Access to KPI Composer

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated June 16, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Access to KPI Composer

    Access to KPI Composer in ServiceNow determines whether a user can create, edit, or only view KPI Composer projects, which projects they can access, and whether they can interact with underlying records or just the user interface. Access is controlled through user roles, responsibilities, and project sharing settings.

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    User Roles and Their Access Levels

    • KPI Composer Admin (snkpicomposer.admin or admin, paviewer): Has full access to all KPI Composer components and projects, including the ability to share projects, assign responsibilities, and link indicator and breakdown definitions with Performance Analytics entities.
    • KPI Composer User (snkpicomposer.user): Can only access projects they created or that are shared with them. They can edit design elements but cannot add Performance Analytics indicators or breakdowns. Access to more projects depends on assigned responsibilities or sharing.

    Responsibility for Projects

    Users assigned responsibility for a project can view and edit it, share it, and manage design elements similar to a KPI Composer user role. However, they cannot add Performance Analytics indicators or breakdowns. Responsibility is independent of roles and implies oversight and implementation duties. Responsible users are designated within project properties and can be assigned by any user with edit rights.

    Shared Project Access Levels

    • Edit Access: Grants the same capabilities as a responsible user or a KPI Composer user but does not require a specific role or imply project oversight responsibilities.
    • View Access: Allows users to read project details, use viewing utilities such as search and filter, and add journal entries but prohibits any changes to the project.

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    Understanding these access levels helps customers control who can create, modify, and oversee KPI Composer projects in their organization. Administrators can assign roles and responsibilities to ensure appropriate governance, while project sharing facilitates collaboration with controlled editing or viewing capabilities. This structure supports secure and efficient KPI design and management integrated with Performance Analytics.

    The level of access to KPI Composer determines whether a user can create, edit, or only view a KPI Composer project. It also determines which projects a user can access and whether they can access the underlying records or only the UI.

    Access to KPI Composer depends on the following things, singly or in combination:
    • User role
    • Responsibility
    • Access granted during sharing

    Role-based access

    An admin can grant a user the role of a KPI Composer admin or user. A KPI Composer admin has the same privileges as a ServiceNow AI Platform admin for KPI Composer. A KPI Composer user does not automatically have access to all projects and cannot associate indicator or breakdown definitions with actual Performance Analytics entities.
    Table 1. User roles for KPI Composer
    Role Contains Description
    sn_kpi_composer.admin or admin pa_viewer
    • Full access to all components of KPI Composer, including records.
    • Full access to all projects.
    • Can share or assign responsibility for projects.
    • Can associate indicator and breakdown definitions with Performance Analytics indicators and breakdowns.
    sn_kpi_composer.user None
    • Can access only projects that they have created.
    • Can share or assign responsibility for projects they create.
    • Can access only the design tabs, artifact properties, indicator definitions, and breakdown definitions of those projects.
    • Cannot add Performance Analytics indicators or breakdowns to the respective definitions.

    A user with this role may have access to more projects based on responsibility or on projects being shared with them.

    The appropriate Performance Analytics roles are also necessary to implement KPI Composer designs in Performance Analytics.

    Responsibility for projects

    A responsible user has the following access to the projects they are responsible for:
    • Can view and edit the projects.
    • Can share or assign responsibility for the projects.
    • Can access only the design tabs, artifact properties, indicator definitions, and breakdown definitions of those projects.
    • Cannot add Performance Analytics indicators or breakdowns to the respective definitions.

    This level of access is equivalent to what the sn_kpi_composer.user role grants. It is also equivalent to having a project shared with edit rights. Responsibility differs first in being independent of any role. The second difference is procedural, not technical: Responsible users are understood to be in charge of oversight and implementation of the project. Even the creator of a project is therefore not automatically responsible for it.

    Responsible users are named in the project properties. Any user with edit rights can name responsible users. For more information about naming responsible users, see Define properties for a project.

    Shared projects

    Any user with edit rights can share a project. When you share a project, you grant one of two levels of access:

    Edit access
    This level of access is technically the same as the access of a responsible user, or a user with the sn_kpi_composer.user role. The first difference is that no role is required. The second difference is that there is no implication of responsibility to oversee or implement the project.
    View access
    A user with view access can read the design tabs, artifact properties, indicator definitions, and breakdown definitions of the shared project. They can use all viewing utilities, like search and filter. However, they cannot change anything in the project. The only thing they can add is a journal entry.

    For more information, see Share a KPI Composer project.