Reporting on data from low-code apps

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Reporting on data from low-code apps

    ServiceNow enables reporting on data from low-code applications to fulfill operational and analytical needs. Reporting typically involves displaying data from tables like Incident [incident], while tracking data trends over time is achievable through Performance Analytics (PA) with key performance indicators (KPIs). ServiceNow is transitioning between two main interfaces for reporting and analytics: the older Core UI and the newer Platform Analytics UI.

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    Reporting Interfaces and Features

    • Core UI: Includes the Reporting application for table-based data reports and PA Widgets for Performance Analytics indicators. Reports and widgets can be added to responsive dashboards.
    • Platform Analytics: Offers Data Visualizations to report on data from any source, placeable on Platform Analytics dashboards with filter capabilities. This UI is built on the Next Experience UI Framework and supports developer and non-developer roles for creating analytics objects.

    Note that “report” and “reporting” typically refer to Core UI functions, while “visualization” refers to Platform Analytics components for clarity.

    Best Practices for Building Reports and Visualizations

    • Limit data scope by applying date ranges or filters to avoid performance issues when querying large tables.
    • Avoid grouping by fields with many unique values to reduce processing time.
    • If you encounter long load times, add more filters to reduce data volume.
    • For regular data exports, use scheduled exports and email delivery to automate distribution.

    Options for Creating Dashboards and Visualizations in Platform Analytics

    • Platform Analytics experience: Build dashboards and visualizations entirely within this interface without developer skills—ideal for most users.
    • UI Builder with data visualization components: Allows developers to create highly customized pages with filters and components but requires more configuration.
    • Hybrid approach: Create dashboards in Platform Analytics and embed them in UI Builder pages using Dashboard page templates, combining ease of use with customization.
    • Technical dashboards: Develop dashboards inside UI Builder, accessible from the dashboard library, sharable, and customizable like standard dashboards.

    What This Enables for ServiceNow Customers

    By leveraging these reporting and analytics capabilities, customers can create actionable reports and visualizations tailored to their operational needs. The available interfaces support a range of user skill levels, from non-developers building simple dashboards to developers creating advanced, customized analytics experiences. Effective use of filters and scheduling ensures performance and timely delivery of insights, helping drive informed decision-making and process improvements within their ServiceNow environments.

    Most applications that you create have some level of reporting requirements. Reports should be actionable to drive change.

    "Reporting" generally refers to showing the data inside facts tables like Incident [incident]. You can also create key performance indicators (KPIs) to track changes in this data over time, through the Performance Analytics application.

    Currently the ServiceNow AI Platform® is in transition between two user interfaces for showing this information:
    • The older Core UI technology. This UI includes the Reporting application, which only shows data directly from tables, and PA Widgets, which show data from Performance Analytics indicators. Both reports and PA widgets can be placed on Core UI responsive dashboards. For more information, see Reporting, dashboards, and Performance Analytics in the Core UI.
    • The newer Platform Analytics technology. This UI includes Data Visualizations, which let you report on data from any source. These visualizations can be placed on Platform Analytics dashboards, along with Platform Analytics filters. For more information, see Platform Analytics experience.

      All Platform Analytics objects are rooted in the Next Experience UI Framework and are available to developers. However, a non-developer can still build their own objects through the Platform Analytics experience, without using UI Builder. For more information, see Platform Analytics experience.

    Note:
    Although "reporting" is a general term, this documentation usually uses "report" and "reporting" to refer to the Core UI Reporting application and "visualization" or "visualize" to refer to Platform Analytics data visualizations, for disambiguation.

    Follow these guidelines when building reports or data visualizations:

    • Creating reports or visualizations on large tables can negatively impact performance. Be sure to filter by a date range or other limiting criteria rather than showing all records on the table.
    • Grouping by fields that contain many possible values can negatively impact performance.
    • If loading a report or visualization gives a Long running transaction timer message, consider adding more data filters to reduce the load time.
    • If you need to export a report, data visualization, or dashboard on a regular basis, schedule the export and email.
    In Platform Analytics, you have several possibilities for showing multiple data visualizations on one page:
    • Create the data visualizations and the dashboards entirely inside the Platform Analytics experience. This approach does not require a developer role or special technical knowledge, and probably should be explored before you try a more complex solution.
    • Create data visualization components in a generic UI Builder page, along with filters and other components. This approach gives you the most freedom as a developer, but also requires the most configuration.
    • Create the data visualizations and the dashboards inside the Platform Analytics experience, but then place the dashboards inside UI Builder pages using the Dashboard page template. This approach lets you use the convenience and special features of the Platform Analytics experience to create dashboards, data visualizations, and filters in your own experiences/workspaces. This approach also gives you the freedom to customize the page configuration partially. For more information, see Creating Platform Analytics pages in your own workspace.
    • Create a technical dashboard and populate it inside UI Builder. This approach is almost the same as creating your own UI Builder page from scratch, but the dashboard is available in the dashboard library, has dashboard details, and can be shared like other dashboards. For more information, see Technical dashboards.