Building applications

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Building Applications

    This guide provides a step-by-step approach for ServiceNow customers to become application developers using the ServiceNow AI Platform's low-code tools. The process enables modernization of legacy processes through reusable components and published applications. It outlines five essential phases: planning, developing, testing, deploying, and maintaining applications.

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    Key Features

    • Planning: Identify application goals, target users, data sources, and necessary access controls.
    • Development: Configure data storage through tables, design user experiences, implement logic and automation, and set up security measures.
    • Testing: Validate functionality through record operations and UI elements to ensure business requirements are met.
    • Deployment: Utilize builder tools for transferring applications to the production environment.
    • Maintenance: Regularly update and test applications to ensure continued functionality.

    Key Outcomes

    By following this structured approach, ServiceNow customers can effectively create applications tailored to their business needs, enhance user experience, and maintain optimal performance throughout the application lifecycle. This empowers organizations to leverage low-code development for quick and efficient solutions.

    Learn how to become an application developer using ServiceNow AI Platform low-code tools. Start with what you know and use a library of reusable components and published applications to modernize your legacy processes.

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    App development phases

    Learning about creating applications

    Decide whether you want to build a new application or extend an existing application. Check the ServiceNow Store and the ServiceNow Community for existing solutions.

    Before building your first application, you may want to learn some basic information about application development. This phase is optional, and you can complete it at any time while you work on other phases.

    Phase 1: Planning your application
    The application development process starts with planning. Consider how the application will work, who will use it, and how it will improve your users' experience. Your application plan should answer the following questions:
    • What are the goals, objectives, and outputs of your application?
    • Who uses your application?
    • Who has access to parts of the application?
    • What tasks do people complete with your application?
    • Where does the data come from?
    • How do people interact with your application?
    • What processes must the application support?
    • What UI experience does the application use?
    • Is there an existing application available on the ServiceNow Store or the ServiceNow Community that you can use or extend?
    • What subscriptions does your application require?
    Phase 2: Developing your application
    During the development phase, you add the components and content of your application. Most applications consist of the following:
    Data
    Information is stored in your application via tables that you configure. For example, employee phone numbers or office locations.
    Experience
    Experiences are graphical interfaces that your users interact with. For example, you can create a portal where users find information, submit requests, or complete business tasks.
    Logic and automation
    Automate all the work in your application by adding logic and automation. For example, you can build a flow that sends a notification to the admin when someone makes a request.
    Security
    Configure roles and access controls to limit who can use your application. For example, you can restrict access to application data to users who have a specific role.

    Choose a builder that matches the type of user experience that your application provides.

    Phase 3: Testing and debugging your application
    Verify that the application meets your business requirements. Your testing should cover the following elements:
    • Record operations, such as create, read, update, and delete.
    • User interface elements, such as views and UI policies.
    • Runtime operations, such as business rules and event script actions.
    Phase 4: Deploying your application

    After successfully testing an application, deploy it to your production environment with your builder tool.

    Phase 5: Maintaining your application

    Use your Phase 2 builder tool to update and modify your application. Use your Phase 3 testing tool to verify that your application still functions properly.

    Applications and features