Domain separation terms

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
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    Summary of Domain separation terms

    Domain separation in ServiceNow enhances efficiency, security, and performance by allowing organizations to segregate data, processes, and administration within a single instance. Understanding key domain types and how they interact is essential to properly configure and manage a domain-separated environment.

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    Key Concepts

    • Managed Domain: Allows domain administrators to manually assign domains to users, groups, departments, locations, or configuration items (CIs), overriding automatic assignments from company records for greater customization.
    • Process Tables and Overrides: Process tables may have override records indicating delegated administration is in effect. Administrators in the global domain can expand or collapse domain scope to view relevant or all process records, with visibility flowing from parent to child domains to support process continuity.
    • Types of Domains:
      • Customer Domain: Contains user interface elements and controls data usage for specific customers.
      • Process Domain: Holds processes and UI settings applicable to multiple domains but contains no core user data.
      • Data Domain: Contains shared data relevant to multiple customers without exposing individual customer domains; use cautiously due to potential performance impacts.
    • User Data Management: User records reside primarily in customer domains; admin accounts should be located in the global domain for administrative purposes.
    • Lists and Choices: Choices configured in the global domain propagate automatically to all domain-specific lists, with options to activate or deactivate choices per domain.
    • Instance Administration: Instance owners handle overall process creation and maintenance, while domain managers maintain user administration, group memberships, locations, and tenant-specific applications.
    • Global Process and Parameters: Global domain properties such as system settings, dictionary overrides, access controls, and indexing affect all users in a domain-separated instance and require careful management.

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    Implementing domain separation enables customers to securely segregate data and processes across different organizational units or tenants within a single ServiceNow instance. Proper use of managed domains and process overrides allows tailored domain administration and process control. Customers should carefully plan domain types and user data placement to balance customization, security, and performance. Global domain administration remains critical for managing overarching system properties and processes that impact all domains.

    For optimized performance and compliance, customers should consult with ServiceNow architects before extensive use of data domains and leverage domain scope controls to manage visibility effectively. Understanding domain hierarchies and the behavior of process tables ensures seamless operation of cross-domain processes.

    With a ServiceNow instance, you can improve efficiency, add greater security, and increase performance for your customer organizations. It's helpful to understand some of the most common terms as you create your configurations.

    Managed domain

    In a managed domain, the Managed domain field allows domain administrators to manually select a domain for the user, group, department, location, or CI record, rather than using the domain that is assigned automatically from the company record.

    If you want to change those properties, you can override them to further customize the functions of the applications in each of your domains.

    Process tables

    In process tables, if you see a value in the Overrides [sys_overrides] field, a process override record exists. That means that delegated administration, which is how administrators can set domain-specific policies, is in effect. Admins in the global domain can use the Expand/Collapse Domain Scope related link to see override records.

    Note:
    Reports are separated into domains and contain an Overrides field. To view all reports from the global domain, use the Expand Domain Scope related link.

    When you view process tables from a domain, you see only the relevant process records for the selected domain. When you view a process table from the global domain, the Expand Domain Scope related link is displayed to let you see all process records, including overrides. To view only the relevant process records for global again, use the Collapse Domain Scope related link.

    The domain scope feature is used only for process tables and causes the visibility of data on the table to shift in the opposite direction. For example, a record in the parent domain can be seen in the child, but a parent cannot see a child record. This allows the process to flow down to child domains.

    Types of domains

    Different types of domains can help you organize your processes and data and how they function in the application or feature.

    Customer Domain

    In the customer's domain is the user interface, as well as the process that controls how the data Is used.

    The ACME domain in the following image is a customer domain.

    Process Domain

    You create processes for how the data is used and what it does in the domain. These processes must have these attributes:
    • Specific processes and UI settings for a set of domains
    • No core data of any kind (such as specific user data).
    • The TOP domain in the following image is a process domain.

    Data Domain

    The data domain holds data that is relevant to multiple customers. That data can be shared without sharing the actual customer domains. Each customer has its own data domain and can access it.
    Note:
    This kind of domain is not common and can cause performance issues if overused. Consult with an SP architect before use.

    Example: The domain may hold tasks that ACME, Cisco, and the SP all need to interact with.

    The Default domain in the following image is a data domain.

    User Data

    User record data never belongs in the global domain or any of the process domains. Users are primarily created in customer domains and can on occasion be created in data domains.

    Admin accounts are special as they should not be used as everyday users of the instance and should be in the global domain to facilitate administrative functions.

    Figure 1. Domain hierarchy
    Domain hierarchy

    Lists, admin, global process

    Lists

    From the global domain, if you right-click any choice field’s label, select Configure Choices, and then add a new choice, the choice pushes automatically to all domain-specific lists for that field. If the new option is marked as Selected, it is added as active. If the new option is marked as Available, it is added as inactive.

    Instance Administration

    The instance owner’s administrators must handle all normal process creation, modification, and maintenance in a domain-separated instance. Individual domain managers can maintain some parts of data-driven processes. The types of domain managers maintain user administration, support group memberships, and locations, or manage applications that are designed with tenant administration in mind.

    Global process/parameters

    You can create and maintain the process that affect the global domain as well as set the parameters. These properties are common for all users of a domain-separated instance.

    Examples: System properties, dictionary overrides, sys_documentation (field labels), the data model (classes, CI types, and so on), tables and fields [sys_dictionary] (access can be restricted), indexing (text indexes as well as database), ACLs, installation exits, inbound actions, public pages, and interceptors.