Explore Upgrade Monitor in Upgrade Console

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Explore Upgrade Monitor in Upgrade Console

    The Upgrade Monitor module in the Upgrade Console is a vital tool for ServiceNow administrators to schedule, track, and analyze instance upgrades. It facilitates real-time monitoring during upgrades and provides detailed post-upgrade reports, including conflict detection and resolution guidance. This tool integrates into the broader upgrade process by focusing on managing individual instance upgrades efficiently.

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    Accessing the Upgrade Monitor

    • Automatic Display: When logged in as an admin during an active upgrade, the Upgrade Progress screen appears automatically.
    • Manual Navigation: You can access Upgrade Monitor via two paths:
      • Left navigation: All > Admin Center > Upgrade Management > Upgrade Monitor
      • Admin tab: Admin > Upgrade Management > Upgrade Monitor

    Role in the Upgrade Process

    The Upgrade Monitor supports key phases of the upgrade lifecycle, particularly for non-production instances:

    • Tracking upgrade progress on individual instances.
    • Reporting detailed upgrade outcomes and durations post-upgrade.
    • Helping resolve conflicts between existing customizations and upgrade changes.
    • Providing data to estimate upgrade times for production instances based on non-production upgrades.

    It fits within the overall upgrade workflow where production instances are cloned to test and non-production instances, upgrades are applied, conflicts resolved, and thorough testing ensures stability before production upgrades.

    Monitoring and Reporting Features

    • Upgrade Progress Screen: Shows what steps have been completed, are ongoing, and remain during an upgrade.
    • Upgrade Summary Report: Displayed after completion, detailing any conflicts and linking to tools for conflict resolution.

    Conflict Resolution

    To preserve customizations, the system identifies and skips upgrading records that have been customized, listing them as skipped records. Administrators should:

    • Review and reconcile these skipped records during the first non-production instance upgrade.
    • Record all conflict resolutions in update sets.
    • For subsequent instance upgrades, simply apply the upgrade and import these update sets without repeating conflict reconciliation.

    This process ensures customized data is maintained while applying upgrades consistently across instances.

    The Upgrade Monitor module is a powerful tool for scheduling upgrades, monitoring their progress, and analyzing post-upgrade results, including conflict resolution.

    Access Upgrade Monitor

    If you log in with the admin role while an upgrade is underway, the system automatically displays the Upgrade Progress screen. If no upgrade is in progress, you can follow one of the following ways.
    Option Navigation
    Using left navigation Navigate to All > Admin Center > Upgrade Management > Upgrade Monitor.
    Using Admin tab option Navigate to Admin > Upgrade Management > Upgrade Monitor.

    How the Upgrade Monitor fits into the upgrade process

    Note:
    For detailed information about the upgrade process, see Upgrade your instance.
    The Upgrade Monitor concerns only part of the larger upgrade process:
    1. Clone the production instance to a test instance and a non-production instance.
    2. Apply the upgrade to the non-production instance.
    3. On the upgraded non-production instance, Process the skipped records list.
    4. Test the non-production instance to confirm that the instance still works and performs adequately. Compare to benchmark data from pre-upgrade production instance.
    5. Apply the upgrade to the test instance. Import the update sets created on the non-production instance when you processed the skipped list. Repeat the testing to make sure that the process is working.
    6. Apply the upgrade to the production instance. Import the update sets created on the non-production instance when you processed the skipped list. Test to confirm that the instance works and performs adequately.
    Within this larger process, the Upgrade Monitor helps you upgrade individual instances:
    • During the upgrade, it shows where in the process the system is
    • After the upgrade, it reports what the upgrade did and for how long
    • As you upgrade the first non-production instance, it helps you resolve conflicts between customizations and changes that are part of the upgrade
    • On non-production instances, it provides information that can help you estimate how long the upgrade might take on the production instance

    Monitoring an individual instance as it upgrades

    While the upgrade is in progress the Upgrade Progress shows what the upgrade process has done, what it is doing, and what remains to be done.

    When the upgrade completes, the system displays the Upgrade Summary Report. The Upgrade Summary Report provides information about conflicts between customizations versus changes in the upgrade and provides a link to reconcile these conflicts. For information about understanding and resolving these conflicts, see Process the skipped records list list.

    When you upgrade a non-production instance, the Upgrade Summary Report can help you estimate how long the same upgrade might take on a production instance. For details about the elements on this report and how to use this information, see Upgrade details form.

    Resolving conflicts

    To prevent losing customizations, the system skips upgrading records you have customized and provides you with a list of these skipped records.

    As you upgrade your first non-production instance, go through the Skipped Changes to Review related list and resolve these conflicts. The system records the changes you make during this process in update sets. See Review skipped records using related lists, for more information.

    You do not need to reconcile the skipped list on any instances you later upgrade. Instead, you can apply the upgrade then import the update sets containing your changes.

    For details on reconciling conflicts, see Process the skipped records list.

    See Upgrade Monitor tool in Upgrade Console for more information.