--- sourceDocument: Australia API Reference sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/api-reference Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia API Reference ft:clusterId : - crapiref bundleId : - crapiref workflow : - Creator --- # Configure # Configuring Live Connect {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated September 10, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read Configure your ServiceNow instance to enable Live Connect access, set up security controls, and install the required drivers on your client machine. ## Configuration overview {#configuring-sql-api__cf-config-parent-checklist} Before you begin, confirm the following: * The Live Connect plugin is installed on your instance. * You have consulted your network team to identify the IP address range for your ODBC/JDBC client machines. * You have identified which ServiceNow tables must be accessible via Live Connect. {#configuring-sql-api__configuring-sql-api-prereqs} The configuration process involves two main components: 1. Instance setup: * [Install Live Connect on your ServiceNow instance](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/if_1PWNMECmKCOVELBqpEg "Install Live Connect to enable secure, read-only access to your instance data from external applications.") * [Assign roles and create service accounts](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ZVR2lJNhFGgTW5wJ6vIQBw "Assign the sn_odbc_rest_access or sn_jdbc_rest_access role to users who need Live Connect access. You can assign these roles to personal user accounts or create dedicated non-interactive (Machine) service accounts.") * [Create Access Control Lists (ACLs) for Live Connect](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/snYghOPltuehwEcdMSyv5Q "Grant user accounts query access to specific ServiceNow tables through Live Connect using table-level ACLs.") * [Create IP filter criteria](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/2NeON5IRnpWHYrWoIIkJrA "Define which IP addresses or IP ranges are permitted to connect to your ServiceNow instance via the Live Connect ODBC/JDBC driver.") {#configuring-sql-api__ul_e2z_hnx_m3c} 2. Driver installation and configuration: * [Download the Live Connect drivers on a client machine](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/zrcCmJ7ebrtDneqvgC49sw "Download ODBC and JDBC drivers to enable third-party Business Intelligence tools and data analysis platforms to connect to your ServiceNow instance data.") * [Install the ServiceNow Live Connect ODBC driver on a client machine](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/n3uPsgUB0jyDqLlTKfeYgQ "Use the installation wizard to install the ODBC driver and configure the connection between your Business Intelligence tools and ServiceNow data.") * [Configure ServiceNow Live Connect ODBC driver on a client machine](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/H~h09i~9er~caBlg1mJxog "Configure the ODBC driver with your instance URL, BCFIPS JAR file paths, and authentication credentials to enable BI tools to access your ServiceNow data.") * [Configure ServiceNow Live Connect JDBC driver on a client machine](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/lOZ8Cwv~KunWpAEirDQUsg "Configure the JDBC driver to connect to your ServiceNow instance and query your data.") {#configuring-sql-api__ul_jyy_nsx_m3c} {#configuring-sql-api__cf-config-parent-tasks-ol} ## After configuration {#configuring-sql-api__configuring-sql-api-postconfiguration} After completing all procedures, your user account can connect to your ServiceNow instance via ODBC or JDBC. You can then query tables for which access has been granted. * Use service accounts for production reports and dashboards. Service accounts promote continuity --- personal accounts break if the user loses access or leaves the organization. * Access is not granted globally. A user account can query a table only if it has explicit read access through table-level ACLs (`egress_sql` and `read`) or a role with read permissions. * Non-interactive (machine) service accounts can't complete MFA challenges. Turn off MFA for those accounts. Personal accounts using OAuth aren't subject to this limitation. {#configuring-sql-api__configuring-sql-api-postconfiguration-ul} * **[Install Live Connect on your ServiceNow instance](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/if_1PWNMECmKCOVELBqpEg)** Install Live Connect to enable secure, read-only access to your instance data from external applications. * **[Live Connect configuration on your ServiceNow instance](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/detYv7JsescBZg4O5x4nyA)** Complete the three-step configuration that's required to enable Live Connect access. * **[Enable OAuth for Live Connect](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/jyVJbmELsxKzR0Tlj3BZfw)** Configure OAuth as an additional authentication method for Live Connect connections. This adds OAuth alongside basic authentication without replacing it. * **[Download the Live Connect drivers on a client machine](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/zrcCmJ7ebrtDneqvgC49sw)** Download ODBC and JDBC drivers to enable third-party Business Intelligence tools and data analysis platforms to connect to your ServiceNow instance data. * **[Install the ServiceNow Live Connect ODBC driver on a client machine](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/n3uPsgUB0jyDqLlTKfeYgQ)** Use the installation wizard to install the ODBC driver and configure the connection between your Business Intelligence tools and ServiceNow data. * **[Configure ServiceNow Live Connect ODBC driver on a client machine](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/H~h09i~9er~caBlg1mJxog)** Configure the ODBC driver with your instance URL, BCFIPS JAR file paths, and authentication credentials to enable BI tools to access your ServiceNow data. * **[Test Live Connect ODBC driver connection](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/3Wr9es8Qqf~g3jQaYrIX4A)** Use Interactive SQL to verify that the ODBC driver connects to your ServiceNow instance and returns query results. * **[Configure ServiceNow Live Connect JDBC driver on a client machine](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/lOZ8Cwv~KunWpAEirDQUsg)** Configure the JDBC driver to connect to your ServiceNow instance and query your data. * **[Route Live Connect calls to Read Replica](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/RbHNjJF~3mxgpQYMxzFwTw)** Route Live Connect calls to a Read Replica database to reduce the processing load on the primary database in your ServiceNow instance.