--- sourceDocument: Australia IT Operations Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/it-operations-management Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia IT Operations Management ft:clusterId : - itom bundleId : - itom workflow : - Technology --- # Multi-source service mapping # Multi-source service mapping {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated March 12, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 4 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 Multi-source service mapping Multi-source service mapping in ServiceNow Australia release enables customers to create unified, comprehensive service maps by combining data from multiple discovery methods. This approach provides complete visibility into hybrid IT infrastructures by consolidating partial views from various data sources into a single authoritative service map. It addresses the complexity of managing services discovered through different methods, such as top-down discovery, tag-based mapping, machine learning, traffic analysis, manual maps, and dynamic CI groups. Show full answer Show less ## Supported Data Sources * **Discovered maps:** Using MID Server-driven horizontal or top-down discovery with patterns. * **Tag-based maps:** Cloud-native tags and asset metadata for cloud environments. * **ML-powered maps:** Machine learning discovery based on application fingerprints and processes. * **Traffic-based mapping:** Network traffic connections revealing communication patterns. * **Manual service maps:** Administrator-maintained static services created without automation, convertible to dynamic maps. * **Dynamic CI groups:** Query-based groupings based on CMDB relationships for technical service mapping. ## Key Benefits * **Complete visibility:** Broader, detailed insights across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments by combining complementary discovery methods. * **Reduced duplication:** Consolidates overlapping CIs into a single service map, eliminating redundant service definitions and establishing a single source of truth. * **Improved incident response:** Enables faster Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR) by providing unified views for service-level actions, minimizing duplicated work among teams. ## Use Cases * **Incident Management:** Prevents multiple teams from duplicating troubleshooting efforts by providing a complete dependency map. * **Change Management:** Enhances impact analysis by ensuring schema or configuration changes are visible across all relevant service maps. * **Reporting and Compliance:** Facilitates accurate SLA reporting through unified data, avoiding manual correlation from multiple maps. ## How It Works Service Mapping administrators create unified services via the Service Mapping workspace by selecting services (mapped or unmapped) from different sources to merge into a composite service. The system suggests top merge candidates based on a ranking algorithm. Unmapped services are converted into non-operational instances by default to avoid unintended discovery impacts, with options to convert them operational later. Unified service maps appear in a consolidated "Unified map" view within the CMDB Workspace. Administrators can edit unified services by adding or removing individual services but cannot unify already unified services. They can also delete unified services, retaining child services as non-operational by default. ## Getting Started * Ensure your ServiceNow instance runs Australia release (or later). * Install and update Service Mapping Plus to the latest version. * Have at least two existing services or data sources available to unify. * If no services exist, create them using supported discovery and mapping methods. This feature streamlines managing complex, hybrid IT service architectures by providing a single, authoritative service map that improves operational efficiency, incident handling, and compliance reporting. Multi-source service mapping combines data from multiple discovery methods to create a single, comprehensive service map that provides complete visibility into your organization's hybrid IT infrastructure. ## What is multi-source service mapping Multi-source service mapping enables you to create unified services. You can create unified services combining mapped and unmapped services from different data sources in your CMDB. Instead of managing separate service maps created through different discovery methods, you can add them into a single composite service that represents your organization's interconnected service architecture. This feature addresses the challenge of managing complex IT environments where a single service instance might be discovered through multiple methods, each providing partial visibility. For example, some components can be discovered through pattern-based top-down discovery, while others are more effectively identified through tag-based Service Mapping. Multi-source service mapping brings together data from all available sources to create a complete picture. ## Supported data sources Multi-source service mapping can combine data from the following sources: Discovered maps : Horizontal or top-down discovery that identifies configuration items (CI) and their connections using Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns. These methods involves running discovery using a MID Server. Tag-based maps : Services mapped using cloud-native tags and metadata from your asset management system. This method is effective for cloud environments where tags are used for organization and categorization. ML-powered maps : * Machine learning-based discovery that evaluates connections between application fingerprints, CIs, and processes. This method provides additional data through connections and processes discovered during monitoring. * Traffic-based mapping is based on network traffic connections between devices and applications. This method helps identify communication patterns and dependencies based on actual network behavior. {#multi-source-service-mapping__ul_q21_cps_d3c} Manual