Build your first Remote Process Sync integration

Step through an example of how to build a Remote Process Sync integration in order to link the automated processes of two ServiceNow® instances together.

Before you begin

• Activate Remote Process Sync on each instance in your integration by purchasing the Integration Hub Enterprise package. For more information, see Request Integration Hub.
• Activate the explicit roles security feature on each instance in your integration. For more information, see Explicit Role plugin.
• Learn about how to build and manage an Integration Hub Remote Process Sync integration by checking out Getting started with Remote Process Sync.
• Confirm the instances that you will link together in the following example are not production instances. It is recommended to test this example on sub-production instances only in order to avoid overwriting any important data on either instance. You might also want to use a Personal Developer Instance for testing this example integration.
• Confirm that you do not have any existing business rules, workflows, or Flow Designer flows whose logic will conflict with the flows we will create in the following example.
• Role required: admin

About this task

In the following example, you will step through how to link two ServiceNow instances' automated processes together. The use case for this example is that a customer creates requests for hardware that are fulfilled by a vendor. We will refer to the customer's instance as Instance A, and the vendor's instance as Instance B. We will start by setting up credentials in each instance that can access the remote instance. We will also create a user in each instance that can run the outbound and inbound flows.

Procedure

1. In Instance A, ensure that your domain is set to global, and then navigate to System Security > Users and Groups > Users.
2. Select New to open a new User form view, and then fill in the following fields:

   Field	Description
   User ID	Enter rps.api.instance.a
   First name	Enter RPS API User for Instance A

   Select Save.
3. While still on the User form, select Set Password to set a password.
   For details, see steps four and five in Configuring password for a user.
4. Reset the password for RPS API User for Instance A.
5. Navigate back to System Security > Users and Groups > Users and select the User record that you just created.
   1. Navigate to and select the Roles related list.
   2. Select Edit... to configure the user's roles.
   3. In the search window above Collection, enter ih_process_sync_api.
   4. Select ih_process_sync_api and snc_external from the Collection list, and then select the add button () to add these roles to the Roles List.
      Note:

      The snc_external role restricts the access of external users to only the resources they have been explicitly granted access to.
   5. Select Save.
6. Select New to open a new User form view, and then fill in the following fields:

   Field	Description
   User ID	Enter rps.run.as
   First name	Enter RPS Run as User

   Select Save.
7. While still on the User form, select Set Password to set a password.
   For details, see steps four and five in Configuring password for a user.
8. Reset the password for RPS Run as User A.
9. Navigate back to System Security > Users and Groups > Users and select the User record that you just created.
   1. Navigate to and select the Roles related list.
   2. Select Edit... to configure the user's roles.
   3. In the search window above Collection, enter ih_process_sync_run_as.
   4. Select ih_process_sync_run_as from the Collection list, and then select the add button () to add that role to the Roles List.
   5. In the search window above Collection, enter incident_manager.
   6. Select incident_manager from the Collection list, and then select the add button () to add that role to the Roles List.
   7. Select Save.
10. In Instance B, ensure that your domain is set to global, and then navigate to System Security > Users and Groups > Users.
11. Select New to open a new User form view, and then fill in the following fields:

    Field	Description
    User ID	Enter rps.api.instance.b
    First name	Enter RPS API User for Instance B

    Select Save.
12. While still on the User form, select Set Password to set a password.
    For details, see steps four and five in Configuring password for a user.
13. Reset the password for RPS API User for Instance B.
14. Navigate back to System Security > Users and Groups > Users and select the User record that you just created.
    1. Navigate to and select the Roles related list.
    2. Select Edit... to configure the user's roles.
    3. In the search window above Collection, enter ih_process_sync_api.
    4. Select ih_process_sync_api and snc_external from the Collection list, and then select the add button () to add these roles to the Roles List.
       Note:

       The snc_external role restricts the access of external users to only the resources they have been explicitly granted access to.
    5. Select Save.
15. Select New to open a new User form view, and then fill in the following fields:

    Field	Description
    User ID	Enter rps.run.as
    First name	Enter RPS Run as User

    Select Save.
16. While still on the User form, select Set Password to set a password.
    For details, see steps four and five in Configuring password for a user.
17. Reset the password for RPS Run as User B from Instance B.
18. Navigate back to System Security > Users and Groups > Users and select the User record that you just created.
    1. Navigate to and select the Roles related list.
    2. Select Edit... to configure the user's roles.
    3. In the search window above Collection, enter ih_process_sync_run_as.
    4. Select ih_process_sync_run_as from the Collection list, and then select the add button () to add that role to the Roles List.
    5. In the search window above Collection, enter incident_manager.
    6. Select incident_manager from the Collection list, and then select the add button () to add that role to the Roles List.
    7. Select Save.
19. In Instance A, navigate to IntegrationHub > Connections & Credentials > Credentials, and then select New.
    1. From the list of connection options, select Basic Auth Credentials.
    2. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Name	Enter RPS Vendor Credentials
       User name	Enter rps.api.instance.b
       Password	Enter the password for RPS API User for Instance B.

