability Response module has higher security than the other modules. Can someone create a dashboard in Platform Analytics that will give users access to VR reports that they shouldn't have access to? If we have not given them access to the VR module?
A10: No, as long as ACLs are properly created, nothing that a user should not see will be visible. So if they do not have permission to see the data, there will be a security constraint error where that report would be, so they may see the dashboard holistically, but they won’t see the actual data if not allowed.
Q11: In Platform Analytics, we no longer have to share the dashboard and underlying widgets?
A11: Yes correct, that is no longer needed from Platform Analytics dashboards
Q12: Is there a list of Performance Analytics features that are not yet in Platform Analytics and whether or not they will be added or alternatives to use in PAE? (maybe there's already feature parity)
A12: This is the content that after migration will be in a compatibility mode:
ServiceNow Docs: Content not migrated or migrated in compatibility mode
Platform Analytics Enablement Toolkit
Q13: Will Performance analytics get replaced with platform analytics?
A13: It is not necessarily “replacing” but yes, it is being upgraded to a unified experience. So before it was Performance Analytics and Reporting, different UI. In Platform Analytics the UI is combined so you create everything in the same space the same way, and yes, everything will be leveraging that ONLY in a future release.
Q14: If a migrated dashboard contains widgets with access restrictions by group membership, will those widget-level restrictions be migrated?
A14: Yes, permission should be maintained. Not sure exactly if you are referring to a custom widget.
Reports/Data visualization on the new Dashboards are shared with the same users who have access to the dashboard. But if there are read ACLs on the table we take them into account.
Q15: How can we review/audit the updates to the dashboard/reports in the dashboard over different versions over time?
A15: Click here for Live Answer
Q16: Is the new sharing feature the same for Reports on a dashboard?
A16: Yes!
Q17: By Zurich, should we expect all OOB dashboards and reports to be migrated to PAE with updated menus? I've seen some have been migrated during previous upgrades (Washington DC, for example) but there are still a lot not yet migrated.
A17: All the BUs have decided to migrate/rebuild/deprecate the OOB solutions. You will not have for all the Core UI dashboards a 1:1 replica in the new Platform Analytics dashboard, but critical dashboards and use cases are migrated and some are built directly in workspace workflows.
Q18: Creating a report, you can add it to multiple dashboards. If you create straight into the new, can you copy it to a different dashboard?
A18: What you can do in that case is to choose to save the report (data viz) to the library when creating or editing it. That data viz should now be available to use on any other dashboard.
Q19: I understand that dashboard permissions are migrated, but are widget restrictions migrated? In the legacy version, a report widget could have access restrictions separate from dashboard restrictions.
A19: Are the restrictions the report permissions or the ACLs on the table? The first one is migrated, and the second one is still considered.
Q20: Can you go over how scheduled reports will work? We have many automated reports that are scheduled.
A20: Hopefully this session gives you some information:
Platform Analytics Academy - Exporting Visualizations in Platform Analytics
Q21: Is there some documentation that shows features, bug fixes, things coming for the migration tool, and feature parity in general?
A21: Enablement material:
Platform Analytics Enablement Toolkit
Platform Analytics Academy - Migration Center
Q22: In my opinion.. "List" Data Visualization took a big step backward. A demo would be appreciated. In Platform Analytics - List View - SC_TASK table - filter by a single Catalog Item. Adding variables as columns.
A22: Yes, the indicators and breakdown capabilities are still available and can be used, they will be under the menu section Platform Analytics Administration.
Q23: You CAN use multiple data SETS on a bar chart, to customize grouping. So you can create a bar chart where you arbitrarily pick certain elements that normally would be cluttered (for example, doing a bar chart on KB articles, then making a data set for JUST the thumbs up, one for JUST comments, one for JUST rating, etc. to see how people are providing feedback). So there's a separate use case for data sets that doesn't involve different visualizations but does involve repeating the SAME visualization.
A23: You can still have multiple data sources in a group by as long as they have shared group dimensions. Or do you refer to the option that we had in reporting to have different data sources be side-by-side (with shared group-by) and additionally have stack-by (so kind of having at the same time side by side group by and stack by)?
Q24: Does the migration tool also migrate independent reports (those that aren't on a dashboard)?
