---
sourceDocument: Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Administration
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/platform-administration

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Administration

ft:clusterId :

    - platadm

bundleId :

    - platadm

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Preserving data from target instances during clones

# Preserving data from target instances during clones {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated September 10, 2026  
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## Summary of Preserving data from target instances during clones

Data preservers in ServiceNow enable you to protect specific data on a target instance during the cloning process, preventing it from being overwritten.
This is essential when cloning instances with custom configurations or critical data, such as MID Server information.
However, unpublished application content must be preserved manually, as data preservers do not cover this.
Show full answer Show less  

## Key Features

* **Data Preservers Definition:** Must be configured on the *source* instance to be effective; defining them on the target instance has no effect.
* **Typical Use Cases:** Protect system settings and UI elements like authentication settings, bookmarks, recent selections, and user preferences.
* **Table Preservation:** Preserving a parent table also preserves its child tables, except for MariaDB clones where child tables must be added manually.
* **Limitations:** Data preservers are not suited for large data sets such as users, groups, and roles. For these, export and import via files are recommended.
* **Multi-SSO Integration:** When Multiple Provider Single Sign-On is enabled, the system automatically creates necessary data preservers for specific tables related to certificates, instance properties, digest properties, identity providers, and SAML2 properties. These preservers should generally not be modified or partially removed to avoid clone errors.
* **Unpublished Applications:** Cannot be preserved via data preservers. Developers must manually manage unpublished app versions, as cloning only copies the installed app version from the source instance. If absent on the source, the app is removed from the target instance.

## Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

When planning to clone instances, especially those with custom apps or sensitive configuration data, you should:

* Define necessary data preservers on the source instance before cloning to protect critical settings and data.
* Avoid relying on data preservers for large data transfers; instead, use export/import strategies for bulk user and group data.
* Allow the system to handle Multi-SSO related data preservers automatically and avoid manual changes to prevent cloning failures.
* Coordinate with application developers to manually preserve unpublished applications to maintain development continuity post-clone.

Following these practices ensures a smoother cloning process that safeguards essential data and configurations, minimizing post-clone manual corrections and downtime.  
You can use data preservers to protect data on the target instance from being
overwritten. If you have custom applications, you must also manually preserve unpublished
application content.

## Data preservers {#data-preservation__section_bkt_swj_t1b}

Sometimes, it is necessary to preserve some data on an instance targeted for cloning. For example, if the target is a MID Server, you must not overwrite the MID Server \[ecc_agent\] table. Preserved data is reapplied to the target instance after exclusions are completed.  
Warning:  
You must define data preservers on the source instance. Defining them on the target instance does not preserve the data.  
Data preservers typically preserve system settings and themes, such as:

* Instance-specific authentication settings
* Bookmark \[sys_ui_bookmark\]
* Recent Selection \[sys_ui_recent_selection\]
* User Preference \[sys_user_preference\]

{#data-preservation__ul_z14_zps_yfb}  
Note:  
A clone does not support preserving data from a database view.

Preserving a parent table also preserves all of its child tables. For clones between MariaDB instances, child tables aren't automatically preserved and must be manually added to the preserver list.

Don't use data preservers to transfer large sets of data, such as user groups. If you must preserve table data, such as users, groups, and roles, consider exporting the records to a file and importing
them after cloning.

## Data preservers for Multi-SSO {#data-preservation__section_zwz_swj_t1b}

The system automatically creates the necessary data preservers for cloning when you activate Multiple Provider Single Sign-On integration.{#data-preservation__section_zwz_swj_t1b__entry__3}

| Name | Table | Conditions |
|-|-|-|
| Certificate | X.509 Certificates \[sys_certificate\] | None |
| Core Instance Properties | System Property \[sys_properties\] | * \[OR\] \[Name\] \[is one of\] \[glide.authenticate.external, glide.authenticate.external.logout_redirect\] * \[OR\] \[Name\] \[starts with\] \[com.snc.integration.saml_esig\] * \[OR\] \[Name\] \[is one of\] \[glide.smtp.port, glide.smtp.auth, glide.smtp.encryption\] * \[OR\] \[Name\] \[starts with\] \[glide.authenticate.multisso\] * \[OR\] \[Name\] \[is\] \[glide.authenticate.sso.redirect.idp\] {#data-preservation__ul_ix2_p1n_q5} Note: The properties glide.smtp.port, glide.smtp.auth, and glide.smtp.encryption are deprecated. |
| Digest Properties | Digest Properties \[digest_properties\] | None |
| Identity Providers | Identity Providers \[sso_properties\] | None |
| SAML2 Update1 Properties | SAML2 Update1 Properties \[saml2_update1_properties\] | None |
[ ]

Note:  
Although you can modify these data preservers, it is good practice not to. The Digest Properties \[digest_properties\], Identity Providers \[sso_properties\], and SAML2 Update1 Properties \[saml2_update1_properties\] tables are required for multiple source, single sign-on (SSO) to function properly. If multiple source, single sign-on is disabled on the target instance, you can safely remove all three data preservers. Remove them at the same time, as the system terminates the clone with an error message when you attempt to clone with one or two of these tables being preserved.

## Preservation of unpublished applications {#data-preservation__section_ijw_wrn_z1b}

You can't use data preservers to save unpublished applications. Instead, application developers must choose how they want to preserve unpublished applications.

The cloning process does not preserve version differences for applications in development. Instead, the system clone only copies the application version installed on the source instance onto the target instance. If the target
instance had a development version of the same application, the application is editable after the clone, but maintains the version installed on the source instance. If the application was missing from the source instance, the
cloning process deletes the application from the target instance.