Service Catalog and CSDM tables

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Service Catalog and CSDM tables

    The Service Catalog in ServiceNow primarily manages business services within the Sell/Consume domain and interacts with CSDM (Common Service Data Model) tables to support multiple ServiceNow products. It oversees catalog items that generate requests managed through Request Management workflows, which may include automated, semi-automated, or manual approval processes and tasks. Catalog items are linked with service offerings, enabling tracking of request activities and supporting service portfolio management.

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    Key Features

    • Catalog Item Management: The Service Catalog manages the sccatitem table, which includes various catalog item types such as:
      • pchardwarecatitem for hardware asset requests integrated with Asset Management workflows.
      • pcsoftwarecatitem for software asset requests included in Asset Management workflows.
      • sccatitemproducer (Record Producer) for submitting requests or generating records outside Request Management, useful for services like HR, Facilities, or Legal.
    • CSDM Table Management: The Service Catalog manages and uses several CSDM tables:
      • Configuration Item tables (cmdbci)
      • Service Offering table (sccatitemsubscribe)
      • Application Service table (cmdbcidiscoveredservice)
      • Product Model tables (cmdbmodel)
    • Updated Relationships: Legacy CMDB relationship tables for catalog item access are deprecated. New relationships use user criteria tables to associate catalog items with users, groups, departments, locations, and companies, improving access management and security.
    • Integration with Other Products: The Service Catalog enhances several ServiceNow products by providing catalog item integration and visibility:
      • Service Portfolio Management: Links catalog items to service offerings for better service ownership and visibility.
      • Hardware and Software Asset Management: Enables ordering and tracking assets through the self-service catalog.
      • Human Resources (HR): Uses Record Producers to facilitate HR case creation, displayed across portals, mobile, and virtual agents.
      • Customer Service Management (CSM): Uses Record Producers for customer service case creation with visibility in self-service channels.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Streamlines service request fulfillment with automated workflows linked to catalog items.
    • Improves tracking and management of service offerings through catalog item associations.
    • Enhances user access and control by replacing legacy relationship tables with user criteria.
    • Supports cross-product integration, enabling better asset management, HR case handling, and customer service processes.
    • Facilitates broader visibility of service requests across portals and mobile platforms, improving user experience.

    Service Catalog manages and uses CSDM tables. Several ServiceNow products benefit from and add value to Service Catalog.

    CSDM tables managed by the Service Catalog

    The Service Catalog primarily manages business services in the Sell/Consume domain. Technical Services are also viewed from the Operate domain of Event Management.

    The Service Catalog manages the Catalog Item table [sc_cat_item]. The Catalog Item table creates requests in Request Management. The requests usually have an automated, semi-automated, or business workflow for fulfilling the request, which can consist of approvals and tasks. When part of Service Portfolio Management, the CIs are associated with service offerings. When you link a catalog item, you can track request activity for all catalog items associated with a service offering. An offering can have multiple catalog items.

    The CIs can include:
    • PC Hardware Item (pc_hardware_cat_item): Submits hardware asset requests included in Asset Management workflows.
    • PC Software Item (pc_software_cat_item): Submits software asset requests included in Asset Management workflows.
    • Record Producer (sc_cat_item_producer): Submits requests or generates records other than Request Management tables for services that aren't serviced by Request Management (for example, HR Cases, Facilities Requests, or Legal Requests).
    Figure 1. CSDM tables managed by the Service Catalog

    CSDM tables managed by Request Catalog.

    CSDM tables used by the Service Catalog

    1. Configuration Item tables [cmdb_ci*]
    2. Service Offering table [sc_cat_item_subscribe]
    3. Application Service table [cmdb_ci_discovered_service]
    4. Product Model tables [cmdb_model]
      Note:
      The following legacy CMDB relationships that once provided access to catalog items are no longer supported. To provide access, use the new relationships listed in the table.
      Table 1. Relationship tables
      CMDB table Catalog item relationship table New relationship to use instead
      User (sys_user) sc_cat_item_user_mtom, sc_cat_item_user_no_mtom User criteria
      Group (sys_user_group) sc_cat_item_group_mtom, sc_cat_item_group_no_mtom User criteria
      Department (cmn_department) sc_cat_item_dept_mtom, sc_cat_item_dept_no_mtom User criteria
      Location (smn_location) sc_cat_item_location_mtom, sc_cat_item_location_no_mtom User criteria
      Company (core_company) sc_cat_item_company_mtom, sc_cat_item_company_no_mtom User criteria
    Figure 2. CSDM tables used by the Service Catalog

    CSDM tables used by Request Catalog.

    Products that benefit from the Service Catalog

    Service Portfolio Management (Service Portfolio Management)

    Ties catalog items to service offerings. Lets service owners create and maintain catalog items more easily, and gives more visibility into the service offerings.

    Hardware Asset Management and Software Asset Management

    Self-service catalog lets you order an asset and track service delivery.

    Human Resources (HR)

    Exposes the creator (Record Producer) of HR cases and displays the Record Producer in the relevant self-service catalogs (for example, Portal, Mobile, and Virtual Agent).

    Customer Service Management (CSM)

    Exposes the creator (Record Producer) of customer service cases and displays the Record Producer in the relevant self-service catalogs (for example, Self-service Portal, Mobile, and Virtual Agent).