Node relationship configurations

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated November 4, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Node relationship configurations

    Node relationship configurations in ServiceNow Zurich release enable customers to define and manage relationships between records and objects within tables. This functionality allows detailed setup of main nodes including properties like name, source, table name, and filter conditions. Enhancements introduced in Operational Resilience (version 21.1.x) improve how node relationships are visualized and controlled, facilitating better understanding and management of data relationships.

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    Key Features

    • Node relationship configurations related list updates: A new Type column offers two display options:
      • Default type: Displays node hierarchy from top to bottom (default view).
      • Group type: Aggregates data at a specific node for focused visualization.
    • Maximum nodes and levels controls: Administrators can set limits on the number of nodes and hierarchical levels displayed in maps or specific node relations. The “Maximum number of levels” setting is only active when the source and target tables in the main node configuration are identical.
    • Direction property: Defines relationship direction between source and target tables:
      • Target to source: Selecting a node shows all upstream nodes (relationships leading to the node).
      • Source to target: Selecting a node shows all downstream nodes.
      This adds flexibility in visualizing relationships according to business needs.
    • Copy functionality for main nodes: You can copy existing main node configurations and then set up the Nexus configuration for the copied node, streamlining setup of similar relationship configurations.

    Practical Use for ServiceNow Customers

    By configuring node relationships, customers can precisely map complex relationships between CSDM objects such as business services, service offerings, business processes, and application services. The sngrcm2mprofileprofile table acts as the source for these relationships, enabling consistent and structured data models in alignment with CSDM best practices.

    These configurations improve data visualization, enable control over relationship depth and breadth, and provide directionality in relationships, which is critical for accurate impact analysis, operational resilience, and service governance.

    Next Steps

    • Use the updated Node relationship configurations related list to select the appropriate display type and configure node and level maximums based on your data model needs.
    • Set the relationship direction to match your analysis requirements (upstream or downstream views).
    • Leverage the copy functionality to efficiently create new main node configurations similar to existing ones.
    • Refer to the configuration documentation for detailed steps on setting up these relationships and integrating them into your operational resilience or service mapping initiatives.

    Node relationship configurations are used to set up relationships between the records and objects defined in the table. You can configure the details of the main node such as its name, source, table name, filter conditions, and so on.

    For details on the updates in the Node relationship configurations introduced in Operational Resilience, version 21.1.x, refer to the "Node relationship configurations related list" in Main node configurations: A component of the Data Relationships Framework.

    Node relationship configurations related list

    The existing Node relationship configurations related list has been updated and includes the following changes:

    • Type column: The Type column has been added, offering two distinct options for displaying node relationship information:
      • Default type: As shown in the earlier illustration, the "Default type" column displays the hierarchy from top to bottom. It’s the default option.

      • Group type: Aggregates data at a specific node, providing a more focused view.

        Group type.

      This enhancement enables for more flexible and meaningful visualization of node data.

    • Maximum number of nodes and Maximum number of levels: You can set the maximum number of nodes and levels for the map (as shown in the Properties tab). Similarly, you can also control the maximum number of children shown at the specific node relation and maximum number of levels shown at a specific node. The Maximum number of levels property is enabled only when the source table and target table in the Main node configuration are the same; if they’re different, this property is disabled.

    • Direction: Another field added to the relationship configuration is "Direction," which specifies the direction of the relationship between the source and target tables. The direction can be set to either "Target to source" or "Source to target." When set to "Target to source," selecting a specific node displays all its upstream nodes, showing the relationships leading to that node. When set to "Source to target," selecting a specific node displays all its downstream nodes.

      Direction.

      This enhancement provides more flexibility in visualizing and understanding the relationships between nodes.

    • Copy functionality at the Main node: The main node configuration now includes a Copy UI action. When this functionality is used, the selected main node configuration is copied and then you’re required to set up the Nexus configuration for the copied main node.

    For information on configuring the Node relationship configurations, see Configure the Node relationship configurations.

    For information on setting up relationships between different objects, see Relationships between CSDM objects.