Testing applications in AEMC

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated August 8, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Testing applications in AEMC

    Testing applications in AEMC ensures that changes are viable before deploying them to production. This process involves running automated tests in a non-production environment to identify issues early. Admins initiate testing by approving deployment requests, which transitions the application into the Testing state where tests are executed automatically if configured properly.

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    Testing process

    Before publishing a submitted application, an admin must open the deployment request and select Approve. This triggers the system to determine the next state and run tests to validate the app’s readiness. If the application fails testing, the deployment request should be rejected.

    Automated tests during deployment

    When deploying or installing an application to a test environment, two key jobs run automatically:

    • Application Deployment Test Suite: A set of Automated Test Framework (ATF) tests, primarily a logging test that records scan results in the Test Results table. To run this suite, two system properties must be enabled: snatf.runner.enabled and snatf.schedule.enabled. Without these, only the instance scan will run.
    • Scoped App Definitions instance scan: Scans all tables extending Task [task] in the application to diagnose health and best practice issues on non-production instances.

    Viewing test results

    Admins can review test and scan results by selecting the Deployment Environment Results tab in the deployment request. Results are organized into three tabs:

    • ATF Results: Shows test suite name, test URL, success/failure counts, and overall errors.
    • Instance Scan Results: Displays scan suite name, scan URL, finding counts, and detailed results.
    • Results (JSON): Contains unformatted JSON data of ATF and instance scan results, including any identified errors. This JSON is also available in the Notes related list.

    Why this matters for ServiceNow customers

    By leveraging AEMC’s automated testing capabilities, ServiceNow customers can confidently validate applications before production deployment, reducing risks and ensuring adherence to best practices. Enabling the necessary ATF properties and reviewing detailed test results allows administrators to diagnose and address issues early, leading to smoother application releases and more reliable production environments.

    Testing an application helps to ensure the viability of the changes on the production instance. Learn about how testing works in AEMC and the different kinds of tests that automatically run during the deployment process.

    Testing an application

    Before you publish a submitted application, test it in a non-production instance. To begin testing, an admin must open the deployment request and select Approve. The pipeline record is read and determines the next state for the request.

    The goal of testing the application is to ensure the viability of the production instance. When the app has transitioned to the Testing state, ServiceNow Automated Test Framework tests run if you have enabled the appropriate properties.

    If the application doesn't pass testing, then you reject the deployment request.

    Deploying to a test environment

    When you deploy or install an application to a test environment, two jobs are automatically executed:
    • Application Deployment Test Suite
    • Scoped App Definitions instance scan

    These tests can be useful to the administrator for diagnosing issues before an app is deployed. For more information about what goes on during an application deployment, see Pipelines and Deployments workflow.

    Table 1. Jobs that automatically run during deployment
    Job Description
    Application Deployment Test Suite A set of Automated Test Framework (ATF) tests. The suite consists of a single test called Log. When the test is run, scan results are logged to the Test Results [sys_atf_test_result] table.
    Note:
    The following two system properties must be enabled to run the Application Deployment Test Suite:
    • sn_atf.runner.enabled
    • sn_atf.schedule.enabled
    If they aren't enabled, only the instance scan runs. For more information, see Enable Automated Test Framework (ATF) properties.
    Scoped App Definitions instance scan Instance scans aid in diagnosing health issues on a non-production instance, and are useful for addressing best practices. For more information, see Instance Scan.

    The instance scan checks all tables in the app that extend Task [task].

    The admin can view the results of the scans for troubleshooting purposes by selecting the Deployment Environment Results tab in the deployment request.

    Simply open the record of the instance. The results are split into three tabs:
    • ATF Results
      • Test suite name
      • Test URL
      • Success and failure counts
      • Overall error count
    • Instance Scan Results
      • Scan suite name
      • Scan URL
      • Finding count for the scan
    • Results (JSON) includes unformatted JSON code of the ATF and instance scan results, as well as any errors identified during the scans. This JSON can also be found in the Notes related list.