Upgrade Management summary

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Upgrade Management

    Upgrade Management is a centralized application within ServiceNow that provides all the essential information and tools needed to plan, execute, and monitor upgrades on your instance. It offers a streamlined, single-page experience to view relevant upgrade details, access required tools, and follow guided setup processes for a smooth upgrade journey.

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    Key Features

    • Overview Tab: Displays the latest three releases, lets you select patch versions, and start upgrades. When an upgrade is scheduled, this tab shows the upgrade name, start date, and quick access to monitoring and guided upgrade activities.
    • Current Version Info: Shows your current instance version and provides an end-of-life link for lifecycle awareness.
    • Tools Section: Includes vital upgrade tools such as:
      • Automated Test Framework (ATF): Automates testing post-upgrade to quickly identify issues caused by changes.
      • Cloning: Enables duplicating your production instance using the latest nightly backup for safe testing environments.
      • Upgrade History: Maintains detailed records of all past upgrades for auditing and analysis.
      • Upgrade Monitor: Allows scheduling, real-time monitoring, and post-upgrade summaries including conflict reports.
      • Now Support: Provides support resources within Upgrade Management.
      • Upgrade Preview: Offers insights into how your instance will be affected by different release versions to guide your upgrade strategy.
      • Upgrade Skipped Record Rules Editor: Manages skipped record customizations during upgrades via configurable rules to automate or manually handle them.
      • Upgrade Plans: Automates application installations during upgrades, reducing manual effort and enhancing efficiency.
    • Helpful Resources: Quick access to documentation, knowledge base articles, and community forums for additional guidance.

    Benefits to ServiceNow Customers

    Upgrade Management empowers customers to efficiently prepare for, execute, and track upgrades with minimal disruption. By consolidating tools and information in one place, it reduces complexity, helps prevent errors, and accelerates testing and validation. The guided setup and monitoring features ensure transparency and control throughout the upgrade lifecycle, enabling confident adoption of new ServiceNow releases.

    Utilize the Upgrade Management store application to access all pertinent information and tools for your upgrade.

    Image showing the upgrade management summary page

    You can achieve the following using Upgrade Management.
    • Get a comprehensive, single-page view of all relevant information for an upgrade
    • Access to all required tools for an upgrade
    • Option to use the guided setup process for an upgrade on your instance
    • One-stop experience for a seamless upgrade process
    Note:
    By default, you are on the Overview tab when you first land in Upgrade Management.

    The following are the major sections on the Overview tab.

    Get started on your upgrade

    In this section, you can view the latest three releases. You can also select the required patch version and select Get started to start the selected upgrade. Select Read release notes link to view the delta changes in the latest version of the release.

    Note:
    This section has the above UI only when an upgrade is not scheduled.

    Upgrade scheduled

    In this section, you can view the scheduled upgrade name and the start date information. You can select Go to monitor to go to the Monitor module to see more details on the scheduled upgrade. Select Go to guided upgrade to work on the pre and post upgrade activities.

    Note:
    This section is visible only when an upgrade is scheduled.

    Current version

    You can view the current version name in this section.
    Note:
    You can also select the End of life for current version link to learn when the current version expires. See KB0610454 for more information.

    Tools

    This section displays all the required tools needed for a seamless upgrade experience. It has the following tools:
    • Automated Test Framework: The Automated Test Framework (ATF) is a robust tool designed to automate the testing of your instance. By automating test creation and execution, the ATF significantly reduces the time and effort required to verify instance functionality after various changes, such as upgrades, application development, or configuration updates implemented through update sets. When a test fails, the ATF provides detailed information about the specific changes that might have caused the issue, enabling you to quickly identify and address the root cause. See Explore ATF in Upgrade Management for more details.
    • Cloning: The System Clone application facilitates the duplication of entire databases. This cloning technique, frequently employed to mirror a production instance for testing purposes, utilizes data extracted from the latest nightly backup. See Explore Cloning in Upgrade Management for more details.
    • Upgrade History: The Upgrade History module maintains a comprehensive record of all upgrades performed on your instance. This module allows you to access detailed reports of both historical and recent upgrades, providing valuable insights into the upgrade process and its outcomes. See Explore Upgrade History in Upgrade Management for more details.
    • Upgrade Monitor: The Upgrade Monitor module empowers you to efficiently manage the upgrade process. You can schedule upcoming upgrades and monitor the progress of ongoing upgrades in real-time. Once an upgrade is complete, the module provides a detailed summary of the upgrade process and a list of any records that encountered conflicts during the upgrade. See Explore Upgrade Monitor in Upgrade Management for more details.
    • Now Support: See Now Support in Upgrade Management for more details.
    • Upgrade Preview: The Upgrade Preview module offers a comprehensive solution for gaining a deep understanding of your instance's readiness for an upgrade. By providing a detailed preview of how your instance might be affected by different ServiceNow release versions, this module enables you to make informed decisions about your upgrade strategy. With the ability to explore and assess potential impacts, you can confidently plan, schedule, and prepare for your upgrade, ensuring a successful transition to the latest ServiceNow release. Explore Upgrade Preview in Upgrade Management for more details.
    • Upgrade Skipped Record Rules Editor: To effectively manage customization requirements during and after upgrades, leverage skipped record rules. By creating these rules based on your specific conditions, you can either automate the resolution of skipped records during the upgrade process or manually execute them post-upgrade. This flexible approach empowers you to maintain control over your customizations and ensure a seamless upgrade experience. See Explore Upgrade Skipped Record Rules Editor in Upgrade Management for more details.
    • Upgrade Plans: Experience a more efficient and streamlined upgrade process with the Upgrade Plan. This feature automates the installation of applications, significantly reducing the time and effort required to complete upgrades. Upgrade Plan empowers you to take control of your upgrade process and achieve a seamless transition to the latest ServiceNow release by allowing you to define the applications and target versions to be installed in your instance. See Explore Upgrade Plan in Upgrade Management for more details.

    Helpful Resources

    This section contains links to the product documentations, knowledge base articles, and community forums.