Workflows in Flow Designer

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Workflows in Flow Designer

    The Telecommunications Network Inventory (TNI) capabilities within Flow Designer enable automation of the network inventory design and assign processes. ServiceNow customers can leverage a dedicated function catalog and reusable subflows to efficiently create, update, and retrieve configuration items (CIs) and related connections in their telecommunications network inventory.

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    Key Features

    • Telecommunications Network Inventory Function Catalog: Provides categorized functions to automate actions such as creating telco equipment, adding interface cards, and managing logical and physical connections. Functions include creation, search, read, update, and helper utilities, streamlining inventory data operations.
    • Workflow Studio Integration: These functions are accessible as Workflow Studio actions under the Network Inventory Advanced option, enabling customers to automate repetitive tasks like creating logical connections within workflows.
    • Subflows for Design and Assign Process: Prebuilt subflows support creation of logical and physical connections by accepting inputs and outputs for flexible data handling. Customers can customize subflows by adding fields as needed, enhancing workflow modularity and reuse.

    Key Outcomes

    • Automates complex inventory management tasks, reducing manual effort and errors in telco network design and assignment.
    • Improves workflow efficiency by reusing standard functions and subflows, accelerating deployment of network inventory changes.
    • Provides a structured, extensible approach to managing telecommunications configuration items and connections within ServiceNow’s Flow Designer environment.

    By using the Telecommunications Network Inventory function catalog and subflows, you can access the functions that help you to automate the network inventory's design and assign process.

    Telecommunications Network Inventory function catalog

    You can use the Telecommunications Network Inventory functions to create, update, and retrieve a configuration item (CI) while you’re performing the Design and Assign process. For example, you can do the following actions:
    • Create telco equipment
    • Add an interface card
    The following table lists the Telecommunications Network Inventory functions that are categorized by their functionality.
    Table 1. Telecommunications Network Inventory functions
    Function Type Function Name
    Create
    • TNI Create CI From Template
    • Create Logical Connection
    • Create Logical Interface
    • Create Physical Connection
    • Path Search
    Read
    • Allocate Free Number
    • Get Interface Summery
    • Lookup Next Hub
    Update Cascade Update
    Helper function
    • Split String
    • Get Index From Array

    To learn more about the network inventory functions, see Telecommunications Network Inventory function catalog.

    The following example shows the functions that are available in the Workflow Studio action library under the Network Inventory Advanced option. You can use these functions to perform the inventory-related data operations.
    Figure 1. Network Inventory Function Catalog Location
    Infographic displaying all default options of Network Inventory Advanced.

    You can also use these functions as Workflow Studio actions in the Telecommunications Network Inventory workflow because the Design and Assign is a series of actions. The reusable Workflow Studio actions can automate repetitive work, such as creating a logical connection in the workflow. To learn more about Workflow Studio actions, see Flow Designer.

    Telecommunications Network Inventory subflows

    In Workflow Studio, you can give the inputs and outputs to pass the data to and from the subflow while you’re performing the Design and Assign process. If necessary, you can add more fields in the subflows. To learn more about working with the subflows, see Building subflows. To learn more about the Workflow Studio, see Flow Designer.

    The Telecommunications Network Inventory application has the following subflows:
    Logical Connection Creation
    Creates a logical connection record in the Telecommunications Network Inventory application based on the input that you receive when you instantiate an inventory. To learn more, see Logical Connection Creation subflow.
    Physical Connection Creation
    Creates a physical connection record in the Telecommunications Network Inventory application based on the input that you receive when you instantiate an inventory. To learn more, see Physical connection creation subflow.
    The following example shows the subflows that are available in the Workflow Studio action library under the Network Inventory Advanced option. You can use these functions to perform the inventory-related data operations.
    Figure 2. Network Inventory Subflow Location

    Infographic displaying all default options of network inventory subflows in the Flow Designer action library.