Pipelines and Deployments configuration tasks

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Pipelines and Deployments configuration tasks

    Configuring Pipelines and Deployments in ServiceNow's App Engine Studio (AES) involves a series of setup tasks that must be completed in the specified sequence within the Guided Setup. These tasks ensure smooth application deployment workflows across production, testing, and non-production instances, integrating automated testing and Change Management processes.

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    Key Configuration Tasks

    • Configure Environment Credentials: Set up credentials on each instance to allow the App Engine Management Center (AEMC) flows to access and manage pipeline instances securely.
    • Configure Environments: Define production and non-production environments by specifying URLs and access credentials, enabling environment-specific deployment control.
    • Configure Pipelines: Create pipeline records by naming pipelines, associating environments, and defining deployment order to facilitate seamless application movement through stages.
    • Configure Controller Instance: Identify the central instance (typically production) that manages deployment flow communication and coordination across the pipeline.
    • Add Users to App Engine Admin Group: Assign users involved in the deployment process to this group to grant necessary permissions, unless already configured via prior setups.
    • Add Automated Test Framework (ATF) and Instance Scan Suites: Integrate customized and standard testing suites for automated validation during deployments, enhancing quality assurance.
    • Enable ATF Properties on Testing Instances: Activate system properties that allow ATF tests to run automatically during deployments in testing environments to detect issues early.
    • Enable Change Management Integration: Connect an existing Change Management system so deployments to production are triggered automatically based on Change request status and planned windows.
    • Configure Change Management Properties: Optionally tailor Change Management and AEMC integration settings during Guided Setup to align with organizational processes.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Streamlined application deployment across environments with clear pipeline control.
    • Enhanced deployment quality through automated testing integration, reducing risks.
    • Improved governance and compliance by automating deployment scheduling via Change Management.
    • Centralized management of deployments via a designated controller instance for reliable coordination.
    • Customizable integration settings to fit specific organizational Change Management models.

    By following these configuration steps within the Guided Setup, ServiceNow customers can efficiently establish robust pipelines and deployment processes that align with best practices, ensuring reliable and auditable application releases.

    As you work through the Pipelines and Deployments guided setup, you must perform different configuration tasks on each of your instances.

    Setting up environments, pipeline records, and user access

    The tasks for configuring Pipelines and Deployments are listed below, along with links to detailed instructions for completing them. These tasks build on each other, so it's important to complete them in the sequence listed in the Guided Setup.

    Table 1. Pipelines and Deployments configuration tasks
    Instance Task Description
    Production Configure environment credentials. Configure credentials for each instance in your pipeline so that the flows used by AEMC can access the instances in your pipelines.

    For more information, see Configure environment credentials.
    Configure environments. Set up your production and non-production (that is, development, test, and/or staging) environments by adding the URLs and credentials used to access each instance.

    For more information, see Configure your pipeline environments.
    Configure pipelines. Set up and configure each pipeline by naming the pipeline, identifying each of the environments associated with the pipeline, and specifying the order in which apps are deployed between the environments in that pipeline.

    For more information, see Configure your pipeline.
    Add users to the App Engine admin group. Add users involved with this flow of tasks to the App Engine admin group.
    Note:
    If already added users on the production instance using AES guided setup or Configure Application Intake guided setup, you can skip this step.

    For more information, see Add users to the App Engine Admin group.
    Add Automated Test Framework (ATF) and Instance Scan suites.

    Add your customized test suites as part of an application deployment in addition to the instance scan and ATF testing suites that are standard in AEMC.

    For more information, see Add ATF and instance scan suites for testing.
    Enable Change Management integration

    Connect an existing Change Management program with AEMC so that deployments through the pipeline to the production environment are automatically scheduled based on the Change request state and planned change window.

    For more information, see Enable Change Management integration.
    Configure properties to integrate Change Management

    Change requests and configuration items (CIs) are created using specifications set up in your existing Change Management program. If you want to change the change model, change template, or CI creation subflows used during app deployments, you must configure these properties during Guided Setup.

    For more information, see Configure properties to integrate Change Management.
    Testing Configure environment credentials For more information, see Configure environment credentials.
    Configure the controller instance Identify the controller instance that contains the pipeline deployment flows, as well as all of the data associated with the pipeline. As each instance completes its assigned tasks, it communicates with the controller instance to determine where the next stage of deployment takes place.
    Note:
    Your production instance should be identified as the controller.

    For more information, see Configure your controller instance.
    Enable ATF properties on instances of type Testing. Enable system properties that allow the ATF suite to run during the deployment process. If you do not enable these properties, a warning displays during the deployment process, but you can continue with the deployment.
    Note:
    If you plan on cloning your production instance to one or more non-production instances, you should either create a data preserver for these settings or enable these settings on your production instance. For more information, see Create a clone preserver.

    For more information, see Enable Automated Test Framework (ATF) properties.
    Configure Automated Test Framework (ATF) suite For more information, see Exploring Automated Test Framework.
    Configure Instance Scan suite For more information, see Configuring Instance Scan.
    Non-production instances that aren’t of type Testing Configure environment credentials For more information, see Configure environment credentials.
    Configure the controller instance in your non-production instances For more information, see Configure properties to integrate Change Management.