This application is supported only on cloud-hosted ServiceNow AI Platform® instances and not on on-premise deployments.

Key Features

• Wide Range of Connectors: Supports over 40 external content connectors covering popular platforms like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Dropbox, Jira Cloud, and ServiceNow instances.
• Configurable Crawls: Connector administrators can schedule or run on-demand crawls for content and user permissions, controlling crawl scope with inclusion/exclusion filters and crawl start points.
• Integration Hub Transactions: Crawling consumes Integration Hub transactions, which can be monitored via the Integration Hub Usage Dashboard to manage subscription usage.
• Indexed Sources & Search Profiles: Each connector creates its own indexed source; these can be configured and included in search profiles just like native indexed sources.
• Semantic Vector Indexing: All connectors support semantic vector indexing for enhanced search relevance when using features dependent on semantic vector search with the Now LLM Service.
• Security and Permissions: User and group access permissions from source systems are maintained, ensuring users only see content they are authorized to access.

Operational Limits and Management

• Each connector indexes up to 1,000,000 content items; beyond this, only deletions and updates are processed, and errors are logged for excess content.
• Warnings appear at 800,000 indexed items, and errors appear upon reaching the limit, prompting administrators to adjust crawl settings or request limit increases via ServiceNow support.
• User permissions crawls support up to 500,000 users and groups; exceeding this may result in incorrect permission application and unsearchable content.

Practical Workflow

Connector administrators configure connectors, define crawl schedules and scopes, and monitor crawl histories and metrics to optimize indexing. AI Search users then benefit from integrated search results that include external content while respecting access controls. Content crawls retrieve searchable data and permissions, feeding AI Search for indexing and search presentation.

Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

• Expanded Search Reach: Access to a broad array of external content sources directly within AI Search applications improves productivity by reducing time spent searching across multiple systems.
• Security-Aligned Access: Maintains source system permissions to ensure compliance and data security.
• Administrative Control: Flexible crawl scheduling and filtering empower administrators to tailor indexing to organizational needs and data volumes.
• Integration with Now Assist: External content search results can be included in Now Assist Multi-Content Response Genius Result answers, enhancing AI-powered assistance in Virtual Agent chat and AI Search.

Configuration Considerations

• Source system administrators must configure external systems to allow indexing and permission retrieval before connectors can be created.
• Connector administrators handle creation and configuration of connectors and crawl settings, ensuring efficient and relevant content retrieval.
• Domain separation is not supported for External Content Connectors, so data and administrative tasks are not isolated by domains in this context.

Next Steps for Customers

To leverage External Content Connectors, ensure your ServiceNow instance is cloud-hosted and plan the scope of content indexing based on source system document volumes. Monitor Integration Hub transaction usage to avoid overages. Adjust crawl settings proactively to manage content volume limits or request limit increases if necessary through ServiceNow support.