Configurations

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

    The Configurations page in the Clone Admin Console allows ServiceNow customers to efficiently manage instance cloning by configuring clone instances and creating reusable clone profiles. This unified interface helps you request, configure, and monitor clones across your environments, providing visibility into clone instances and profiles within your instance.

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    Key Features

    • Exclusions: Manage tables that should not be copied during cloning. Excluded tables remain empty but functional on the target instance, helping you control which data is cloned.
    • Preservers: Protect specific data on the target instance from being overwritten during cloning. Note that unpublished custom applications and their data require manual preservation.
    • Cleanup Scripts: Automate post-clone tasks by running scripts on the target instance after cloning completes. This facilitates adjustments to settings or data modifications automatically.
    • Clone Instances: View and manage all registered instances and their URLs used as clone sources or targets. You can add non-production instances to this list for cloning purposes.
    • Multi-Instance View: Access consolidated information on clone activity, last clone timestamps, and enhanced management features across all instances, offering a comprehensive view of cloning operations in your environment.
    • Clone Profiles: Create and store predefined clone configurations—including exclusions, preservers, and cleanup scripts—for reuse. This ensures consistent cloning outcomes and simplifies clone requests. The default System Profile is provided and cannot be modified, but you can create and edit multiple custom profiles as needed.

    Practical Benefits

    By leveraging these configuration options, you can tailor cloning operations to protect sensitive or critical data, automate necessary adjustments after cloning, and maintain consistency across multiple clones. The ability to manage multiple instances and profiles from a centralized console streamlines the cloning process and improves operational efficiency.

    ServiceNow customers can confidently use these features to optimize how instance cloning fits their organizational needs, reduce manual effort, and ensure reliable, repeatable clone outcomes.

    Use the configurations page to configure clone instances or create clone profiles.

    Before you begin
    • You can add external email addresses to receive clone notifications.
    • Some default items can't be removed from the exclusions, preservers, or scripts list.

    Configurations overview

    The Clone Admin Console provides a unified interface to configure, request, and monitor instance clones across your environments. The overview page displays the current number of clone instances and clone profiles in your instance.

    The Configurations tab includes the following key areas:

    • Overview: Summary of clone instances and clone profiles
    • Exclusions: Manage tables that are not copied during a clone
    • Preservers: Protect data on the target instance from being overwritten
    • Cleanup scripts: Automate post-clone tasks and adjustments
    • Clone profiles: Store predefined clone options for reuse
    • Clone instances: View registered instances and their URLs
    • Multi-Instance View: Consolidated information across all instances

    Exclusions

    Exclusions are tables that are not copied during a clone. Excluding a table results in an empty but usable table on the target instance after the clone. You can view and manage all exclusions from the Exclusions page.

    Preservers

    Preservers protect data on the target instance from being overwritten. Unpublished custom applications and their data must be manually preserved. You can view and manage all preservers from the Preservers page.

    Cleanup scripts

    Cleanup scripts automatically run on the target instance after the cloning process finishes. Use cleanup scripts to adjust settings, modify data, or automate other post-clone tasks.

    Clone instances

    The clone instances page displays all available instances and their URLs which can be used within instance clone. You can use instances added to this list as a clone source or clone target for your clones. To add your non-production instance to your clone instances list, select New.

    Multi-Instance View

    Multi-Instance View unlocks consolidated information showing clone activity across all instances, last clone timestamps, and enhanced management features. This provides a unified perspective of your cloning operations across your environment.

    Clone profiles

    Clone profiles enable you to store predefined clone options, including preservers, exclusions and cleanup scripts. These can then be applied to your clone request depending on your desired outcome. The clone profiles page displays all available profiles. Clone profiles are customizable templates for clones and can be saved and reused to achieve consistent outcomes with each of your clones. To learn more about Clone Profiles, see Create a custom clone profile.

    The profile, System Profile is available by default and can't be modified. Custom profiles use the default Exclusions, Preservers, and Scripts from the System Profile. When creating a custom profile, all existing custom exclusions and preservers are automatically added.

    You can create as many custom clone profiles as you'd like and edit them as needed. To change the definitions of a clone profile, such as exclusions, preservers or cleanup scripts, select the number under the definition and select the Edit button on the page.