Issues when migrating dashboards from PA to Platform Analytics

[Community Alums]

Hi there!

We will be migrating all the dashboards by migration center but before that we need to know if there have been any issues in your past experiences

Do you know about know errors when migrating? Is migration center a stable version?

[Maik Skoddow · Accepted solution]

Hi @Community Alums 

ServiceNow’s Migration Center is the recommended tool for migrating dashboards and analytics content to the new Platform Analytics Experience (PAE), especially as ServiceNow phases out legacy Core UI dashboards in upcoming releases. While the tool is broadly stable and designed to handle bulk and phased migrations, several known issues and caveats have been reported by the ServiceNow community and official resources.

Known Issues During Migration

• Breakdown Source Field Handling: Some users have reported that existing breakdown source fields are not always migrated correctly. Filters in the new dashboards may not show the same elements as before, and some fields may become unavailable for filter configuration, resulting in ignored breakdowns.

• Widget and Visualization Order: When migrating Performance Analytics (PA) widgets, the indicator list order is sometimes lost, requiring manual reordering after migration.

• Single Score Formatting: Single score widgets may not retain their original formatting specifications and often need adjustment post-migration.

• Direct Report Migration Limitations: Reports not listed within a dashboard cannot be migrated directly to the new Platform Analytics visualization library; these may need to be recreated manually.

• Naming and UI Changes: The transition from "Reports" to "Data Visualizations" can be confusing for users, and the new interface for breakdown sources is less centralized, potentially overwhelming dashboard consumers.

• Cascading Filters: Previously grouped cascading filters are now separated, which can impact usability and navigation.

• Compatibility Mode Content: Some analytics assets that lack equivalent features in the new platform are migrated in "compatibility mode." These are rendered in iframes and may have limited functionality, such as non-drillable reports or slower load times.

Stability and Version Considerations

• General Stability: The Migration Center is considered stable for the supported versions (Yokohama, Xanadu, Washington DC), with ongoing improvements. Most customers report successful migrations, especially when following best practices like cleaning up dashboards and testing in non-production environments first.

• Plugin and Activation Issues: Some users have encountered issues where the Migration Center is not enabled after an upgrade, often due to missing or outdated plugins. Ensuring all required plugins are updated before starting migration is crucial.

• Migration Process: The tool supports both bulk and phased migrations. Bulk migration is recommended for complete transitions, as it ensures all content is migrated and URLs are automatically redirected to the new dashboards. Phased migration is useful for testing but does not add migrated items to the visualization library.

Best Practices and Recommendations

• Pre-Migration Cleanup: Remove obsolete or unused dashboards and reports before migration to avoid carrying over unnecessary content.

• Test in Non-Production: Always perform migrations in a development or test environment first to identify issues and validate results before applying changes to production.

• Review Compatibility Mode Items: After migration, review any dashboards or widgets placed in compatibility mode and consider replacing them with supported content for optimal performance.

• User Communication: Inform and train users on the new interface and terminology changes to minimize confusion and disruption.

If you are still facing issues you will have to raise a support ticket, as ServiceNow is highly interested in fixing the issue to make the migration as smooth as possible.

Maik

[Community Alums]

Thanks @Maik Skoddow, just what I need!

[Alex Deshotel]

Re: Pre-Migration Cleanup
Is there a column that we can add to a list that shows "last viewed" of a report or dashboard? The issue I'm having is that reports/dashboards created by people that have left the company BUT the TEAM is still using it. 

[Vishal36]

Hi @Maik Skoddow, 

Migrating dashboards—especially from Performance Analytics (PA) to Platform Analytics—is rarely just a lift-and-shift. It’s important to pause and think through a few key things before using any tool like the Migration Center. Consider the following points:

• Underlying Data Models May Differ: Is the target system using the same indicators, breakdowns, and data sources as your PA dashboards? Mismatches here often break visuals post-migration.
• Widgets & Visual Settings Don’t Always Translate Cleanly : Some widgets (especially complex scorecards, time series, or filters) may not behave the same way in Platform Analytics. It’s common to lose formatting or component-specific settings.
• Field Compatibility: Fields like Journal or HTML-type fields can cause issues if the new system handles rich text or historical logs differently. This might be why you’re seeing errors related to journal fields.
• Access Controls: Are you checking whether roles, groups, or ACLs are preserved for viewing or editing dashboards post-migration?
• Version Stability: If you’re using Migration Center in its latest release, verify with ServiceNow release notes or community posts—some early versions had quirks around widget migration and layout fidelity.

If your dashboards are tied to multiple systems (like Jira, Azure DevOps, ServiceNow, etc.), it’s not just a UI migration—you’re likely moving data models, logic, and relationships too. In that case, you may consider using OpsHub Migration Manager (OMM), a ServiceNow Partner that can help you with zero downtime, non-disruptive and full fidelity migrations.

Hope it helps!