Define policies in Digital Product Release

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 1 minute to read
  • Define policies to automate the release workflow based on the different states of the release.

    Before you begin

    Role required: sn_dpr_model.release_admin

    About this task

    The policies are defined using ServiceNow® Policy as Code Engine (PaCE), so make sure you’re familiar with the basics. For more information, see Understanding PaCE.

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to Workspaces > Digital Product Release Workspace.
    2. Select the policy administration icon (Policy administration icon.).
    3. Create a policy or update an existing one.
      • To create a policy, select New.

        For more information on creating a policy, see Create a PaCE policy.

      • To modify an existing policy, open the policy from the list.
      A policy is created in the inactive state and a draft version of the policy is added.
    4. Select the Version tab and open the draft version.
    5. On the Version record form, select the Policy Builder tab to write the policy.
      1. On the Define Variables pane, use API variables, config parameters, record references, and data collectors to write your policy.
      2. Process data from the DevOps application data model related to the product using the base system data collectors.
        The data collectors collect inputs by processing data from ServiceNow or an external data source to provide an output. The output can be used in the policy logic to take a decision. For more information, see Digital Product Release data collectors.
    6. Test your policy in the Test Playground tab.
    7. Select Save to save the policy version.
      You can also save the version as a template by selecting the Save as template.
    8. Optional: To enable exceptions for the policy for temporarily overriding the policy failure status for specific use cases, select more actions icon (More actions icon.) and then select Enable exceptions.
      Note:
      This option is only available when GRC: Policy and Compliance Management is installed.
      The Exceptions tab displays. You can view a list of exceptions requested for this policy, including their active status and expiry. You can withdraw or extend any existing exceptions for the policy.
    9. Select Publish to publish the policy version and make it available for use.
    10. In the Publish draft dialog box, select Activate this policy to also activate the policy along with publishing the version.

    Result

    The policy version is updated as Current and is used the next time the policy is invoked.

    For more information, see Manage PaCE policy versions.