Configuring ServiceNow SQL API ODBC Driver on Client Machine

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read

    • Configure connection settings for the installed ODBC driver including server URL and authentication credentials to enable data access from BI tools to your ServiceNow instance.

    Before you begin

    Role required: admin
    • The ServiceNow SQL API ODBC driver must be installed on the client machine.
    • You must have valid ServiceNow credentials for a Service Account with the sn_odbc_rest_access role.
    • Your client machine's IP address must be included in the IP filter criteria configured on the ServiceNow instance.
    • You must know your ServiceNow instance URL.

    About this task

    After installing the ServiceNow SQL API ODBC driver on your client machine, you must configure the connection settings to establish a secure connection to your ServiceNow instance. This configuration enables your BI tools and analytics platforms to query ServiceNow data through the ODBC interface.

    The ODBC driver uses standard authentication and requires you to specify your instance URL, Service Account credentials, and connection parameters. Once configured, you can test the connection to verify that your client machine can successfully communicate with the ServiceNow SQL API.

    Procedure

    1. Open the ODBC Data Source Administrator on your Windows machine.
      • On Windows 10 or Windows 11, search for ODBC Data Sources in the Start menu.
      • Alternatively, navigate to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > ODBC Data Sources.
    2. Select the appropriate tab for your data source scope.
      • Select the User DSN tab to create a data source available only to the current user.
      • Select the System DSN tab to create a data source available to all users on the machine.
    3. Click Add to create a new data source.
    4. In the Create New Data Source dialog, select ServiceNow SQL API - ODBC Driver from the list and click Finish.
    5. In the ServiceNow ODBC Driver Configuration dialog, configure the following connection settings:
      1. In the Data Source Name field, enter a descriptive name for this connection.

        Example: ServiceNow Production or ServiceNow Dev Instance

      2. In the Description field, optionally enter a description of the data source.
      3. In the Server field, enter your ServiceNow instance URL.

        Example: https://yourinstance.service-now.com

        Note:
        Do not include a trailing slash in the URL.
      4. In the User field, enter the User ID of the Service Account configured for SQL API access.

        This must be a non-interactive (Machine) user account with the sn_odbc_rest_access role assigned.

      5. In the Password field, enter the password for the Service Account.
    6. Configure advanced connection options if required.

      Most configurations can use the default settings. Advanced options may include connection timeout values, SSL verification settings, and query performance parameters.

    7. Click Test Connection to verify that the ODBC driver can successfully connect to your ServiceNow instance.

      If the test is successful, you will see a confirmation message indicating that the connection was established.

      If the test fails, verify the following:

      • The instance URL is correct and accessible from your network.
      • The Service Account credentials are valid.
      • The Service Account has the sn_odbc_rest_access role assigned.
      • Your client machine's IP address is included in the SQL API IP filter criteria.
      • Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is disabled for the Service Account.
    8. Click OK to save the data source configuration.
    9. Click OK again to close the ODBC Data Source Administrator.

    Result

    The ServiceNow SQL API ODBC driver is now configured on your client machine. Your BI tools and analytics platforms can use this ODBC data source to connect to ServiceNow and query authorized tables. The connection will authenticate using the Service Account credentials you configured and will respect all Access Control List (ACL) rules defined on your ServiceNow instance.

    You can now connect your ODBC-compatible applications, such as Power BI, Tableau, or Excel, to this data source to access your ServiceNow data.