ServiceNow Flow Designer Fundamentals
With advancing technology, ServiceNow has also upgraded its conventional tools with an advanced automated Flow Designer.
ServiceNow Flow Designer is a low-code/no-code automation interface ideal for people from non-tech backgrounds. The tool helps improve efficiency by enabling quicker approvals and the scheduling of repetitive tasks.
In this chapter, we will explore the new-generation ServiceNow Flow Designer, its features, and how it benefits workflows in any organization.
What is Flow Designer in ServiceNow?
ServiceNow Flow Designer is an interactive interface that lets you build and automate business processes using simple, no-code, reusable actions.
The interface helps you create a step-by-step process for owners and developers that automates approvals, tasks, notifications, and record-keeping without any coding hassle.
Components of Flow Designer
To create a smooth flow, it is essential to understand the structure it follows. There are four Flow Designer components in ServiceNow:
Triggers
Triggers are the starting point of the automation flow that defines when it will run. They come in different types, such as records, service catalogs, schedules, applications, and scripts.
Actions
Actions are separate steps in the flow; for example, if the trigger is ‘when’, the action is ‘what’. It runs on pre-built custom operations that allow reusable logic across the flow. The actions can perform CRUD operations, calculations, lookups, and integrations.
Data Pills
Data Pills are a strong feature of ServiceNow Flow Designer. It offers a dynamic, variable-based representation of data that can be easily mapped across steps. You can see these data pills/points in the right sidebar, which can be easily dragged and dropped into the actions.
Flow Logic
It is the one component that allows adding intelligence to the flow and branching it out in the linear flow. It includes different If/Else conditions for each unique loop, Wait for condition / Wait for event conditions, Pause Flow, and Switch logic.
Features of Flow Designer
The features or benefits of Flow Designer ServiceNow make automations easier and more seamless for business owners and employees.
No Code/ Low Code
Flow Designer allows building flows without scripting using a drag-and-drop interface. The no-code/low-code design uses reusable logic via actions, making it seamless for users with non-tech backgrounds.
SubFlows
These are reusable blocks of logic that are called within the flow to control specified tasks. The subflows support the input and output for a consistent execution of the main flows.
IntegrationHub Support
The Integration Hub allows Flow Designer to connect to third-party systems such as Slack, Salesforce, Jira, and more. To do so, it uses spokes, which are pre-built, packaged collections of actions for integration.
Error Handling
Flow Designer provides a modern approach to error management with the Error Handler. The handler lets you take informed actions when an error occurs, such as logging the error, sending notifications, and creating an incident.
Flow Versioning
Flow versioning is like a test bed for publishing a flow. Once a flow is published, it creates multiple versions of it and compares them. The comparison helps you understand the flow version and also revert to the previous version, as the newest one has errors.
Actions in Flow Designer in ServiceNow
ServiceNow Flow Designer includes an Action Designer tool that lets users create reusable, defined actions. The actions are building blocks of a flow that separates complexity and automates tasks in sequence. Action Designer can be used to:
- Create custom actions from scratch as per your flow needs.
- Create scripted actions using JavaScript that appear codeless in the flow.
- Build integrations using the IntegrationHub.
The actions in ServiceNow can be divided into two types:
- Core Actions
- Custom Action
Core Actions
Core actions in ServiceNow are predefined actions you can add to your flow. These cannot be viewed or edited in the Action Designer interface. There are multiple core actions that you can access, including:
- Create record: Creates a new record and sets field values.
- Update Record: Modifies fields in existing records.
- Single Lookup Record: Used when specific record data is required. It fetches one record as per the filters.
- Multiple Lookup Records: It fetches various records using a For Each loop for bulk updates.
- Delete Records: Used in cleanup or automation flows to delete records from a table.
- Ask for Approval: It sends requests to users, groups, or roles and pauses the flow until they approve it.
- Send Emails and Notifications: Using data pills, you can send emails with subject/body, status updates, and customized notifications.
- Create Task: Used in the fulfillment process to create records based on predefined task values.
- Wait for Condition: The flow pauses until the record meets certain conditions.
- Wait for Duration: Used for SLA-like logic, reminders, or delayed actions by delaying the flow for a specified time.
- Log Message: Writes a message into system logs to reduce bugs and track execution of the flow.
- Call Subflow: It triggers a reusable subflow, avoiding duplication and keeping the flow seamless and clean.
In addition to the core actions, users can access Spoke Actions in ServiceNow. These actions can be copied and customized, but their internal scripting cannot be changed.
Custom Actions
Developers create custom actions in the action designer to perform specific tasks that are not available as core or spoke actions. The reasons why custom flow actions in ServiceNow are created:
- To perform specified tasks in a flow that are not available in the Out-of-the-box actions of ServiceNow.
- Querying external systems, manipulating data, and performing tasks are all done with JavaScript.
Components of Custom Actions
The custom actions are made up of three major components:
- Inputs: The data variables used in the action.
- Action Steps: The operations done on the inputs, or scripting steps, that create reusable data for the next step.
- Outputs: The data variables that show the action result, which are available to other actions in a flow.
Create a Custom Flow Action in ServiceNow
Creating a custom flow action in ServiceNow lets you add your desired action to a flow that isn’t available in the presets. These actions will be added to the OInterface so you can use them again in another flow. The basic steps to create a flow action are:
Step 1: In the ServiceNow Workflow Interface, click on All, then select Actions in the Flow Designer menu.
Step 2: Once you click Actions, a pop-up window opens where you must add the action name and set the scope. You can also add optional categories and annotations.
Step 3: An action form will then be displayed on your screen. There are inputs, action steps, and outputs.
- In the input tab, add variables that your action will receive by defining the name and type of the variable.
- In the output tab, add a variable that the action will return to the flow. Here, you also have to define the name and type of the variable.
Step 4: In the action step section, click Add a new step. It will let you add logic to the action.
Step 5: Save the action after adding the step.
Step 6: Test the action and ensure it is working correctly. Once done, publish the action for use.
Note: The Workflow Editor has been replaced by Workflow Studio for creating new workflow solutions. The Workflow Editor is now intended for maintaining existing workflows already in production. Workflow Studio provides the modern low-code experience for building Flows, Playbooks, and other workflow solutions.
What’s Next?
ServiceNow Flow Designer is a modern workflow automation tool that simplifies and streamlines the complex coding process by offering a no-code/low-code interface. The tool is ideal for non-developers as it requires no complex coding or technical knowledge to create a workflow.
Let’s move to the next topic, discussing Sub Flows and how to create and work in the flow designer.
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