Telecom Discovery Builder framework

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read

    • The Telecom Discovery Builder framework ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) is a reusable and schema-aligned component delivered with the Telecommunications Service Operations Management (TSOM) Core application. It provides a consistent and extensible method for ingesting telecom inventory data into the ServiceNow configuration management database (CMDB) across multiple Service Graph Connectors (SGCs).

    The Telecom Discovery Builder framework ETL serves as a baseline data ingestion utility to handle telecom-specific configuration item (CI) data. It enables connector development teams to avoid building ETLs from scratch by offering a standardized transform logic that can be duplicated and customized for each connector. It provides a standardized, reusable foundation that ensures consistency across implementations.

    Once the TSOM Core plugin is activated, the generic ETL is auto-provisioned and becomes available in the Integration Hub ETL Studio, ready to be reused and adapted to connector-specific needs.

    Why and when to use the Telecom Discovery Builder framework

    Use the Telecom Discovery Builder framework when you want to do the following:

    • Deploy a new Service Graph Connector in a telecom environment and want to avoid building the ETL from scratch.
    • Maintain schema-aligned consistency across multiple connectors and platform instances.
    • Discovery payloads and CI relationships compliant with TNI (Telecommunications Network Inventory). For more information, see Telecommunications Network Inventory.
    • Work within an SGC (Service Graph Connector) application scope and want to customize ETL behavior without modifying core logic.
    • Benefit from predefined mappings, validated JSON schema support, and a UI-driven configuration interface.

    Key capabilities and features

    • Auto-provisioned with TSOM core: Installs automatically and is ready to use across telecom connectors.
    • Generic schema-based ingestion: Supports a unified data schema for telecom CIs.
    • Supports duplication and customization: Duplicate the Telecom Discovery Builder ETL framework into your application scope using Integration Hub ETL Studio.
    • TNI support: Aligned to the TNI data model and the ETL logic can be extended to generate and link TNI entities.
    • Flexible field mapping interface: Configure import sets, data sources, targets, and transformation logic through a UI-driven experience.

    Key user roles

    The following table outlines the scopes for the TSOM Visibility application, which enhance security and compliance by providing more granular access controls.
    Table 1. Visibility application scopes
    Scope name Description
    sn_tsom_core

    Telecom Service Operations Core includes the audit application and various system properties within that app scope.
    sn_tsom_patterns Telecom Discovery Patterns, which include the MID Server and system IP Service properties.
    sn_sgc_nsp Service Graph Connector for Nokia NSP, which includes the application properties.
    sn_sgc_aliplano Service Graph Connector for Nokia Altiplano, which includes the application properties.
    The tsom_visibility_admin role is for managing and handling the operational tasks for the TSOM visibility application scopes. It contains the following roles:
    • import_admin
    • connection_admin
    • sn_cmdb_admin
    • discovery_admin
    • usage_admin
    • cmdb_inst_admin
    • certification_admin
    • agent_admin
    Table 2. Visibility granular admin roles
    Role name Description
    import_admin
    • Monitors scheduled data import executions, including viewing the hierarchy and flow of chained imports, accessing execution contexts, and diagnosing import issues.
    • Manages all aspects of import set records and imports.
    connection_admin
    • Responsible for managing connections and credentials, especially for Integration Hub.
    • Create and configure HTTP(s) connections, which are used by custom actions or activities to connect to external endpoints. These actions include setting up connection details such as credentials, connection aliases, URLs, MID Server options, and additional attributes.
    sn_cmdb_admin
    • Highest-level administrative role for CMDB privileges.
    • Grants full access to CMDB data, tools, and user interfaces, and enables administrators to configure policies such as class management and application service requirements that aren’t available to editors.
    discovery_admin
    • Grants access to the tables in the Discovery application.
    • Essential for configuring and executing Discovery in your network.
    • Includes setting up MID Servers, managing credentials, defining discovery schedules, and validating results.
    usage_admin
    • Enables users to track the number of active users and hardware configuration items (CIs) discovered (for instances using Discovery).
    • Monitors instance usage through dashboards, providing information to help your organization understand application adoption and usage patterns.
    cmdb_inst_admin
    • Enables users to create and customize integrations using Integration Hub ETL, including integrating third-party data into the CMDB or supported non-CMDB tables.
    • Necessary to use the Integration Hub ETL store app and access CMDB Integrations.
    certification_admin
    • Enables users to manage certification filters for auditing subsets of records.
    • Create, update, delete, and run certification audits, compare records against expected values, and assign follow-on tasks to remediate discrepancies.
    • Manage and reassign follow-on tasks from compliance audits and see all such tasks. Users with the certification role can access only tasks assigned to them.
    agent_admin
    • Responsible for downloading and administering the system's built-in MID Server agent.
    • Enables users to manage scripts and properties related to the MID Server.

    Key benefits

    Benefits of the Telecom Discovery Builder framework ETL include:
    • Consistency in how telecom configuration items (CIs) are structured and loaded into the CMDB.
    • Reusability through duplication and customization across connectors.
    • Compliance with TNI schemas and discovery model requirements.
    • Flexibility to extend and tailor data transformations without compromising the base schema.