Can you group items in Software Catalogue based on Software Families

[Mark Manders]

Please elaborate, because the answer is 'yes', but maybe I am reading your question completely different than you mean. Explain what it is you are trying to achieve when you aske a question. 

[kayeelaw]

Hi Mark 

Many thanks for replying,  what I'm trying to do is present to the End user Software items grouped by the Categories for example,  Pdf Editor :  Adobe PDF,  PDF Sam etc.      

[abby_singh786]

Hi @kayeelaw ,

Yes, you can group Software Catalog items by Software Families (or Categories) in ServiceNow to make it easier for end users to browse software.

Here’s what I’d suggest trying:

1. Create a Software Family Category Field (if not available)

If you don’t already have a software family field:

• Navigate to System Definition > Dictionary
• Table: Software Catalog [sc_cat_item]
• Create a new field called "Software Family" (type: Choice or Reference)

Examples:

• PDF Editor
• Web Browser
• Developer Tools
• Office Suite

You can also make it a reference field to a new table called Software Families if you want more control.

2. Populate Software Family for Each Item

- Go to each catalog item for software.

- Update the Software Family field to reflect its category.

    -e.g., Adobe Acrobat → PDF Editor

   - Chrome → Web Browser

Use list view editing for bulk changes.

3. Create a Variable Set for Grouping (Optional - Advanced)

- You can also use variable sets in Record Producer or Software Catalog to dynamically group items.

- Create a variable or filter for "Select Software Family", and then display a filtered list accordingly.

4. Customize the Service Catalog View (Recommended)

To present this clearly to the end user:

Option A: Use Categories and Subcategories

• Create top-level categories in Maintain Categories
  • e.g., "Software by Function"

• Under that, create subcategories:
  • PDF Editors
  • Web Browsers
  • Office Tools
• Assign your software catalog items to these subcategories.

Option B: Use a Portal Widget (For Scoped App / SP Page)

If using Service Portal, use a custom widget or out-of-box list widget:

• Configure widget to group by software_family field.
• You can script this using GlideRecord to fetch grouped records.

End User Experience

When the end user visits the Software Request catalog:

They see software grouped as:

• PDF Editors
• Adobe Acrobat

Keep naming consistent for software families.

Use icons or logos for visual grouping.

Consider access control — show only relevant software to users based on location or department.

Regards,

Abhishek

Should my response prove helpful, please consider marking it as the Accepted Solution/Helpful to assist closing this thread.

[abby_singh786]

Hi @kayeelaw ,

I just tested this on my instance and realized the information I shared earlier wasn’t accurate and some of the details I mentioned don't seem to apply as expected.

Apologies for the confusion. Please feel free to ignore my previous post for now — I’ll recheck everything and come back with a proper, verified response shortly.

Thanks for your understanding.

Regards,

Abhishek