A24: Yes they will be migrated
Q25: Is there a way to embed a Performance Analytics Dashboard on other workspace pages?
A25: Yes, this is possible. You can add the Dashboard template page to an existing Workspace and can define the redirection on the chart drill down inside that Workspace:
Add a dashboard to a Dashboards page
Q26: Report permissions… when we tested the migration we found that dashboards with widgets restricted to certain groups/users did not show the same restriction as the “inactive” version. The dashboard-level restrictions were honored. Are we doing something wrong?
A26: No, is probably cause we assume the dashboard needs to take precedence and we automatically share all the data visualizations. That was a hugely asked feature in the past. You can create a case and we can review how this could be handled.
Q27: If I wanted to limit permission (sharing) to only a few items on a dashboard, is that possible?
A27: Hi, not that is not possible. Could you maybe share your use case on this?
Q28: Are Platform Analytics dashboards, initializations, etc. all captured properly in update sets? In UI16 dashboards, we often run into problems trying to move dashboards via update sets. Reports would always be captured properly, but the dashboard layouts and tabs often do not get promoted well between instances.
A28: We have supported the unload/update set functionality for dashboards and visualizations from Xanadu. You will have an unload function on the par_dashboard table
Q29: Is there a difference between performance analytics and platform analytics?
A29: Performance Analytics is data capability to track metrics over time (Functionally it included performance analytics indicator, with all related capabilities of target, thresholds, and signals).
Platform Analytics is an umbrella term - an experience that allows you to consume data of service now, it includes performance analytics data, standard table aggregations, and usage data.
Q30: The graph 📉 display at the background of the score widget is it a real of just visualization background?
A30: Yes it is real the real data being graphed behind it.
Q31: Are there any plans to have the "Show records" list of PA indicators within KPI Details to be of Workspace List UI?
A31: I think you mean that the show records use the list view that is part of a workspace (List - simple) instead of the legacy list view. There was some important missing functionality in the List-Simple that is often needed when using “Show records”, like the ability to personalize columns in the view. The fix/update for that is still in progress and is coming, but I don’t have an estimated timeline. We believe it is Zurich (hopefully sooner), but we are dependent on another development team to release it, so we can’t say for sure which release it will be.
Q32: Default Color settings for PAE? We have 'rules' (culture) about the use of green. Is there a place where I can set the single color for a PAE Pivot table to be casual black? I haven't found an admin place for these types of settings
A32: Click here for Live Answer
Q33: Will reporting go away? Sometimes we just need the report and do not need the report to be on the dashboard.
A33: No it does not go away, just a combined user interface, so you will create and add reports this same way.
Q34: Bar charts/data sets, I was just referring to using multiple data sets within the same table to isolate fields for a bar chart. This is commonly used when you want a bar chart with X elements instead of X score reports in an array (the bar chart is smaller, more visual, easier to color, etc.)
I wasn't thinking of stacking, just wanted to make sure we had parity on using data sets to make otherwise impossible bar charts 🙂
A34: Click here for Live Answer
A34-2: Click here for Live Answer - additional question and answer on this topic
A34-3:Click here for Live Answer - additional question and answer on this topic
Q35: In PAE, is there a way to deactivate a report? I believe we can deactivate dashboards in PA now but not reports so we created a custom solution for that. Wondering if that's supported OOTB in PAE.
A35: Yes, you should have the Active filed also for Data visualizations as well as Dashboards
Q36: Can I Combine tables for querying reports? I am not able to add more than one table for reporting.
A36: You most probably need to have database views if you need to merge data between multiple tables.
Q37: For the filter - do we assume we still need to collect the breakdown for priority to get this to work?
A37: You can use directly the table priority setting and it will apply also to indicators. But if you apply it to an indicator the date for that indicator breakdown needs to be collected.
Q38: We are now on the Xanadu and Raptor database. What performance improvements should we see with our dashboards and reports? We are not on Platform Analytics yet. Will we get a performance boost when we migrate to it? We are still having performance issues now with widgets timing out on the dashboards for reports and current dashboards.
A38: You should see a performance improvement but bear in mind there is always other things to take into consideration. This would be a good time to audit your indicator sources, look for redundancy, and data pulls hitting the same table multiple times a day with the same queries, see where you can consolidate and clean up as well as look at your job collections and make sure you do not have heavy queries hitting all at the same time.
