Data snapshots and multiple breakdowns

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Data snapshots and multiple breakdowns

    Data snapshots in Platform Analytics enable ServiceNow customers to apply multiple breakdown levels when analyzing indicators (KPIs), overcoming the traditional limit of two breakdowns found in Classic Performance Analytics. This is achieved through a change data capture (CDC) process that efficiently tracks data changes in configurable tables optimized for real-time score and time series generation.

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    This enhancement allows deeper data analysis and broader insights by supporting more granular breakdowns, addressing a key limitation in Performance Analytics. However, data snapshots require the use of the RaptorDB Professional database and are not supported in domain-separated instances.

    Key Features

    • Supports multiple breakdown levels beyond the previous maximum of two, enhancing analytical depth.
    • Uses CDC instead of breakdown matrices, reducing the exponential increase in calculations.
    • Only Platform Analytics experience components (such as Data Visualizations and KPI Details) support data snapshots; Core UI components like PA widgets and Analytics Hub do not.
    • Requires activation of the Data Snapshots plugin (com.snc.pa.mlb) along with a Performance Analytics subscription and admin role.
    • Supports automated, non-scripted indicators and formula indicators built on non-scripted automated indicators; scripted indicators do not support multiple breakdowns.
    • Filters behave differently depending on whether an indicator supports multiple breakdowns, with supported indicators applying all relevant filters and unsupported ones applying fewer.
    • Data snapshots collection jobs increase storage usage by storing daily changes of relevant records.

    Practical Considerations and Limitations

    • Data snapshots must be activated both instance-wide and on individual indicators to enable multiple breakdowns.
    • Multiple breakdowns cannot be applied retroactively to data collected before activation; only two breakdowns are possible for historical data.
    • Indicators that do not support data snapshots will display warnings on their record pages.
    • Some indicator features and breakdown configurations are not supported with data snapshots.
    • Data snapshots are not compatible with domain-separated instances.
    • It is recommended to test data snapshots in a development environment prior to production activation.

    What Customers Can Expect

    By enabling data snapshots, customers gain the ability to apply multiple breakdowns to KPIs, leading to richer and more detailed analysis within Platform Analytics. This capability expands analytical flexibility and helps uncover deeper insights from performance data. However, customers should plan for increased storage requirements and verify indicator compatibility before activation. The feature is accessible through specific Platform Analytics components and requires administrative setup.

    Data snapshots in Platform Analytics allows for multiple breakdowns while analyzing your indicators (KPIs). This architecture uses a change data capture (CDC) process, which captures data changes from configurable tables that are optimized for generating scores and time series at run-time.

    Classic Performance Analytics has always calculated multiple breakdowns applied to an indicator through a matrix. Mathematically, the number of calculations increases geometrically with the number of breakdowns. Practically, this approach limits you to a maximum of two breakdowns that can be applied to an indicator simultaneously.

    Data snapshots does not use breakdown matrices. Thanks to the use of CDC instead, you can apply multiple breakdown levels. The ability to apply more than two levels of breakdown addresses one of the longstanding pain points of Performance Analytics. This feature deepens your ability to analyze data and broadens the insights you can gain through Performance Analytics.

    Important:
    • Data snapshots requires that your instance uses the RaptorDB Professional database.
    • Domain-separated instances are not supported.
    • To get data snapshots and enable multiple levels of breakdown, activate the Data Snapshots (com.snc.pa.mlb) plugin. A Performance Analytics subscription and the admin role are required. Consider testing data snapshots in a development environment before activating them on a production instance.
    • When you have activated the Data Snapshots plugin, you still have to enable it for supported indicators. For more information, see Activate data snapshots.
    • Only Platform Analytics experience components (Data visualizations, KPI Details) support data snapshots. You cannot show more than two levels of breakdowns in Core UI components like PA widgets and the Analytics Hub.
    • Data snapshots collection jobs may result in increased storage use by Performance Analytics. The jobs copy subsets of the source tables and store every daily change for related records.
    The following indicators support data snapshots:
    • Automated indicators that do not use scripted aggregations (non-scripted indicators).
    • Formula indicators with only non-scripted, automated contributing indicators
    • Formula indicators that contain other formula indicators, provided that ultimately the underlying indicators are non-scripted, automated indicators.

    If an indicator does not support data snapshots, the reasons appear in a warning on the indicator's record page.

    Important:
    You cannot apply multiple breakdowns to data that was collected before the feature was activated. You can apply only two levels of breakdown to such data. If you try to apply more levels of breakdown, the result is an empty area for that date range on your data visualization or KPI Details chart.

    Supported and unsupported indicators

    Filters apply differently to visualizations of indicators that support and that don’t support multiple breakdowns. In this example, you have a dashboard with two pivot table data visualizations. One pivot table shows the indicator Number of open incidents. This indicator isn’t scripted and thus supports multiple breakdowns. The other pivot table shows the indicator Summed age of open incidents. This indicator is scripted so doesn’t support multiple breakdowns. The dashboard has three filters, each of which filters on a breakdown that is on both indicators. All three filters are being applied. The filters were applied in the following chronological order: first Priority, then Category, then State. The visualization of Number of open incidents shows three filters applied, but the visualization of Summed age of open incidents shows only two.
    Dashboard with visualizations of an indicator that supports multiple breakdowns and one that does not.
    Examining the filters that are applied to the Number of open incidents indicator, you see that all three filters are being applied.
    An indicator that supports multiple breakdown with three breakdowns applied.
    For the Summed age of open incidents indicator, you see that only the first two filters that were applied to the dashboard apply to this indicator.
    An indicator that does not support multiple breakdowns, showing that only the first two of three breakdowns applied to the dashboard are applied to the indicator.

    KPI Details for an indicator that uses data snapshots

    This example shows the KPI Details for the indicator Number of open incidents. The indicator supports data snapshots and multiple breakdowns, as is shown by a badge in the header. Two breakdowns have been set, each with two elements.
    KPI Details for an indicator that supports multiple breakdowns, with two breakdowns selected.
    You can select a third breakdown. However, data snapshots were only implemented on this instance a few days ago. Once you select a third breakdown, no data before this date is shown. You have a banner warning you to this effect.
    KPI Details for an indicator that supports multiple breakdowns, with three breakdowns selected but no data from before the implementation of multiple breakdowns.