---
sourceDocument: Australia Platform Analytics
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/now-intelligence

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Platform Analytics

ft:clusterId :

    - par

bundleId :

    - par

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Categorization rule form

# Categorization rule form in Task Mining {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated August 26, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 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 Categorization rule form in Task Mining

The Categorization rule form in Task Mining enables ServiceNow customers to organize and contextualize workstation activity data by grouping similar activities under clear, user-friendly category names.
This grouping simplifies analysis by categorizing activities based on application usage, window titles, and URLs.
The rules have a set order that determines how data from applications and windows is presented in Task Mining dashboards.
Show full answer Show less  

## How to Define Rules

Rules are created or edited by building conditions that combine a field, an operator, and a value. Multiple conditions can be combined using logical operators (and/or) and can apply to the same field to tailor categorization precisely.

* **Condition Fields:** Application Name (e.g., ms-teams.exe), Window Name (window title), and URL.
* **Operators:** Equals (exact match), Contains (partial text match), Starts with, and Ends with.

## Rule Configuration Parameters

* **Rank:** Determines the order in which rules are applied. Lower ranks have higher priority.
* **Activity Type:** Defines how the activity is treated on dashboards with options including Productive (work applications), Nonproductive (private mode or private activities), Break (workstation locked), Off (workstation turned off), and Idle (inactive workstation during targeted recordings).
* **Category:** Specifies the work type related to the application. This field is required and should avoid using the "Other" category since it is reserved for uncategorized apps and typically excluded from dashboards.
* **Application Name:** A clear, unique name for the application linked to a single category to maintain data clarity.
* **Window Name:** Optional descriptive name for the activity, useful for masking personally identifiable information (PII) by replacing details with bracketed terms. If left blank, the workstation's window name is used.

## Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

By implementing categorization rules, customers can efficiently classify workstation activities, improving the accuracy and clarity of Task Mining dashboards. This enables better insights into productive versus nonproductive time, supports privacy requirements through PII masking, and helps prioritize data processing with rule ranking. Ultimately, this facilitates more effective analysis and decision-making regarding workstation usage and employee activity patterns.  
Organize and add context to your data by grouping similar workstation activities with user-friendly category names. Categorization rules have a fixed order value that determines how information from apps and windows is shown on
an analysis.
For information about categorization, see [Categorize workstation activities to simplify analysis](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/dzFsVpKEA_lVCR94o4cFeg "Organize and add context to your data by grouping similar workstation activities with user-friendly category names.").

You build the conditions for a rule in the Conditions section of the Create rule or Edit rule panel. A condition is a combination of a field, an operator, and a
value. Combine conditions with and and or logic, and apply more than one condition to the same field.
{#categorization-rules__table_w2w_5ch_jkc__entry__2}

| Field | Description |
|-|-|
| Application Name | Matches the file name of the application, for example, ms-teams.exe. |
| Window Name | Matches the window title captured for the activity. |
| URL | Matches the URL captured for the activity. |
[Table 1. Condition fields]

{#categorization-rules__table_w2w_5ch_jkc} {#categorization-rules__table_x2w_5ch_jkc__entry__2}

| Operator | Description |
|-|-|
| Equals | The activity value matches the entered value exactly. |
| Contains | The activity value contains the entered value anywhere in the text. |
| Starts with | The activity value begins with the entered value. |
| Ends with | The activity value ends with the entered value. |
[Table 2. Operators]

{#categorization-rules__table_x2w_5ch_jkc} {#categorization-rules__table_y2k_vdx_tcc__entry__2}

| Field | Description |
|-|-|
| Rank | Order that determines when the rule applies relative to other rules. A lower rank applies first. Required. |
| Activity | Determines how usage of apps and windows is shown on dashboards. Defines whether the activity is work related or other. Required. The available options are: * Productive: Used for work applications. Leave the Activity as Productive for most work. * Nonproductive: Used when the agent is in private mode or when activities are defined as private. * Break: Used when the workstation is locked. * Off: Used when the workstation is turned off. * Idle: Used for time recorded during targeted recordings when the agent is running but the workstation is inactive. {#categorization-rules__ul_vc3_kbn_52c} |
| Category | The type of work that the application is related to. Required. Don't use the Other category. The Other category is used by the MAX rule and represents uncategorized apps that don't match any rule. By default, this uncategorized activities don't appear in dashboards. |
| Application | An intuitive name for the application. Required. An application name should be associated with only one category to keep the data clear. |
| Window name | A name to describe the activity. Optional. A value can be used to mask PII. For example, you can use \[\] to mask and replace with the term used in brackets. If this field is empty, the window name from the workstation is used. |
[Table 3. Rule categories]

{#categorization-rules__table_y2k_vdx_tcc}