Uploading your config data

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Uploading your config data

    This guide explains how to upload your existing configuration (config) data into ServiceNow's Common Data Model (CDM) framework, specifically for the Zurich release. It details the process of creating a new CDM application structure and importing config data to support application services, application models, or infrastructure CI groups within the CMDB. Note that DevOps Config is deprecated and should no longer be used or activated.

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    Uploading Process

    • Create a New Application: Start by opening the CDM user interface and creating an application (e.g., "Bookstore"). This application represents the full set of config data for your service or model.
    • Generate a Changeset and Model Data: Within the application, create a changeset and define the data structure by adding nodes such as components, collections, deployables, and CDIs. This models the configuration data logically and organizes it for upload.
    • Upload Config Data: Using REST Explorer or the config data editor, configure parameters specifying the target application, data path, source data format (like JSON), and more. Submit REST POST requests to upload source data into the defined nodes without committing the changeset initially.
    • Data Handling Details: When uploading XML data with ignoreAttributes set to false, attributes are preserved as JSON identifiers. Uploaded items are alphabetically sorted for easy navigation.
    • Limits: Applications can contain up to 100,000 configuration data items (CDIs), with a maximum of 10,000 CDIs per deployable. These limits can be configured via system properties.
    • Automation Support: Each POST upload generates a script in your choice of language to automate future uploads within your deployment pipeline.

    Post-Upload Actions

    • Review and update the uploaded config data as needed.
    • Commit the changeset once the config data is complete and accurate. This action creates snapshots of deployables and stores data in CDM tables.
    • Manage the data continuously by updating settings, applying validation policies, and exporting snapshots.
    • Exported snapshots can also generate API code to automate export processes.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This process enables customers to systematically import and manage large volumes of configuration data within the CMDB using CDM, improving data organization and governance. The ability to automate uploads and exports via generated scripts supports integration into DevOps pipelines and ongoing configuration management workflows. Additionally, sorting and modeling capabilities enhance visibility and control over complex application and infrastructure configurations.

    You first create a new CDM application structure and then upload the existing config data into the structure.

    Important:
    DevOps Config is now deprecated and no longer supported or available for new activation.

    How it works: Performing the initial upload of your existing config data into CDM data tables

    Uploading config data into a new CDM application

    1. Open the CDM user interface and create a new application. For example, let's create the Bookstore application to support an online bookstore. An application in CDM is the full collection of config data for an application service, application model, or dynamic CI group [infrastructure] in the CMDB.

      Create a CDM application

    2. Now open the Bookstore application and generate a new changeset so you can begin to put the data structure in place. (A more detailed overview of this process appears in Preparing an application for config data upload.)

      Create a changeset

      In the changeset, define the data structure that includes a node for each set of config data that you will upload. This process is called modeling the data. You add components, collections, deployables, and CDIs as needed. For information on each of these items, see CDM data model. For additional information on adding nodes to an application, see Preparing an application for config data upload.

      In this example, two components and two collections have been added. Now, the PaymentSvc-1.0 component is included in the Release-1.0 collection. As with all collections, this means that any data in the PaymentSvc-1.0 component is now included in the Release-1.0 collection.

      Create a changeset

      When you are satisfied with the structure (you can update at any time), you open the REST Explorer to begin the process of uploading the source config data into the CDM data tables. Do not commit the changeset — it remains open so you can upload data.

    3. Using the REST APIs or the config data editor, set parameter values that specify the name of the application to upload to, the path within the CDM application data structure to place the data, the format of the source data (JSON in the example), and so on.
      Note:
      When you upload your existing config from an XML file and the ignoreAttributes is set to false, the CDM XML Parser retains the attributes in JSON using identifiers. For more information, see Parsing of XML files in CDM.

      This example shows the REST API Explorer platform utility for clarity. This is an example of how you might construct an Upload to components REST POST request that creates a dbProperties.json node in the PaymentSvc-1.0 component and then adds the source data to the new node. (You specify the source data to upload in another field.) The APIs are described in CdmApplicationsApi, CdmChangesetsApi, and CdmSnapshotApi.

      REST API Explorer form.

    4. When you select Send, the API reads the original config data, uploads it and aligns it into the CDM data structure.
      Note:
      Uploaded data items are sorted alphabetically within the structural folders to enable you to locate particular items quickly.
      The system places the following limits on the count of config data items (CDIs):
      • An application can contain a maximum total of 100,000 CDIs.
      • Any single deployable can contain a maximum of 10,000 CDIs.
      See CDM system properties for information on configuring the sn_cdm.max_allowed_cdi_per_application and sn_cdm.max_allowed_cdi_per_deployable property settings.
      Important:
      Each time you submit a POST request, the API performs the POST and also generates an upload script. You can specify one of several script languages. The purpose is for you to use the code in your pipeline system to automate the upload process for this application in future uploads.
    5. Back to CDM: Review and update the config data as described in Preparing an application for config data upload.
    6. When you are satisfied that the application is a full and correct representation of the config data, you can commit the changeset. The commit action generates a snapshot of each deployable and causes the API to store the data in CDM tables.

      Now that the application is fully in place, you can manage the data as needed: Update config settings, apply policies to validate the data, export valid snapshots of config data, and so on.

      While you export any snapshot, the system can generate API code that you can use to automate the export process. See Generate API invocation code for an exporter for details.