--- 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 --- # Creating multiple connectors of the same type # Creating multiple external content connectors of the same type {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated May 29, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 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 Creating multiple external content connectors of the same type ServiceNow AI Platform® allows administrators to create multiple external content connectors of the same type within a single instance. These connectors can crawl different source systems or the same source system, with crawl scopes that may be distinct or overlapping. This capability enables flexible content ingestion from various or overlapping content repositories while managing indexing and permissions effectively. Show full answer Show less ## Supported Configurations * **Different source systems:** Multiple connectors of the same type crawl separate systems without overlapping content, avoiding duplication. * **Same source system, distinct scopes:** Connectors crawl different subsets of the same source system, with no shared crawl locations, preventing duplication. * **Same source system, overlapping scopes:** Connectors crawl some common sites in the source system, potentially retrieving overlapping content from shared sites. ## Behavior Notes * All connectors of the same type feed retrieved content into a single shared indexed source, consolidating search results. * During indexing, duplicate items retrieved by multiple connectors are deduplicated to ensure single copies appear in search results. * User permissions are managed individually per connector; each requires a separate user permission crawl to populate security principals. * Crawl jobs for connectors of the same type run in parallel if system resources allow; otherwise, they execute sequentially. * The item crawl limit (one million items) applies independently to each connector of the same type. ## Considerations for Parallel Execution * **Increased request load:** Running multiple connectors crawling the same source system in parallel may increase request rates, potentially triggering rate limits on the source system. * **Indexed source contention:** Parallel crawl jobs feeding content into the shared indexed source may experience contention, reducing retrieval throughput. ## Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers By creating multiple external content connectors of the same type, customers can tailor crawl scopes across various content repositories or segments within the same system to optimize content ingestion. They should plan user permission crawls per connector and monitor system resource availability to balance crawl performance and source system limits. Understanding deduplication and indexing behavior ensures efficient, non-redundant search results across content sources. Admins can create multiple external content connectors of the same type on a single ServiceNow AI Platform® instance. These connectors can crawl different source systems or the same source system. Connectors that crawl the same source system can include overlapping crawl locations. ## Supported configurations {#creating-multiple-external-content-connectors__section_nl1_1fx_3gc} The system supports these configurations for multiple external content connectors of the same type running on the same ServiceNow AI Platform instance. Multiple external content connectors of the same type that crawl different source systems : For example, one Microsoft SharePoint Online external content connector crawls sites 1A and 1B in source system 1, while a second Microsoft SharePoint Online external content connector crawls sites 2A and 2B in source system 2. The two external content connectors have no sites in common, so there's no duplication of retrieved content. Multiple external content connectors of the same type that crawl the same source system with distinct crawl scopes : For example, one Microsoft SharePoint Online external content connector crawls sites 1A and 1B in source system 1, while a second Microsoft SharePoint Online external content connector crawls sites 1C and 1D in source system 1. The two external content connectors have no sites in common, so there's no duplication of retrieved content. Multiple external content connectors of the same type that crawl the same source system with overlapping crawl scopes : For example, one Microsoft SharePoint Online external content connector crawls sites 1A and 1B in source system 1, while a second Microsoft SharePoint Online external content connector crawls sites 1B and 1C in source system 1. The two external content connectors have site 1B in common, so content from that site may be retrieved by both connectors. There's no duplication of retrieved content from the other sites. ## Behavior notes {#creating-multiple-external-content-connectors__section_xcv_dgx_3gc} When you create multiple external content connectors of the same type on the same ServiceNow AI Platform instance, they behave as described in the following list. All external content connectors of the same type feed their retrieved content to the same indexed source : In the previous examples, all content retrieved by either of the two Microsoft SharePoint Online external content connectors would be fed to the SharePoint Online indexed source. During indexing of crawled content, retrieved items are deduplicated across all external content connectors of the same type : As an example, if two different Microsoft SharePoint Online external content connectors both retrieve the same file from the same site, only one copy of the retrieved file is indexed and appears in your search results. User permissions are specific to an individual external content connector, not shared between all external content connectors of the same type : Admins need to run a separate user permission crawl for each external content connector of the same type. In the preceding examples, each Microsoft SharePoint Online external content connector requires its own user permission crawl. Running a user permission crawl for the first Microsoft SharePoint Online external content connector doesn't populate security principals for the second connector. The system executes crawl jobs for external content connectors of the same type in parallel if sufficient resources are available : If sufficient resources for parallel execution aren't available, the system executes the crawl jobs sequentially instead. The crawl limit of one million items applies separately to each external content connector of the same type : In the preceding examples, each individual Microsoft SharePoint Online external content connector can crawl up to one million items. ## Considerations for parallel execution {#creating-multiple-external-content-connectors__section_v4n_bfx_3gc} When creating multiple external content connectors of the same type on the same ServiceNow AI Platform instance, bear the following considerations in mind. Increased request load on source system : Creating multiple external content connectors that crawl the same source system in parallel can increase the rate at which requests are made to the source system. This may trigger rate-limit issues on the source system. Indexed source contention when running in parallel : Running crawl jobs for multiple external content connectors of the same type in parallel can cause contention when they send retrieved content to their shared indexed source. This contention may reduce the connectors' retrieval rate when their crawl jobs are run in parallel.