service maps : Manually selecting specific CIs without automation. By converting manual services to a dynamic application services, you can synchronize the manually created CI relationships into a Service Map view. These maps are maintained by administrators and are best fit for static services. For more information, see: [Convert legacy manual services to dynamic application services](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=convert-manual-app-ser-to-dynamic&version=australia&pubname=australia-servicenow-platform&ft:locale=en-US) Dynamic CI groups : Based on CMDB relationships, this query-based mapping can be used for mapping technical services grouped under a specific category. For example, all Linux servers in a certain location. ## Key benefits Multi-source service mapping offers several advantages for organizations managing complex, hybrid IT environments: Complete visibility : Your organization can gain broader and more detailed visibility of application dependencies across your entire infrastructure, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. Different discovery methods excel at finding different types of components, and combining them ensures that nothing is missed. Reduced duplication issues : Your organization can eliminate redundant service definitions by consolidating multiple partial views into a single authoritative service map. The same CIs often appear across different service maps, and unification removes this redundancy. By including unmapped services, the service maps reflect a single source of truth. Improved incident response : Service-level actions can improve Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR) and business outcomes compared to CI-level fixes, as teams work from a unified view rather than fragmented information. ## Use cases Multi-source service mapping is valuable in the following scenarios: Incident Management : When a single server appears in multiple separate service maps, its failure can trigger multiple teams to work on the same issue. A unified service map provides a complete dependency picture, reducing Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR) and helping to prevent duplicate work across teams. Change Management : When a database schema change is reflected in a single service map but not another, it increases the risk of unplanned outages. Multi-source mapping can promote visibility to all dependencies, enabling accurate analysis of impact across the entire service. Reporting and Compliance : A unified view enables more accurate statistics and reports for Service Level Agreement (SLA) compliance. Organizations can avoid manually correlating data from multiple separate service maps. ## Multi-source service-mapping workflows The multi-source service-mapping process follows these key phases: [Creating a unified service](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/kpdN8nGN5X2WusLy8Drxrw "Search for mapped and unmapped services to unify. The flow is available using the Service Mapping workspace.") : Service Mapping administrators can access this flow through the Service Mapping workspace. They can search for services based on properties related to the services, such as server tag, or UR and choose the services to unify. They can choose mapped and unmapped services from various types. For example, they can unify a top-down service with a tag-based service. Unmapped services can be added to the unified service and converted to mapped services along the process. A ranking algorithm suggests the top recommendations of services to merge, according to the criteria provided. Note: The feature supports unification of 10 services maximum, by default. Service Mapping administrators can change the limit using the sn_sm_scoped_app.sm.unified_services.max_children_per_service system property. After creating the unified service, the feature automatically transforms the selected unmapped services into non-operational service instances. This happens in order to prevent automatic discovery and impact on ITOM or ITSM processes. The Service Mapping administrator can choose to convert the services to operational using the Mapped application services list. When the process of creating the unified service is complete, the unified service map is displayed in the "Unified map" format through the CMDB Workspace. This view shows the complete consolidated service. [Editing the unified service](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/9WiADcIksqqjA00r5pJJqw "Add or remove services to update a unified service. The flow is available using the Service Mapping workspace.") : The Service Mapping administrator can add additional services from various types or remove a service if needed. The feature doesn't support unification of unified services, only single services. [Deleting the unified service](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/n0el88gxRLImk_MbKyRxJA "Delete a unified service using the Service Mapping workspace.") : The Service Mapping administrator can delete the unified service if needed. Child services remain non-operational by default. ## Getting Started To use multi-source service mapping, your ServiceNow instance must have the following setting. * At least Australia family version installed. * Service Mapping Plus installed and updated to the latest version. * At least two existing services to unify, or at least two sources of data that are actively updated. If there are no existing services on your instance, choose a method to create the services. For more information, see: [Choose the right method for discovering and mapping services](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/uppJX~ygOjGNmUJMz0JQ4w "Service Mapping deploys different methods for collecting information about configuration items (CIs) and organizing them into application services. The available mapping methods are: pattern-based, tag-based, traffic-based, and discovery based on Predictive Intelligence. Learn about the mapping methods to use the ones that best suit the needs of your organization.").