ServiceNow Changes

The Changes module forwards ServiceNow Change Request and Change Task records to BigPanda so that they can be correlated with incidents for root cause analysis.

The BigPanda ServiceNow Changes app works using a business rule in the BigPanda ServiceNow app which is triggered by insertions, updates, and deletions in the ServiceNow Change Request table. The change data is then sent to BigPanda where it is processed and normalized according to the provided configuration. Finally, the prepared change record is sent to the BigPanda Console.

Key Features

Change lifecycle tracking for Change Requests and Change Tasks.
Configurable state mapping across ServiceNow states and BigPanda's Planned, In Progress, Done, and Canceled states.
Affected CI inclusion in change payloads.
Date formatting normalized to UTC regardless of ServiceNow timezone configuration.

Data Models

BigPanda converts and organizes the change data from ServiceNow into tags.

Standard ServiceNow Properties

The ServiceNow fields below populate the Changes tags.

Property	Description	Attributes
`sys_id`	Change system id	Generates the `ticket_url` tag.
`short_description`	Summary of the Change Request	Populates the summary tag.

Install the Integration

Administrators can install the integration by following the steps in the instructions for installing ServiceNow.

Update the BigPanda App

If you are currently using an older version of the BigPanda ServiceNow application, you can upgrade to the latest functionality by following the instructions in the Update the BigPanda ServiceNow App documentation.

Create an API Key

Navigate to Settings > API Keys to create a new API key. You will need this for authorizing and configuring the integration. Once you generate the API key, be sure to copy and save it, as this key will only be visible once.

Install & Configure the BigPanda Application

Download the BigPanda application Update Set from the ServiceNow Developer Portal
Navigate to System Update Sets > Retrieved Update Sets
Under Related Links, click on Import Update Set from XML
Once imported the application should now be available from the Navigation Pane and Scope
Select the Configuration page in the navigation pane
NOTE: Make sure the BigPanda Scope is selected when making edits to the Configuration Page. Edits made outside of the BigPanda scope will not be saved.
Enter your BigPanda org token in Bearer Token, the API key generated in Step 2 in API Key and the App key generated in Step 1 in Changes App Key
Scroll down to the Changes section and set to Active to enable editing
Provide the field names for Start time, End time, Change State, Identifier and Change Summary
Under State Mapping, enter all valid change states under the four change state categories
If affected configuration items are desired in payload, check Affected CI’s
Set the Changes Endpoint to https://integrations.bigpanda.io/servicenow/changes
If all fields are to be displayed in BigPanda, scroll down to bottom and click Submit

For more information on the configuration fields, refer to the ServiceNow integration documentation .

Advanced Configuration

Hide Specific Change Properties in Console

By default BigPanda displays all properties from your ServiceNow change in the BigPanda Console. If you wish to hide certain properties you can use the hide field in the configuration. Each comma separated field will be hidden within the BigPanda console.

Note: These properties will still be available in the change metadata and usable during algorithmic correlation

Troubleshooting

The BigPanda App logs into the system log of ServiceNow. If no changes are making it to your BigPanda console, please review your ServiceNow logs for information on possible errors.

Configure the Changes Integration in ServiceNow

In ServiceNow, navigate to BigPanda > Admin > Configuration > Changes.
Enable the Active checkbox.

In the General section, enter the appropriate keys provided in the BigPanda Console Integration instructions.

Field	Description
Bearer Token	Enter the BigPanda organization key.
API Key	Enter the BigPanda API key.
Incidents App Key	Enter the ServiceNow Incidents App Key here. You can obtain it from the BigPanda ServiceNow Incidents integration module.
Changes App Key	Enter the BigPanda Changes App Key.
Telemetry Enabled	Select this checkbox to enable exporting logging data in the integration and to receive troubleshooting and diagnostic assistance by BigPanda.
Telemetry Endpoint	Provide a URL for the telemetry option.

Configure the Changes section.

Parameter	Description
Active	Select this checkbox to enable configuring the integration settings.
Start	ServiceNow field that determines when a Change starts.
End	ServiceNow field that will determine when the change is done or terminated.
State	ServiceNow field that will identify the State of the Change.
Identifier	ServiceNow field that uniquely identifies a change.
Summary	The ServiceNow field to populate the summary of a BigPanda Change
Planned	A comma-delimited list of ServiceNow States to map to the BigPanda Planned status.
In Progress	A comma-delimited list of ServiceNow States to map to the BigPanda In Progress status.
Done	A comma-delimited list of ServiceNow States to map to the BigPanda Done status.
Canceled	A comma-delimited list of ServiceNow States to map to the BigPanda Canceled status.
Affected CI's	An option (if enabled) to add any affected CI's for a particular change. This will be provided as a list of CI's to a BigPanda tag.
Change Task Table	By default, the Change Request Table is tracked. Selecting this checkbox will track the Change Task instead.
Hide	A comma-delimited list of ServiceNow fields that should not appear in the Changes Table in BigPanda.
Changes Endpoint	Provide the URL where ServiceNow can send ServiceNow Changes for processing. The Changes Endpoint is `https://integrations.bigpanda.io/servicenow/changes`

In this section: