Exploring actions

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated August 7, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Exploring actions

    Actions in ServiceNow automate repeatable tasks within flows by running sequences of steps that take inputs and produce outputs. They enable flow authors to reuse functionality across multiple flows with minimal configuration, increasing efficiency and consistency in process automation.

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    Key Features

    • Inputs: Data variables required by an action, such as references to tables and fields. Inputs become configuration options in Workflow Studio and guide flow designers in setting mandatory values. Advanced input options help customize user guidance and defaults.
    • Outputs: Data variables representing the results of an action, available for use by subsequent actions within the flow.
    • Steps: Individual reusable operations within an action, like creating a record. Designing steps requires knowledge of application tables, fields, and business logic. Steps are added and configured in Workflow Studio, with core ServiceNow steps and additional application-specific steps available through spokes.
    • Conversational actions: Actions can be invoked from Now Assist conversations by creating and configuring conversational skills in Workflow Studio.

    Key Outcomes

    • Enable process analysts and flow designers to add pre-configured, reusable actions easily to flows, minimizing the need for extensive configuration or coding.
    • Allow application developers, integration owners, and process owners to build, run, and integrate automated operations efficiently using existing libraries of steps and Integration Hub capabilities.
    • Support passing data between automated operations seamlessly via inputs and outputs, ensuring smooth data flow throughout processes.
    • Facilitate streaming data through sequences and enable conversational interaction with workflows, enhancing automation flexibility and user experience.

    Actions automate a repeatable task or operation within a flow. Flows run actions by passing them data as inputs. Actions run a sequence of steps to complete the task, and pass data to the flow as outputs.

    Actions overview

    Parts of an action including the calling source, inputs, action steps, outputs, and data returned to a flow.

    Automate a repeatable task within a flow as a sequence of related steps. Enable flow authors to add actions to multiple flows with minimal configuration.

    A reusable action includes these components.

    Inputs

    Inputs are data variables used in your action. For example, if an action step creates a record in the incident table, your input might be a reference to the incident table. Once added as an input, the table and its fields are available to steps and outputs in the flow.

    Each input you define for an action becomes a configuration option in the Workflow Studio interface. To use the action in a flow, flow designers must define a value for each mandatory input. The more inputs an action has, the more data flow designers must define and the more familiar they must be with the underlying data model to use the action effectively.

    Inputs provide advanced options based on their data type. All inputs have advanced options to add a hint or provide a default value. Use advanced options to guide flow designers through adding and configuring an action to a flow. For example, create a choice input to provide flow designers with a pre-defined list of configuration options to choose from. For more information about the configuration options available to particular data types, see field types.

    Outputs
    Outputs are data variables that represent the results of the action. These results are available to other actions in a flow.
    Steps

    A step is a single reusable operation within an action. For example, the Create Record step allows action designers to specify the table and field values to use during record creation. Step configuration requires subject matter expertise with application tables, fields, and business logic. Application developers or IT generalists add steps to actions from the Workflow Studio action design environment. Workflow Studio provides a set of ServiceNow core steps to automate ServiceNow AI Platform processes. You can add application-specific steps by activating the associated spoke.

    For detailed instructions for creating an action, see Create an action in Workflow Studio.

    Actions benefits

    Using Workflow Studio, you can:
    • Create application-specific actions with pre-set configuration details, enabling process analysts to easily add actions to a flow with little configuration.
    • Create scripted actions that appear code-less when added to a flow.
    • Build integrations using Integration Hub.
    Benefit Feature Users
    Build an automated operation from an existing library of automated steps. Action Application developer, integration owner, or process owner
    Run an automated operation on demand. Action Application developer, integration owner, or process owner
    Use data from other automated operations as inputs. Action Application developer, integration owner, or process owner
    Pass data to other automated operations as outputs. Action Application developer, integration owner, or process owner
    Stream data in a sequence of pages. Data Stream Action Integration owner