---
sourceDocument: Australia Governance, Risk, and Compliance
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/governance-risk-compliance

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Governance, Risk, and Compliance

ft:clusterId :

    - grc

bundleId :

    - grc

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Hierarchy tab

# Hierarchy tab {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated September 10, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 5 minutes to read
Summarize  
![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI  
This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.  

## Summary of Hierarchy tab

The Hierarchy tab in ServiceNow connects your processing activity to related applications, vendors, companies, entities, business processes, and other activities, providing a comprehensive view of data flow within your organization.
It becomes visible only when a processing activity is moved from the New state to the Discover state, initially showing no relationships until you add them.
You can also gather hierarchy data from business users through assessments, which update the processing activity upon completion.
Show full answer Show less  

## Key Concepts

* **Primary Record:** The current processing activity you are working on; this field is pre-filled and unchangeable when adding relationships.
* **Primary Node:** The node in the hierarchy for which the relationship is created, initially the same as the primary record but can be any linked node as more are added.
* **Node Locations:** Automatically populated from the node's location, or if unavailable, from associated entity or CMDB record locations.
* **Related Node:** The connected node in the relationship, which can be a data source or destination relative to the primary node.
* **Relationship Type:** Defines how the primary and related nodes are connected, including data flow direction and relationship descriptions.
* **Related Node Type:** Specifies the entity type being connected, such as processing activities, entities, business processes, applications, vendors, or companies. Additional types can be configured as needed.

## Lineage Map

The Lineage map button presents a graphical view of all nodes and relationships linked to the current processing activity, allowing visualization of data flows, navigation between nodes, and management of relationships (edit/delete). It shows not only direct connections but also extended chains across multiple levels, helping you trace comprehensive data transfer paths.

## Part of Processing Activity Filter

This filter differentiates nodes that are integral to the current processing activity from those merely linked. Selecting **Part of processing activity** shows only nodes that belong to the activity, while **All relationships** displays the broader connections, including nodes shared with other activities. By default, the lineage map shows only nodes marked as part of the processing activity.

## Configuring Lineage Map Depth

The lineage map displays up to five downstream levels and one upstream level by default. To show more downstream levels, adjust the `snprivacy.nodemap.maxLevel` system property. Note that upstream levels remain fixed at one.

## Creating and Managing Hierarchy Relationships

Hierarchies and lineage maps are built from relationships you create between objects in a processing activity. You can add relationships through the Hierarchy tab and manage the lineage map to maintain an accurate representation of data flows.

## Information Displayed on the Hierarchy Tab

Once relationships exist, the tab shows:

* **Primary node:** Node where the relationship originates.
* **Relationship:** Type of connection (e.g., "Sends data to," "Contains," "Depends on").
* **Related to:** Connected node.
* **Part of processing activity:** Indicates if the node is part of the current processing activity.
* **Primary node location** and **Related node location:** Geographic or organizational locations.
* **Data subjects involved:** Types of personal data transferred between nodes, viewable per data subject type. This appears for "Sends data to" or "Received data from" relationships and can be extended to other types by a privacy admin.
* **Description:** Details about the relationship.  
The Hierarchy tab connects your processing activity to applications, vendors, companies, entities, business processes, and other activities. It builds a clear picture of how data moves through your organization.

## When the Hierarchy tab is available {#hierarchy-tab__section_availability}

The Hierarchy tab is not visible when the processing activity is in New state. You must move the processing activity to Discover state before the tab appears. When a processing activity is first moved to Discover state, the Hierarchy
tab appears with no data. No relationships exist until you add them.

You can also collect hierarchy information from business users by adding this section as part of an assessment. The hierarchy information is added to the processing activity after the assessment is complete.

## Key concepts {#hierarchy-tab__section_definitions}

Primary record
:   The processing activity in the context of which you're creating or viewing the relationship. The primary record is always the processing activity you currently have open. When you add a relationship, the Primary Record field is
    pre-filled with this processing activity and cannot be changed.

Primary node
:   The node for which you're creating the relationship. When only one node has been added to the hierarchy, the primary node is the same as the primary record. Once more nodes are added, the primary node can be any node that has been
    linked with the processing activity.

Primary node location
:   Location of the primary node. This field is automatically populated from the location set on the node. If the node location is not specified, the associated entity location is used. If that is not specified either, the associated
    CMDB record location is used.

Related node
:   The node connected to the primary node by a relationship. Depending on the relationship type selected, the related node can be the source of data flowing into the primary node or the destination of data flowing out of it.

Related node location
:   Location of the related node. This field is automatically populated from the location set on the node. If the node location is not specified, the associated entity location is used. If that is not specified either, the associated
    CMDB record location is used.

Relationship type
:   Defines how the primary node is connected to the related node. Each relationship type includes a description that explains how the two nodes are related and the direction of data flow between them.