Q39: Is there any sort of high-level LOE/time estimate to migrate approximately several thousand reports/dashboards to PA?
A39: We are adding an estimation before the migration is triggered in the November Store app. In general majority of customers should migrate in 30 minutes
Q40: Are there links to the migration documentation/tools?
A40: Enablement material:
Platform Analytics Enablement Toolkit
Platform Analytics Academy - Migration Center
Q41: Can you please cover exporting 'grouped by lists' from a dashboard?
1- When users click on show all, then view all to go to the list view, the fields are not what were on the report/visualization. Is there a way to have a drill down, like it was available in the classic reporting?
2- When a user goes back to the grouped report, there is no way of refreshing to go back to the different groups.
I did notice that it works with one level of grouping, but when the grouped by is on a dot walked field, the grouped by column doesn't let them refresh to go back to the grouped view
A41: Exporting from the Dashboard List is something we are looking for in Zurich. Regarding the group by it should be fixed in the Xanadu release
Q42: If we don't like platform analytics, should I revert to performance analytics?
A42: In case you have migrated and you want to roll back, please contact customer support. As of now is still an opt-in migration, so you can choose to rollback. Would be great to understand the reasons why you want to rollback
Q43: We have branded colors by process; the report titles on our dashboards have been colored to key folks into what they're looking at. Those currently don't migrate; is that coming? Also, I get lots of notes on migrated dashboards but my screen won't scroll to show them all.
A43: Yes, we are looking on the header colors capabilities right now (safe harbor Zurich).
Q44: I would like to create a dashboard that tracks the usage and diversion rate of KBAs. is that possible?
A44: Yes. The CSM app provides an OOB dashboard that includes self-service analytics on Knowledge engagements and successful engagements. I’m not sure exactly how they determine deflections in this case, but you should be able to find out by digging into that dashboard. (https://docs.servicenow.com/csh?version=latest&topicname=ssa-cs-dashboard). I also believe ITSM provides knowledge deflection examples. Ultimately this will be driven by the applications that consume knowledge, and our team doesn’t have details on how knowledge is identified as being a successful deflection. I think the best bet is to ask the question in the Knowledge community. We will try to find a definitive answer and post in the Platform Analytics community as well.
Q45: Just to make sure I’m clear. Net new visualizations in Platform Analytics inherit permissions from the dashboard. Migrated dashboards by default honor existing dashboard level restrictions but not visualization level restrictions - is that the right way to understand that?
A45: Yes, you are correct. If the visualization is in the dashboard, we automatically display the visualization on the dashboard to all users having access to the dashboard. So we do not check the permission on the data visualization level.
Q46: We have been hearing conflicting information on when we will be forced to migrate to PA...is it still Zurich or Yokohama?
A46: As of the communication provided to all customers is Zurich.
Q47: Would it be advisable to switch to platform analytics without understanding its basic functionalities?
A47: You should really first test the migration on a dev/sub-prod environment and enable your team and users on the new Platform Analytics capabilities. If you are net new user and have not yet much content in the dashboard and report, is better to do this as soon as possible to avoid tech debt in the future.
Q48: Do the color rules work in workspaces when viewing dashboards?
A48: yes, it should work too
Q49: What elements or features will be deprecated once the migration is completed?
A49: We will work on a full list and publish it as soon as possible. hopefully in the next month.
Q50: Should the data sources be from the same table?
A50: No, data sources can be different tables, just group by should be logically related (so can have the same values) for bar charts. The only limit for data sources we have to be both tables (so cannot combine indicators with tables in one chart for now?
Q51: Is there a way to show in a Visualization or in a single score for "Top 10" I am able to do a bar chart in regular reporting but unable to pull that "Top 10" in Platform Analytics Visualization
A51: You should have this option in group charts - is part of the group by configuration.
Q52: Do we have a list of what could be deprecated as we move forward with Platform Analytics? Any features that are being deprecated that we need to be aware of? Do we have it published anywhere?
A52: Click here for Live Answer
Useful Links
Prior Platform Analytics Academy Sessions by Year
Click on the year below for all Platform Analytics Academy sessions held that year.
