How to Create a Report in ServiceNow: Step-by-Step Guide for 2025
If you want to stand out as a ServiceNow admin or developer, there's a simple move that makes a big difference: learning to build ServiceNow reports. Reports turn your mountain of raw data into clear, useful insight. The great news is that making your first ServiceNow report isn't complicated. I'll walk you through it step by step so you can start driving better decisions for your team and organization.
In this post, I'll cover everything you need to know about creating, customizing, and sharing ServiceNow reports—even if you're just getting started. Whether you're prepping for certifications, interviews, or trying to make an impact at work, these skills will help you deliver real value.
Why ServiceNow Reports Matter
Reports in ServiceNow aren't just pretty charts to show at the next meeting. They help teams see what's working, find bottlenecks, and spot problems before they get out of hand. Here are some real-world examples of how reports help:
- Track ITSM incidents for faster response times
- Monitor service requests and trends
- Measure how well you're meeting service level agreements (SLAs)
- Spot patterns in performance metrics
By learning how to build and customize these reports, you give your team the info they need to improve processes and clearly show value to stakeholders.
Starting Your First ServiceNow Report: Quick Steps
You can build reports in several ways in ServiceNow, but let's keep it simple and focus on the basics.
1. Pick Your Data Source
Every useful report starts with good data. For most IT teams, the Incident table is a go-to place. Here's how I get started:
- Go to the Incident module by typing "incident" in the application navigator.
- Click "All" to show all incident records in the content frame.
Now, you see a table of all incidents. This list is the raw data for your report.
2. Turn Data Into a Report
ServiceNow makes it easy to get rolling:
- Find any column you want to analyze (for example, "State").
- Click the three dots in that column header.
- Choose to create a Bar or Pie Chart based on this field.
When you do this, ServiceNow will gather the unique values in the column and plot them. For instance, in the State column, you'll see each possible state (like New, In Progress, Closed) and how many incidents are in each.
Key point: Choosing the right data source matters. The Incident table analyzes incidents, but you can build reports off any table to answer different questions.
Customizing Your Report Visualization
A report is only as useful as it is clear. ServiceNow’s visualization designer lets you control nearly every aspect of how your report looks and feels.
Visualization Types
You get several choices for how to visualize your data, such as:
- Vertical bar
- Pie
- Time series
- Scorecards
Select the one that best helps your audience understand the data.
Basic Customization
On the right side, you’ll find the configuration panel. Here’s what I usually do:
- Edit the report title: Give your visualization a meaningful name, like "Incidents by State".
- Show or hide report elements: Tick or untick boxes for headers, borders, and more. See the results in real time as you click.
Always remember to hit the Save button so you don’t lose your progress. I recommend naming the report something specific so it's easy to find later.
Data Grouping and Aggregation
Now, let’s make the report more insightful:
- Metrics: Choose how you want to aggregate data. Options include Count, Sum, Average, Min, Max. For most basic reports, I keep it on Count.
- Group by: If you want to see incidents broken down by state, group by the State column. You can also group by other fields, like Assignment Group or Priority.
Table: Example Grouping Options
Group By Field What You’ll See
| State | Number of incidents in each state (e.g. New, Closed) |
| Assignment Group | Incidents handled by each support team |
| Priority | How many incidents fall under each priority level |
Try changing these settings to get a sense of what each view offers. Play around in your developer instance to build confidence.
Make It Yours: Advanced Configurations
ServiceNow reports are flexible. With a little curiosity, you can uncover many advanced features that bring your data to life.
Sort and Display
- Sort order: Change how data is sorted—by name, value, ascending, or descending. That can make trends jump out or help focus attention on important categories.
- Show data values: Turn on display settings to show numbers on each chart element. Sometimes a quick browser refresh is needed to see changes.
Axis and Labels
- Y and X axis controls: Show or hide axes depending on what makes the data clearer. If a chart looks crowded, hiding one axis can help.
- Customize colors and layout: Make your charts fit the look and feel of your team or organization.
Chart Interactions
Reports get more powerful when you add interaction. You can set what happens when someone clicks a chart bar or segment:
- Drill down to details: Jump straight to the list of records behind a chart segment.
- Open a URL or different view: Send users to another page for more info.
You decide what your audience will find most useful.
Save, Duplicate, and Reuse Reports
Don't just make one report and call it a day. ServiceNow lets you:
- Duplicate reports: Use a good report as a template for new ones. Duplicate, make tweaks, and keep the original safe.
- Template strategy: Keep templates on hand for common needs and avoid starting from scratch.
This saves time and ensures consistency across your reporting efforts.
Sharing and Exporting: Get Reports Into the Right Hands
A report isn’t much good unless others can use it. ServiceNow gives you two strong ways to share:
- Export as PDF: Quickly create a file you can send by email or attach to documents.
- Add to Dashboards: Place reports on dashboards for real-time, all-in-one views of IT operations.
Dashboards let your team monitor many metrics at once, spot trends as they happen, and make better decisions with less effort.
Learn how to create powerful ServiceNow dashboards with my full tutorial .
Recap: The Steps to a Great ServiceNow Report
Here's a quick checklist to make sure you haven't missed anything:
- Choose the right data source (Table/List)
- Pick a visualization type (Bar, Pie, etc.)
- Group and filter your data (State, Priority, etc.)
- Customize report appearance (Labels, colors, axes)
- Set interactive options (Drill down, links)
- Save with a clear name
- Share or export the report (PDF or Dashboard)
By working through these steps, you'll build reports that look professional and add real business value.
Tips for Growing Your Skills
If you want to get comfortable with ServiceNow reports:
- Experiment in your developer instance. Try different data sources, groups, and visualizations.
- Duplicate reports and test changes. This helps you keep templates while exploring new features.
- Watch detailed tutorials. Check out the full playlist for in-depth demonstrations, developer tips, and advanced dashboard creation.
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Bring It All Together
Reports are the fastest way to get noticed as a ServiceNow admin or developer. With the easy steps above, you can turn plain data into real insight. Customizing and sharing reports lets you guide teams, prove value, and spot ways to improve. If you haven’t already, try building a report in your ServiceNow developer instance today.
Ready to see it all in action? Watch the full step-by-step video guide on creating a ServiceNow report.
You’ll see every step, tip, and trick in real time—plus recommendations for going deeper with dashboards and advanced reporting.
Found this helpful? Share it with your team, leave a comment, or join as a channel member for exclusive access to dashboard tutorials, developer resources, and interview prep guides. Keep exploring, and your reporting skills will keep paying off.
I'll see you in the next ServiceNow training!
