Configuring External Content Connectors

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated August 1, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Configuring External Content Connectors

    Configuring External Content Connectors in ServiceNow enables you to retrieve and index content from a wide range of external source systems, making their content and metadata searchable within AI Search applications. This process involves planning, setting up access and permissions in source systems, creating connectors in the ServiceNow AI Platform, configuring crawl settings, and scheduling content crawls.

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    Key Configuration Steps

    • Source System Preparation: Administrators in external systems must configure access settings and security, including creating public/private key pairs where necessary.
    • Connector Creation: ServiceNow AI Platform admins create connectors for various supported external systems such as Adobe Experience Manager, Amazon S3, Atlassian products, Box, Microsoft services, Slack, Zoom, Workday, and many others.
    • Crawl Configuration: AI Search administrators set crawl parameters for each external content connector to control how and what content is indexed.
    • Crawl Execution: Content and user permission crawls are created and optionally scheduled to keep indexed data current.

    Supported External Content Connectors

    ServiceNow supports a broad portfolio of connectors that index diverse content types including files, documents, tasks, projects, conversations, tickets, webpages, and knowledge base articles from systems such as:

    • Collaboration platforms (Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Atlassian Jira and Confluence, Trello, Miro, monday.com)
    • Cloud storage services (Amazon S3, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint Online)
    • Development tools (GitHub Enterprise Cloud, GitLab)
    • Customer support and CRM (Zendesk Guide, HubSpot)
    • Enterprise applications (Workday, SAP DMS, ServiceNow instances and product documentation)
    • Content management and web platforms (WordPress, Adobe Experience Manager, Webcrawler)

    Management and Maintenance

    • Rename, Deactivate, Reactivate, or Delete Connectors: Manage connector lifecycle to control indexing activity and data retention.
    • Edit Connection and Crawl Settings: Modify settings to update or refine indexing behavior; changes may require new crawls.
    • User Permission Configuration: Customize how user security principals from source systems map to the AI Platform to ensure accurate access control during searches.
    • Search Integration: Connect external content connectors to search profiles and include their indexed content in Virtual Agent’s Now Assist for richer user interactions.
    • Connection Verification: Regularly verify connection settings and permissions to ensure continuous and effective crawling and indexing.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    By implementing External Content Connectors, you can centralize search across multiple external knowledge sources, enhancing information discoverability and operational efficiency. This integration supports comprehensive AI-driven search experiences within ServiceNow portals and Virtual Agent, empowering your users with fast, relevant access to diverse enterprise content.

    Plan and configure your External Content Connectors implementation.

    External Content Connectors configuration overview

    Configuring retrieval and indexing of content from your external content source systems requires the following steps:

    Configuration step Description
    Source system administrator configures access settings for your external content source system
    ServiceNow AI Platform admin creates external content connectors
    AI Search administrator configures external content connector crawl settings for external content connectors
    AI Search administrator creates (and optionally schedules) crawls for external content connectors