Upgrade Monitor module

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Upgrade Monitor module

    The Upgrade Monitor module enables ServiceNow customers to schedule upgrades and monitor their status. It offers insights into the upgrade process, including an upgrade summary and a list of records causing conflicts after the upgrade is complete.

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    Key Features

    • Automatic display of the Upgrade Progress screen during an ongoing upgrade when logged in as an admin.
    • Navigation to Upgrade Monitor via All > Upgrade Center if no upgrade is in progress.
    • Provides a detailed view of the upgrade process for each instance, showing progress and reporting on completed actions.
    • Facilitates conflict resolution between customizations and upgrade changes during the upgrade of non-production instances.
    • Includes an Upgrade Summary Report after completion, detailing conflicts and providing links for resolution.

    Key Outcomes

    The Upgrade Monitor enhances your upgrade experience by allowing you to:

    • Track the upgrade process in real-time, ensuring transparency.
    • Identify and resolve conflicts effectively to protect customizations.
    • Estimate how long the upgrade will take on production instances based on non-production testing.
    • Record changes in update sets to maintain a clear upgrade history.

    Schedule an upgrade and monitor the status of an ongoing upgrade using the Upgrade Monitor module. You can also view the upgrade summary and the list of records causing conflicts in your instance once the upgrade is complete.

    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 navigate to All > Upgrade Center > 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 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.

    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.