Operational data

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated December 5, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Operational data

    This module enables ServiceNow customers to configure foundational organizational elements such as departments, locations, users, groups, and roles. Proper setup of these operational data components is essential to establish structured access control and organizational management within your ServiceNow environment.

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    Departments

    Manage department details including name, ID, head, primary contact, and an optional description. You can add or modify individual departments or perform bulk uploads via Excel templates to efficiently import multiple records. The interface provides options to save and continue adding departments or return to the department list.

    Locations

    Store and manage addresses and contact details for your organization’s locations. Key data fields include name, contact info, street, phone, fax, city, state/province, parent location (for hierarchical structuring), postal code, latitude, longitude, and country. Both individual entry and bulk upload via Excel are supported, with mandatory fields clearly indicated.

    Users

    Maintain user records with job titles and assign them to groups for streamlined access control. You can add or modify users individually or import multiple users through bulk Excel uploads. Role assignments can be managed by selecting users and using the Assign roles modal, facilitating efficient permission management.

    Groups

    Organize users into groups and assign roles to these groups to manage access permissions effectively. Groups can be added or modified individually or imported in bulk via Excel templates. This organization supports scalable and manageable user permission structures.

    Roles Assignment

    View the list of existing roles that define access permissions for users and groups. Note that roles cannot be modified or created within this interface, ensuring role integrity. Assigning roles leverages smart defaults to simplify permission management.

    Key Outcomes

    • Establish a structured organizational hierarchy with departments and locations.
    • Efficiently manage user and group data to support access control and collaboration.
    • Utilize bulk upload functionality to accelerate data entry and reduce manual effort.
    • Ensure consistent role-based access control through predefined roles and streamlined assignment processes.

    Configure departments, locations, users, groups, and roles to establish the foundation for your ServiceNow implementation.

    Departments

    Manage and organize department details. On selecting Departments under Operational data, a list of existing departments shows up. You can modify an existing department by selecting it from the list. Select Add a department to individually add a new department.

    Image showing departments

    Field Description
    Name Name of the department
    Department head Name of the department head
    ID ID of the department
    Primary contact Primary contact of the department
    Description Optional description of the department
    You also have an option of Bulk upload to add more than one departments from an excel. If you select Bulk upload from the dropdown menu, you get the option of creating the Excel template and uploading the sheet where the department records are saved.

    Select Save to save the recent department settings and redirect you to the list of existing departments. Select Save & add more to save the current department settings and reloads the Add a department form.

    Locations

    Store your address and contact details for all locations. On selecting Locations under Operational data, a list of existing locations shows up. You can modify an existing location by selecting it from the list. Select Add a location to individually add a new location.

    Image showing locations

    Field Description
    Name Name of the location
    Contact Contact information of the location
    Street Street name or number of the location
    Phone Contact number of the location
    Fax phone Fax contact number of the location
    City Name of the city of the location
    State/Province Name of the state or province of the location
    Parent Define parent location to manage multi-level location definition.
    Zip/Postal Code Zip or postal code of the location
    Latitude Exact latitude geo location
    Longitude Exact longitude geo location
    Country Name of the country of the location
    Note:
    The fields that are marked with asterisks are mandatory.
    You also have an option of Bulk upload to add more than one location from an excel sheet. If you select Bulk upload from the dropdown menu, you get the option of creating the Excel template and uploading the sheet where the location records are saved.

    Select Save to save the recent location details and redirect you to the list of existing locations. Select Save & add more to save the current location details and reloads the Add a location form.

    Users

    Add and manage users with job titles, then assign groups for simplified access control. On selecting Users under Operational data, a list of existing users shows up. You can modify an existing user by selecting it from the list. Select Add a user to individually add a new user.

    If you select the checkmark next to an existing user, the Assign roles option is enabled. The Assign roles & users modal shows up on the right panel.

    Image showing users

    You also have an option of Bulk upload to add more than one user from an excel. If you select Bulk upload from the dropdown menu, you get the option of creating the Excel template and uploading the sheet where the user records are saved.

    Select Save to save the recent user details and redirect you to the list of existing users. Select Save & add more to save the current user details and reloads the Add a user form.

    Groups

    Use Groups to organize users and assign roles. On selecting Groups under Operational data, a list of existing groups shows up. You can modify an existing group by selecting it from the list. Select Add a group to individually add a new group.

    You also have an option of Bulk upload to add more than one group from an excel. If you select Bulk upload from the dropdown menu, you get the option of creating the Excel template and uploading the sheet where the group records are saved.

    Select Save to save the recent user details and redirect you to the list of existing groups. Select Save & add more to save the current group details and reloads the Add a group form.

    Roles assignment

    Define roles for users and groups to control access permissions, leveraging smart defaults. On selecting Roles assignment under Operational data, a list of existing roles shows up.

    Note:
    You can't modify the details of any existing role nor can you create a new role.