Managing upgrade risk
Summarize
Summary of Managing upgrade risk
Managing upgrade risk in ServiceNow Yokohama release focuses on identifying and mitigating conflicts arising from customized skipped metadata files during upgrades. These conflicts occur when ServiceNow updates files that customers have customized, potentially causing issues when installing new applications or plugins. The system notifies users with UI messages on metadata file forms, indicating the risk level of modifications to help avoid upgrade complications.
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Key Features
- UI Notifications: Users receive alerts on form pages of metadata files about potential upgrade conflicts based on the risk severity of the files (high, medium, or non-risky) and whether the files are customized.
- Risk Categories:
- High Risk and Customized: Recommended to revert to Base System to prevent conflicts.
- Medium Risk and Customized: Also recommended to revert to Base System to avoid conflicts.
- High and Medium Risk but Non-Customized: Modifications are discouraged unless absolutely necessary.
- Non-Risky Files: No warnings are shown regardless of customization.
- High Risk Customizations Menu: Displays the overlap between ServiceNow’s high and medium risk files and customer customizations, sourced from the virtual table vmetadatacustomizationrisk. Data refreshes periodically or on demand.
- Risk Files Storage: High and medium risk files are stored in the sysmetadatavolatility table, which updates automatically during family upgrades and should not be modified by users.
- Risk Determination: Based on trends of file modifications in recent releases, helping predict files likely to be updated in future releases, including files not yet present in the system.
Practical Recommendations
- Avoid modifying high and medium risk skipped metadata files where possible to reduce upgrade conflicts.
- If modification is necessary for high or medium risk files, be aware of potential upgrade complications and consider reverting changes before upgrades.
- Use the High Risk Customizations menu to monitor and manage risky customizations proactively.
- Do not alter the sysmetadatavolatility table manually, as it is maintained by the platform.
You will be notified of the possible conflicts that might result due to several customizations in a skipped metadata file, with a new UI message on the form pages of the metadata files.
The purpose of the UI message is to inform you about potential complications that might arise during the upgrade process, especially if any high-priority files have been modified. The notification is of the form of UI messages on the form pages of the metadata files.
- Medium risk and non-customized: The medium risk files that are not customized might be updated in future releases. It is recommended not to modify these files unless necessary.
- High risk and non-customized: The high risk files that are non-customized might be updated in future releases. It is recommended not to modify these files unless necessary.Note:You can proceed to modify these files if the changes are absolutely required. The following modal shows up.
- High risk and customized: The high risk files that are customized might be updated in future releases. It is recommended to revert them to the Base System to avoid conflicts.
- Medium risk and customized: The medium risk files that are customized might be updated in future releases. It is recommended to revert it to the Base System to avoid conflicts.
- Non-risky and non-customized: You don’t see any warning for this condition.
- Non-risky and customized: You don’t see any warning for this condition.
High Risk Customizations menu
The High Risk Customizations menu item presents the overlap between ServiceNow's high and medium risk files and your customizations.
They are stored in a virtual table called v_metadata_customization_risk, and is refreshed after a set period of time or when you select the Refresh on the list view.