Related node type
:   The type of entity you're connecting as a related node. Related nodes can be processing activities, entities, business processes, business applications, vendors, or companies. Additional record types can be configured based on your
    organization's needs.

## View lineage map {#hierarchy-tab__section_lineage_map}

The Lineage map button in the Hierarchy tab displays a graphical view of all the nodes and relationships connected to the current processing activity. You can use the lineage map to visualize data flows, navigate between connected
nodes, and edit or delete relationships.

The lineage map not only displays the nodes directly linked to the current processing activity but also the nodes connected to those nodes. You can trace the entire chain of data transfer across all levels from a single view. For
tasks to manage the lineage map, see [Manage data lineage](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/zspZaL7pbXiILLjOQJHFgw "Data lineage is the visual representation of the relationships you define in a hierarchy. You can add new relationships directly from the lineage map in a processing map.").

## Part of processing activity {#hierarchy-tab__section_key_relationships}

The Show relationships filter helps you distinguish between the applications, vendors, business
processes, companies, entities, and processing activities that are part of the specific processing activity versus those that are linked to it, but not part of it.

Consider the Talent Screening processing activity, which includes SHL, HireVue, and Tableau. While Tableau and HireVue are part of Talent Screening, it is also used in other activities such as Interview Planning, since its data feeds into that process.

To scope relationships strictly to the nodes that belong to Talent Screening, select Part of processing activity from the drop-down. To access the global map and explore the broader data landscape, select All relationships, which displays how HireVue and Tableau connect to and support other processing activities beyond Talent Screening.
Figure 1. Part of processing activity filter Figure 2. All relationships filter

## How Part of processing activity works {#hierarchy-tab__section_how_part_of_processing_activity_works}

Part of processing activity is always defined relative to the primary record. Selecting Part of processing activity displays only the nodes that constitute the current processing activity. Nodes that exist in the hierarchy but are not
marked as Part of processing activity are hidden when you choose this filter. By default, the lineage map displays only nodes marked as Part of processing activity.

## Update the maximum node level for the data lineage map {#hierarchy-tab__max-node-levels}

By default, the lineage map displays nodes up to five levels downstream and one level upstream from the primary processing activity record. To display nodes beyond five downstream levels, update the
`sn_privacy.nodemap.maxLevel` system property. The upstream display is always limited to one level and cannot be changed.

For more information, see [Update the maximum node level for the lineage map](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Lx2FWUWsk61DSGjmU5FcUA "Update the sn_privacy.nodemap.maxLevel system property to control how many node levels are visible on the lineage map.").

## Methods to create a lineage map {#hierarchy-tab__section_i1x_1dz_m3c}

A lineage is created from the hierarchy relationships that you establish between different objects in a processing activity.

To create a hierarchy, see [Add relationships to a hierarchy for a processing activity](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/cU8KAoNZ4OlmszYOF6Ao1Q "Define new relationships in a hierarchy directly on a processing activity to record how it connects to vendors, applications, systems, and other processing activities across regions. This enables you to track cross-border data transfers and generate a lineage map to visualize data consumption, sharing, and the associated risks for a processing activity.").

To view and manage a lineage map, see [Manage data lineage](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/zspZaL7pbXiILLjOQJHFgw "Data lineage is the visual representation of the relationships you define in a hierarchy. You can add new relationships directly from the lineage map in a processing map.").

## Information displayed on the Hierarchy tab {#hierarchy-tab__section_columns}

After a relationship is created, the Hierarchy tab displays the following columns:

* Primary node: The node for which the relationship was created.
* Relationship: The relationship type that defines how the primary node is connected to the related node, such as Sends data to, Contains, or Depends on.
* Related to: The node connected to the primary node by the relationship.
* Part of processing activity: Indicates whether the application, vendor, company, entity, business process or processing activity is marked as part of the current processing activity.
* Primary node location: The location of the primary node.
* Related node location: The location of the related node.
* Data subjects involved: The data subject types whose personal data is being transferred from the primary node to the related node. Select Cell actions on this column to view the location and data elements for a specific data subject type.  
  Note:  
  This field appears only when you add Sends data to or Received data from relationship types. A privacy admin can extend this behavior to other relationship types by modifying the sn_privacy.relationship_involving_data_subjects system property. For steps, see [Configure data subject selection in hierarchy relationships](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/USQYCWn6dH71~3wNMOBODg "Enable data subject selection in custom relationship types by configuring the sn_privacy.relationship_involving_data_subjects system property.").
* Description: A description of the relationship.
{#hierarchy-tab__ul_ajr_txx_43c}
**Related concepts**   

* [Manage data transfers](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/O6qxLjKbefYDv11GWBn99w "Organizations often transfer personal data between applications, vendors, business units, and regions, which are subject to privacy regulations. Privacy Management captures each movement as a data transfer record on the processing activity to help you comply with privacy regulations.")