       Note:

       The credentials you enter must match the credentials for the RPS API User that you created in Instance B.
    3. Select Submit.
20. While still in Instance A, navigate to IntegrationHub > Connections & Credentials > Connection & Credential Aliases, and then select New.
    1. In the Name field, enter RPS Vendor Demo.
       Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
    2. From the list, select the RPS Vendor Demo record that you just created.
    3. In the Connections related list, select New.
    4. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Name	Enter RPS Vendor.
       Credential	Select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the RPS Vendor Credentials record from the list.
       Connection URL	Enter the base URL of Instance B. The URL should begin with https:// and end with .service-now.com/

    5. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
21. In Instance B, navigate to IntegrationHub > Connections & Credentials > Credentials, and then select New.
    1. From the list of connection options, select Basic Auth Credentials.
    2. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Name	Enter RPS Customer Credentials
       User name	Enter rps.api.instance.a
       Password	Enter the password for RPS API User for Instance A.

       Note:

       The credentials you enter must match the credentials for the RPS API User that you created in Instance A.
    3. Select Submit.
22. While still in Instance B, navigate to IntegrationHub > Connections & Credentials > Connection & Credential Aliases, and then select New.
    1. In the Name field, enter RPS Customer Demo.
       Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
    2. From the list, select the RPS Customer Demo record that you just created.
    3. In the Connections related list, select New.
    4. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Name	Enter RPS Customer.
       Credential	Select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the RPS Customer Credentials record from the list.
       Connection URL	Enter the base URL of Instance A. The URL should begin with https:// and end with .service-now.com/

    5. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
    We've successfully created credentials that can be used to access each remote instance. Now, let's ensure that we can send and receive data between instances by configuring the Remote System record for a Process Sync Definition in each instance.
23. In Instance A, navigate to IntegrationHub > Remote Process Sync > Process Sync Definitions, and then select New.
    1. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Name	Enter Hardware Request Process
       Description	Enter Process for requesting hardware and handling fulfilled hardware requests

    2. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
    3. From the list, select the Hardware Request Process record that you just created.
24. In the Remote Systems related list, select New.
    1. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Name	Enter Vendor Instance - Instance B
       Description	Enter Vendor instance that fulfills hardware requests
       Connection Alias	Select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the RPS_Vendor_Demo record from the list.
       Inbound API User	Select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the RPS API User for Instance A record from the list.
       Run as	Select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the RPS Run as User record from the list.

    2. In the context header, select the additional actions icon () and then select Copy sys_id.
       You will need this Sys ID as the value for the External ID field of the Remote System record in Instance B.
    3. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
25. In Instance B, navigate to IntegrationHub > Remote Process Sync > Process Sync Definitions, and then select New.
    1. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Name	Enter Hardware Fulfillment Process
       Description	Enter Process for fulfilling hardware requests

    2. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
    3. From the list, select the Hardware Fulfillment Process record that you just created.
26. In the Remote Systems related list, select New.
    1. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Name	Enter Customer Instance - Instance A
       Description	Enter Customer instance that requests hardware
       External ID	Paste the value of the Sys ID that you copied from the Remote System record in Instance A.
       Connection Alias	Select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the RPS_Customer_Demo record from the list.
       Inbound API User	Select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the RPS API User for Instance B record from the list.
       Run as	Select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the RPS Run as User record from the list.

    2. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
    3. From the Remote Systems related list, select the Customer Instance - Instance A record.
    4. In the context header, select the additional actions icon () and then select Copy sys_id.
       You will need this Sys ID as the value for the External ID field of the Remote System record in Instance A.
27. In Instance B, navigate to IntegrationHub > Remote Process Sync > Remote Systems - All, an then select the Customer Instance - Instance A record from the list.
    1. In the External ID field, paste the value of the Sys ID that you copied from the Remote System record in Instance A.
    2. Select Update to save your changes to the record.
    3. From the list, select the Customer Instance - Instance A record.
    4. In the Related links section, select Validate and Activate Remote System.
       You should see a message that displays Remote system validated and activated successfully. If you see an error message instead, go back and check the configuration for the Remote System record.
    We have successfully connected Instance A and Instance B together so that they can share data across their process workflows. Now, we will define how our integration will trigger and run automatically, as well as which fields we want to capture and sync between instances.
28. In Instance A, navigate to IntegrationHub > Remote Process Sync > Process Sync Definitions, and then select the Hardware Request Process record from the list.
29. In the Process Events related list, select New.
    1. In the Name field, enter Request Hardware.
       Note:

       This field is case-sensitive. It functions similarly to an API endpoint method name.
    2. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
30. In the Process Events related list, select New.
    1. In the Name field, enter Hardware Request Fulfilled.
    2. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
31. In the Capture Definitions related list, select New.
    1. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Process Event	select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the Request Hardware record from the list.
       State	Select Active
       Source Table Name	Select Incident [incident]
       Filter	In the condition builder, select Assignment Group > is and then select the lookup using list icon (). Choose the Hardware record from the list.
       Include fields	Select the following fields and then select the add item button () to add them to the Selected list: Number Short description Assignment group Severity State Note: Sys ID is already included in the Selected list. Leave this field in the Selected list as well.

    2. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
32. In the Outbound Flows related list, select New.
    1. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Process Event	From the list, select Request Hardware.
       Outbound Subflow	Select Copy of Remote Process Sync Outbound Flow Template - Basic record. To make a copy, follow these steps. Use the Configure Subflow button next to the Outbound Subflow field to navigate to Flow Designer. In Flow Designer, select the Subflows tab. Filter the Name column to locate the Remote Process Sync Outbound Flow Template - Basic record and select it. In the subflow, select the More Actions menu, then select Copy subflow. Publish the subflow copy. This template subflow handles the correlation of local and remote records and sends the captured payload to the remote instance. Note: When building your own integration, you can add Remote Process Sync actions to personalize this template subflow to your needs. To edit this template subflow in Flow Designer, select the Configure Subflow icon ().
       Remote System	Select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the Vendor Instance - Instance B record from the list.

    2. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
33. In Instance B, navigate to IntegrationHub > Remote Process Sync > Process Sync Definitions, and then select the Hardware Fulfillment Process record from the list.
34. In the Process Events related list, select New.
    1. In the Name field, enter Request Hardware.
    2. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
35. In the Process Events related list, select New.
    1. In the Name field, enter Hardware Request Fulfilled.
    2. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
       Note:

       It is recommended to create Process Event records in both instances with names that match. This will help you keep track of the linked process workflows between instances.
36. In the Capture Definitions related list, select New.
    1. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Process Event	select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the Hardware Request Fulfilled record from the list.
       State	Select Active
       Source Table Name	Select Incident [incident]
       Filter	In the condition builder, select Assignment Group > is and then select the lookup using list icon (). Choose the Hardware record from the list. Then, select AND to add another condition and select Incident state > is > Resolved.
       Include fields	Select the following fields and then select the add item button () to add them to the Selected list: Number State Resolved by Resolution notes Resolution code Note: Sys ID is already included in the Selected list. Leave this field in the Selected list as well.

    2. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
37. In the Outbound Flows related list, select New.
    1. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Process Event	From the list, select Hardware Request Fulfilled.
       Outbound Subflow	Select Copy of Remote Process Sync Outbound Flow Template - Basic record. To make a copy, follow these steps. Use the Configure Subflow button next to the Outbound Subflow field to navigate to Flow Designer. In Flow Designer, select the Subflows tab. Filter the Name column to locate the Remote Process Sync Outbound Flow Template - Basic record and select it. In the subflow, select the More Actions menu, then select Copy subflow. Publish the subflow copy. This template subflow handles the correlation of local and remote records and sends the captured payload to the remote instance. Note: When building your own integration, you can add Remote Process Sync actions to personalize this template subflow to your needs. To edit this template subflow in Flow Designer, select the Configure Subflow icon ().
       Remote System	Select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the Customer Instance - Instance A record from the list.

    2. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
    We have successfully set up how our Remote Process Sync integration will trigger and which fields will be captured and sent to either remote instance. In this final section, we will customize the inbound flows in Flow Designer so that they properly transform inbound data.
38. In Instance B, navigate to IntegrationHub > Remote Process Sync > Process Sync Definitions, and then select the Hardware Fulfillment Process record from the list.
39. Make a copy of the Remote Process Sync Inbound Flow Template - Basic record.
    1. Navigate to Flow Designer and select the Subflows tab.
    2. Filter the Name column to locate the Remote Process Sync Inbound Flow Template - Basic record and select it.
    3. In the subflow, select the More Actions menu, then select Copy subflow.
40. In the subflow, update the Payload.
    1. Expand the Transform Payload from Inbound Sample action.
    2. In the Sample Payload field, enter the following sample payload:

       {"capture_metadata":{"changed_by":"admin","timestamp":"2020-09-24 19:26:59"},
       "changed_fields":[
         {"display_value":"","value":"incident","key":"sys_class_name"},
         {"display_value":"","value":"552c48888c033300964f4932b03eb092","key":"sys_id"},
         {"display_value":"","value":"INC0040015","key":"number"},
         {"display_value":"","value":"","key":"short_description"},
         {"display_value":"Hardware","value":"9f5b572d9cd82010f877a5cfd1fdce30","key":"assignment_group"},
         {"display_value":"","value":"1","key":"severity"},
         {"display_value":"","value":"2","key":"state"}]}

