Cascade Update function

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Cascade Update function

    The Cascade Update function in the Telecommunications Network Inventory application enables ServiceNow customers to update a configuration item (CI) attribute and automatically propagate that change through all related CIs in the hierarchy. This functionality integrates with Workflow Studio, allowing you to cascade field values efficiently within inventory records. It supports updates to any CI field except for Life Cycle Stage and Life Cycle Status fields. If conflicts arise during the update—such as when a CI is not included in the affected CI list of a change request—an error is returned, detailing the conflict.

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    Key Features

    • Workflow Studio Integration: Available as an action within Workflow Studio for Telecommunications Network Inventory workflows, enabling automated inventory data operations.
    • Role-Based Access: Only users with the admin role can add and configure this function within flows.
    • Input Parameters: Requires a reference to the related change request and the CI to update; the specific field attribute to cascade is optional.
    • Conflict Handling: Detects discrepancies during cascading and returns errors if conflicts occur.
    • Cascade Rules: Defines how updates propagate across various CI types (e.g., Telco Equipment, Interface Card, Network Interface) following the inventory hierarchy.

    Key Outcomes

    • Enables consistent and automated updates across related CIs, ensuring data integrity and reducing manual effort.
    • Supports complex hierarchical inventory structures by cascading appropriate attributes through connected equipment and interfaces.
    • Improves change management by linking update actions directly to change requests, with error feedback to address issues promptly.

    The Cascade Update function enables you to update a configuration item (CI) attribute in the Telecommunications Network Inventory application and cascade the change in all related CIs. You can use this function to automatically cascade the field values in related CIs when you use Workflow Studio.

    You can use the Cascade Update function to update any field in the inventory record and cascade the changes all the way down to the hierarchy mentioned in the inventory record.

    If there’s a conflict, such as any discrepancies found in the related CIs, this function returns an error. For example, let's say that you pass the change request and CI but the CI isn’t added to the affected CI list of the change request. Instead, it returns a sort error with the conflict information in execution.

    Note:
    This function doesn’t work on Life Cycle Stage and Life Cycle Status fields.

    You can use this function as a Workflow Studio action in the Telecommunications Network Inventory workflow.

    Roles and availability

    Users with the admin role can add an action to a flow and define the configuration details of the flow. This function is available as a Workflow Studio action in the Telecommunications Network Inventory application so that you can perform inventory-related data operations.

    Input fields

    The following table lists the input fields in the Cascade Update function and their descriptions.

    Table 1. Input fields of Cascade Update function
    Field Name Description Data Type Mandatory?
    Change Request Change request that is related to the affected CI list. Reference.Change Request No
    CI CI where you want to update the field. Reference.Configuration Item No
    Field Attribute in the CI that you want to cascade. String No

    To learn more about the variable data types, see Flow Designer input and output data variables.

    Output

    Use this function to update the CI attribute in all related CIs.

    Cascade rule for all common attributes of CI

    The following table lists the information about the cascade rules for the different types of CIs.

    Table 2. Cascade rules
    CI Cascade Rule Example
    Telco Equipment Attributes that are updated for the related equipment holder (slot), interface card, telco equipment holder (subslot), and network interface records. The Type field that is updated in the equipment record cascades all the way down to the hierarchy mentioned in the inventory record.
    Telco Equipment Holder Attributes that are updated for the related interface card, telco equipment holder (subslot), and network interface records. The Type field that is updated in the equipment record cascades all the way down to the hierarchy mentioned.
    Interface Card Attributes that are updated for the related telco equipment holder (subslot) and network interface records. The Type field that is updated in the equipment record cascades all the way down to the hierarchy mentioned.
    Network Interface Attributes that are updated for the related network interface record. The Port Bandwidth field that is updated in the equipment record cascades all the way down to the hierarchy mentioned in the inventory record.
    Physical Connection Attributes are updated for the related physical connection record. The Bandwidth field that is updated in the equipment record cascades all the way down to the hierarchy mentioned in the inventory record.
    Logical Connection Attributes that are updated for all the next element CI records, which are defined in the connection element that reference the logical connection record. The Bandwidth field that is updated in the equipment record cascades all the way down to the hierarchy mentioned in the inventory record.