On March 20, 2019, I got an email notifying me that the Madrid Delta exams are now available.
"The Madrid Delta exams are now available! You’ll need to pass your exam(s) on or before June 19, 2019 to keep your ServiceNow credentials up to date.
Please note that before attempting your Delta exam(s), there is required self-paced training for the new ServiceNow Platform Subscription Model. Due to the breadth of impact of this subscription model update, we are adding questions about this new model to every Madrid Delta exam. Register now in the Learning Portal.
As an option after you have completed the training, we also have a micro-certification available."
As I was thinking when is the best time to take this exam, I looked at what I was currently doing, and decided now it's the best time! Our organization was in the midst of upgrading our instances to Madrid. These past weeks I had been testing to ensure no issues were introduced due to the upgrade. Why not utilize this time while I have Madrid fresh in my mind than to wait until the last minute?
Am I an expert in the Madrid release? I didn't think so. ServiceNow is huge, with so many different product lines. I have only read through parts of the release notes that are relevant to our implementation. I wouldn't call myself an expert. But what I know is that I can always rely on docs.servicenow.com if I need to look up something I need more information about.
As per the email notice, I went through a self-paced training for the new Platform Subscription Model. The online video was great. However, I was overwhelmed at the new licensing model, to be honest. I had to watch the video a number of times. So many different custom table limits, product lines, and subscription levels. Why do I need to know this as a developer? Can I just leave the licensing to our administrator who manages the licenses? The answer is that creating custom tables could have financial implications. That's why as a developer, I need to have this knowledge. This is not a buffet style license, where I can create as many custom tables as I want. There is a limit to everything! I need to plan wisely moving forward. Like purchasing a car, you can purchase premium features like leather seats and an entertainment system. ServiceNow's new licensing model is like that.
Unfortunately, the training is in video format only. I learn best with static text and images since it's easier to search and go back to it if I need to review or refresh my memory. So I took screenshots and made notes. ServiceNow licensing has always been confusing to me, and in the past, the answer is always to contact your ServiceNow account representative. On the positive note, it's good to see that there is now a consistent framework to how subscription entitlements work.
My key takeaways on the new Platform Subscription Model:
- Each product bundle subscription comes with an entitlement of custom tables.
- Users with create/read/update/delete access to custom tables require a subscription, doesn't matter the usage.
- Access to Performance Analytics, Virtual Agent, and Agent Intelligence require a Pro or higher subscription. (premium features!!)
- The new Mobile Experience and Mobile Studio for OOB tables is available when upgrading to Madrid and not specifically linked to getting the new subscription package. Only the use of Mobile Studio on custom tables is dependent on having purchased or renewed to a new subscription package.
- Some custom tables are exempted (such as CMDB and integration tables).
Related Community post "New custom application licensing - interaction with custom table subscriptions" by Fabian Kunzke has valuable links to
- ServiceNow's Custom Table Guide
- Create an application data table
- Allocating your custom tables to a subscription allotment
Anyhow, back to preparing for the certification exams. I figure that I will do the optional micro-certification for the ServiceNow Platform Subscription Model, so I could be better prepared for the Madrid Delta exams. This seems like a good plan, as it was fairly easy to answer the subscription-related questions in the Delta exams after going through the exam specifically on the Platform Subscription Model.
In summary, here are the steps that I would recommend to prepare for Madrid Delta Exams:
- Review Madrid release notes, especially on the parts of what's new in Madrid.
- Do the self-paced training on the New Platform Subscription Model https://servicenow.sabacloud.com/Saba/Web_spf/NA1PRD0015/common/ledetail/cours000000000023665
- Do the Micro-Certification Exam on the New Platform Subscription Model. This would be a good gauge if you understand the new subscription model and readiness for the Madrid Delta exam(s).
- Book the exam on webassessor.
- Find yourself at least an hour of time where you would not get distracted.
- Keep a browser window open to Madrid release notes on docs.servicenow.com (skip this if you think you know it all.)
- Keep a browser window open to the self-paced training on the New Platform Subscription Model (skip this if you think you got it.)
- Open a browser window to do the exam.
Good luck on passing your exams!
Disclaimer: Started this article 2 months ago, and thought I would share my study tips and my understanding of the New Platform Subscription Model. Screenshots were taken from ServiceNow's self-paced training video.