       Note:

       This payload is a complex object that represents the captured metadata and fields that are sent from Instance A to Instance B.
    3. Select Done.
41. In the subflow, under the Else flow logic, select Create Incident Record.
    1. Add the following fields and associated values:

       Field	Value
       Short description	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > short_description.
       Description	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > short_description.
       Assignment group	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > assignment_group.
       Urgency	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > severity.
       State	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > state.

    2. Select Done.
42. Under the If flow logic next to then, select Update Incident Record.
    1. In the Fields input, add the following fields and associated values:

       Field	Value
       Short description	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > short_description.
       Description	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > short_description.
       Assignment group	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > assignment_group.
       Urgency	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > severity.
       State	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > state.

    2. Select Done.
43. Publish the subflow.
44. Back in the Hardware Fulfillment Process record, in the Inbound Flows related list, select New.
    1. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Process Event	From the list, select Request Hardware.
       Inbound Subflow	Select Copy of Remote Process Sync Inbound Flow Template - Basic.
       Remote System	Select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the Customer Instance - Instance A record from the list.

    2. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.
45. In Instance A, navigate to IntegrationHub > Remote Process Sync > Process Sync Definitions, and then select the Hardware Request Process record from the list.
46. Make a copy of the Remote Process Sync Inbound Flow Template - Basic record.
    1. Navigate to Flow Designer and select the Subflows tab.
    2. Filter the Name column to locate the Remote Process Sync Inbound Flow Template - Basic record and select it.
    3. In the subflow, select the More Actions menu, then select Copy subflow.
47. In the subflow, update the Payload.
    1. Expand the Transform Payload from Inbound Sample action.
    2. In the Sample Payload field, enter the following sample payload:

       {"capture_metadata":{"changed_by":"admin","timestamp":"2020-10-26 14:18:45"},
       "changed_fields":[
         {"display_value":"","value":"incident","key":"sys_class_name"},
         {"display_value":"","value":"d4cdfce8db4c2410cfe4d9595e96197b","key":"sys_id"},
         {"display_value":"","value":"INC0040014","key":"number"},
         {"display_value":"","value":"101","key":"state"},
         {"display_value":"","value":"Resolved by caller","key":"close_code"},
         {"display_value":"System Administrator","value":"6816f79cc0a8016401c5a33be04be441","key":"resolved_by"},
         {"display_value":"","value":"","key":"close_notes"}]}

       Note:

       This payload is a complex object that represents the captured metadata and fields that are sent from Instance B to Instance A.
    3. Select Done.
48. Under the If flow logic next to then, select Update Incident Record.
    1. In the Fields input, add the following fields and associated values:

       Field	Value
       State	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > state.
       Resolved by	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > resolved_by.
       Resolution notes	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > close_notes.
       Resolution code	Select the data pill picker icon (). Dot-walk to and then select 1 - Transform Payload from Inbound Sample > Changed Fields > close_code.

    2. Select Done.
49. In the subflow, delete the Else statement.
50. Publish the subflow.
51. Back in the Hardware Fulfillment Process record, in the Inbound Flows related list, select New.
    1. In the form, fill in the following fields:

       Field	Description
       Process Event	From the list, select Hardware Request Fulfilled.
       Inbound Subflow	Select Copy of Remote Process Sync Inbound Flow Template - Basic.
       Remote System	Select the lookup using list icon (), and then select the Vendor Instance - Instance B record from the list.

    2. Leave all other fields as they are, and then select Submit.

Result

We've finished building our Remote Process Sync integration. The integration will now trigger whenever a user creates an Incident record with the Hardware assignment group in Incident A. When this happens:

• The fields specified in Instance A's Capture Definition are captured and stored in a local record.
• The local record is correlated with a remote record in Instance B.
• The captured fields are mapped to the fields we specified in Instance B's Inbound Flow.

Then, when a user resolves the correlated Incident record in Instance B:

• The fields specified in Instance B's Capture Definition are captured and stored in a local record.
• The local record is correlated with the remote record in Instance A.
• The captured fields are mapped to the fields we specified in Instance A's Inbound Flow.

What to do next

Test out your Remote Process Sync integration by creating an Incident record in Instance A with the Hardware assignment group. Then, resolve the correlated Incident record in Instance B. If your correlated records don't sync as expected, check your Inbound API User's credentials and Process Sync Definition configuration in each Instance. If you continue to experience issues with your example integration, refer to Monitoring and troubleshooting your integration.