SLA duration types

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of SLA duration types

    ServiceNow allows you to define the length of time a task SLA must be completed before it breaches by selecting one of two SLA duration types:user-specified durationorrelative duration. These duration types work in conjunction with SLA schedules if defined, enabling precise control over SLA breach timing based on business hours or custom logic.

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    Key Features

    • User-specified duration: This is a static duration period defined in days, hours, minutes, and seconds. It works with a business schedule to calculate breach times using 24-hour blocks. For example, a duration of 10 hours starting at 10:30 am results in a breach at 8:30 pm the same day if no schedule is applied. An example breach time message is shown on the SLA form to help understand breach calculations.
    • Relative duration: This duration is script-based and defined relative to the task SLA start time. Common options include “Breach on Due Date,” “End of next business day,” or “Next business day by 4pm.” You specify whether the calculation uses the task record or SLA record context. No example breach time message is displayed for relative durations.
    • Schedule integration: Both duration types can respect business schedules. For instance, a 16-hour user-specified duration with an 8-5 weekday schedule breaches after two business days. When relative durations are used with schedules, breach times adjust to the next available business hours if the target time falls outside the schedule.
    • Limitations: Pause conditions are incompatible with relative durations.

    Practical Usage

    • Use user-specified durations for straightforward SLA timings based on fixed periods aligned to business hours.
    • Use relative durations for more dynamic SLA timings that depend on task-specific fields such as Due Date or target date/time, especially when breach timing should align with business days or specific times.
    • Specify the relevant record context (Task or SLA) when using relative durations to ensure correct calculation.
    • Be aware that if the Due Date is empty, in the past, or outside business hours, the breach time adjusts accordingly to maintain SLA accuracy.

    You can select one of two SLA duration types to define the length of time within which a task must be completed before the SLA is breached.

    If an SLA schedule is defined, the duration works along with the schedule. In a user-specific duration, you can choose to specify the length of time that an SLA must run before it is marked as breached. Relative durations specify durations that are relative to the start time of the task SLA and are defined using a script.

    When you define an SLA, you can select either a user specified duration or a relative duration.
    User specified duration
    Specifies a static duration period, such as 8 hours, along with a business schedule. The Duration field is displayed, enabling you to specify the length of time in days, hours, minutes, and seconds that the SLA must run before it is marked as breached. The number of days specified in the Duration field is converted to 24- hour blocks.

    Each time that you set a duration, an example breach time information message is displayed at the top of the form. This information assists you in understanding how the breach date is calculated. For example, if the current date is January 1, 2015, the time is 10:30 am, and the duration is set to 10 hours and no schedule has been selected, the following information message is displayed: An SLA starting now will end breach on 2015-01-01 20:30 (Actual elapsed time: 10 Hours).

    Relative duration
    Specifies a duration relative to the start time of the task SLA and is defined using a script. For example, you can select a relative duration such as Breach on Due Date, End of next business day or Next business day by 4pm. The set of relative durations is defined in the core configuration using script-based duration calculations.
    Note:
    Pause conditions are not compatible with relative durations.
    You can use a relative duration within the Service Level Management application in the following ways:
    • Specify a relative duration.
    • Relative duration usage scenarios.
    Specify a relative duration
    To specify a relative duration, select an option such as Next business day by 4pm or End of next business day from the list of available relative durations in the Duration type field.
    When you select a relative duration such as Next business day by 4pm, the Relative duration works on field appears. You can specify the record that the relative duration should be calculated for. You can select to use Task record or SLA record and the record you select is available as current for the relative duration script.
    Note:
    If a relative duration is selected, the example breach date information message is not displayed.

    If your task record has a target date and time field, you can create an SLA with a relative duration based on that field.

    Relative duration usage scenarios
    If a schedule is selected in the SLA definition, the SLA duration works with the SLA schedule. For example, an SLA might have a user-specified duration of 16 hours with the schedule as 8-5 weekdays. If this SLA starts to run for a task at 8:00, it breaches at 16:00. The breach time is calculated from the schedule that defines working time as eight hours per day from Monday to Friday. So the 16-hours duration equates to two days later in the schedule.

    The Breach on Due Date sets the breach time of the SLA to the date and time from the Due Date field of the task that the SLA is attached to.

    If the Due Date field is empty or occurred in the past, the breach time of the task SLA is calculated to be one second ahead of the task SLA start time. If the date and time in the Due Date field is outside the schedule for the task SLA, the breach time is set to the next available scheduled time. For example, if the SLA definition specifies a task SLA schedule as 08:00-16:00 and the value in the Due Date field is Wednesday 11th Jan 2017 20:30, the breach time is set to Thursday 12th 2017 Jan 08:00.

    If your task record has a target date and time field, you can create an SLA with a relative duration based on that field.