Populate External Identifier on Custom Tables for Azure DevOps/Jira Agile Development Integration

[Anand Biswas]

Overview

By default, the rm_defect and other custom tables in ServiceNow do not include an External Identifier field required for Jira/Azure DevOps (ADO) integration. To enable this, you must manually configure a reference field and extend the existing Populate External Identifier Reference Business Rule.

This article provides the steps to configure the External Identifier reference on a custom table (e.g., rm_defect).

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Issue

• Following the ServiceNow documentation for populating external identifier references on a custom table may not work out of the box.

• Running gr.isValidField('external_identifier') on the rm_defect table returns false.

• This is because the External Identifier field is not available by default on the custom table.

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Resolution

Step 1: Add External Identifier Column to rm_defect

1. Navigate to System Definition > Tables.

2. Open the rm_defect table.

3. Create a new field with the following properties:

   • Type: Reference

   • Reference Table: sn_int_common_external_identifiers

   • Column Name (example): u_external_identifier

   • Column Label (example): External Identifier

4. Save the changes.

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Step 2: Update "Populate External Identifier Reference" Business Rule

1. Navigate to System Definition > Business Rules.

2. Open the Business Rule: Populate External Identifier Reference (on sn_int_common_external_identifiers table).

3. Update the Filter Conditions:

   • Add an OR condition → reference_table = rm_defect. 

4. In the Advanced Script, add logic to handle the rm_defect reference (ensure script correctly maps the new field).

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Step 3: Validate

• Navigate to any record in rm_defect.

• The new External Identifier field should now display references from sn_int_common_external_identifiers.

• Ensure synchronization between Jira/Azure DevOps and ServiceNow reflects in this field.

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Additional Notes

• Apply the same configuration for other custom tables (e.g., rm_scrum_task) if needed.

• The official ServiceNow documentation for Jira/Azure DevOps integration currently does not mention these manual steps. Updates to the docs are planned.

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Related Documentation

• Populate external identifier reference fields on a custom table (Azure DevOps)

• Agile Development with Azure DevOps Integration

• Populate external identifier reference field for custom table (Jira) 
• Atlassian Jira Integration for Agile Development

[trwblanchard]

Hi @Anand Biswas thanks for this info! For the 'sn_int_common_external_identifiers' table, is this generic enough to be used to store external references for other/custom integrations, or is the expectation that this is only really used for the DevOps integrations?