Creating, Administering & Publishing Reports
In ServiceNow, the different report types are used to showcase different types of data to help stakeholders get insights and make informed decisions. Here, we will be focusing on how to create these reports and schedule them.
We will also understand the different roles and rules applied to the reports.
How to create a report in ServiceNow?
To create ServiceNow reports, follow the given steps:
- In the ServiceNow instance, select Reports → ‘Create New’ in the Application Navigator.
- In the report designer, choose the Select a table’ option from which you need the data and then click ‘Next’.
- In the Filters tab, add report criteria and then run the report to preview the data.
- In the Columns tab, choose fields that you want in your report and preview.
- In the Visualization tab, select the visualization type (report type) and configure the settings.
- Preview the report and then click ‘Save’ and ‘Submit’.
While creating the report, one important thing is managing roles.
To administer the reports:
A user with the report_user role is required to see reports on the application navigator. Any user with the report_user and ITIL roles can access report options like:
- Insert
- Insert and Stay
- Add to Dashboard
- Export to PDF
| Role title | Description |
|---|---|
| No role | Can view shared reports. |
| ACL-based | It limits the ability to read, edit, and create reports. Administrators can create other ACL rules. |
| report user [report_user], ITIL | Can create and view reports that have been shared with them. Cannot share, edit, or delete reports that are not shared. |
| report scheduler [report_scheduler] | Can schedule emails for all reports they can see, including reports they cannot manage. Users also have permission to create, edit, and share reports. |
| group report user [report_group] | Can manage and share reports from the groups they are members of. |
| global report user [report_global] | Can manage reports that are shared with everyone. |
| report administrator [report_admin] | Can manage, share, publish, and schedule all reports. Can access Reports → Administration and manage all report-related objects. |
| report description administrator [report_description_admin] | Can read and update table and field descriptions for reports. |
Note: The report admin role inherits all other report roles.
How to Publish Reports in ServiceNow?
Now that we have created the reports and added appropriate roles, it is time to publish the reports. Once the reports are reviewed, the steps to publish are:
- Log in to the ServiceNow instance and ensure that you have either the report_admin role or both the report_publisher and ITIL roles.
- Go to reports → View/ Run.
- Find your report and open it for editing.
- Click the drop-down arrow beside the Save button and select Publish.
- Once the report is published, you will get a confirming URL of the report.
How to Schedule a Report in ServiceNow?
Now that you have created a report and published it with appropriate roles, you can also schedule it. The steps to schedule a report are:
- Open the report, navigate to Reports→ View/Run.
- Click the share button in the report header and select Schedule.
- Set the Schedule parameters like:
- Run – to set the report frequency.
- Time – to choose when the report should run.
- Time zones – to identify the right time zone to schedule.
- Configure the email settings, such as the email address, subject, and message.
- Select the right format and filters for the reports to be sent.
- Finally, click Active → Submit to save the scheduled report.
Now that you have created, published, and scheduled your reports, the very next step is managing the dashboard.
What’s Next?
The next topic focuses on what a ServiceNow dashboard is, along with how it is created, viewed, and shared. We will also learn how to work with gauges.
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