Like clockwork, ServiceNow releases a new version every six months (typically end of Q1 and end of Q3). Each major release includes a multitude of new features/functionalities, bug fixes, and occasionally sunsetting of applications. The latest release, San Diego, is no exception.
In this article, we’ll help you navigate the official ServiceNow documentation on upgrading to San Diego and give a brief overview of some of our favorite new features that come along with it.
Why Update to ServiceNow San Diego?
Before we get into the weeds a little bit, we’d be remiss if we didn’t level-set and discuss why upgrading to San Diego is a good idea.
First, it’s important to stay up to date with what is changing in the ServiceNow platform to ensure your organization continues to follow best practices and provide the best possible service and user experience for both your customers, and your internal employees (fulfillers). That’s the fun reason.
Less fun, though equally important, is that upgrading to the latest version will ensure your system remains within the ServiceNow support window. ServiceNow only supports n-2 versions, meaning if you are on an older version, ServiceNow does not guarantee it can support your technical needs. You certainly don’t want to find yourself in that situation.
We’ll go into further depth on the upgrade process in a later article, but it’s worth noting here that, while ServiceNow will upgrade all configurations and out-of-the-box modules/applications, any and all customizations will need to be manually checked/verified. Upgrades don’t have to be a drama – and our ServiceNow Consulting team is here to help with that – but knowing what lies ahead before getting started is critically important.
Finding and Navigating San Diego Release Documentation
If you’ve been a ServiceNow customer for any amount of time, you’re likely aware that they are extremely thorough with respect to documentation and release notes around new versions. They’re so thorough, in fact, that it can sometimes be a little challenging to find what you’re looking for. To help you cut down on your search time, here are some of the most commonly-sought resources to help you upgrade to San Diego:
- Release notes for upgrading from Rome
- Release notes for upgrading from Quebec
- Release notes for upgrading from Paris
- San Diego Patch and hotfix release notes
- Documentation on customized release notes/paths for upgrades
If you prefer a list of all San Diego release notes, they have that as well. You’d be hard pressed to search for documentation on the ServiceNow site and come up empty, but if you do, reach out and we can help you get the information you need.
What’s new in ServiceNow San Diego
Now, let’s take a look at some of the changes the San Diego release brings with it. This is by no means an extensive list but includes major updates along with a few fun ones that caught our eye.
New UI: Next Experience
Next Experience UI is probably the most substantial change that can be enabled with the San Diego release. We get into these changes a little further in this article. If you’d rather watch than read, the below video walks through how to enable the Next Experience UI along with a brief overview of what it looks like.
Notably, the application navigator has been made into a to a drop-down menu-like button rather than a fixed pane on the left-hand side, which frees up some real estate on the screen for performing day-to-day work. Similarly, Favorites and History have their own menu-like buttons next to the application navigator. Other notable features include bold colors in list view for fields such as Priority, with clearer clickable links.
Employee Center
The Employee Center isn’t necessarily new functionality, but it is enabled out-of-the-box in San Diego (previous versions required a plugin to be installed). The intention of the Employee Center is to provide a one-stop-shop for all employees through the usage of a singular portal. The original out-of-the-box Service Portal is still available for use as of writing.
Core Now Platform
ServiceNow has supported multiple languages for a while now (twenty-two via plugins). With the San Diego release, you can now request assistance with additional languages from ServiceNow personnel. Also of note, if your organization has a larger system, you will need to check to see if your sys_archive_log table has over 10 million records. If it does, additional steps outlined in the release notes will need to be performed.
Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) Version 14.0
Previously, users with the snc_internal role were able to access GRC records. With GRC version 14.0, only users with GRC roles will be able to access GRC records.
Assessments and Surveys
A new and “refreshed experience” is enabled automatically with the upgrade to San Diego. This upgrade also includes the ability for users to take surveys via the Now Mobile app.
Authentication
There are a few important updates to authentication.
- Enforce MFA for authentication for SSO-based login such as SAML, OpenID Connect and Digest
- System for Cross Domain Identity Management (SCIM)
- OAuth tokens based on user and device
- Login through Facebook SSO
Change Management
The Change Management Overview dashboard has been updated. Business stakeholders are now able to add comments to changes via a new ACL (disabled after upgrade by default).
Flow Designer
If you’ve used ServiceNow for a while, you may already know that Flow Designer was built to replace Workflows in ServiceNow. If you’re new to ServiceNow, Flow Designer is basically one of the main (and fairly straight forward) ways to create automations in ServiceNow (if you currently use Cherwell, think enhanced OneSteps).
A couple of the more noteworthy updates are Flow Templates and Try Flow Logic.
- Flow templates allow Flow authors to create variations of existing Flows
- Try Flow Logic acts like a Try Catch statement to allow Flows to continue, even if it encounters an error based on the actions or logic put into it
Project Workspace
Workspaces in ServiceNow can be extremely helpful, especially for day-to-day work. With the San Diego release, ServiceNow has upgraded the Project Workspace with a new UI. Adding dependent tasks (or just tasks in general) can be created easily and quickly through the planning console. If you have been using ServiceNow for a while and prefer the Project Workspace as it existed in Rome and earlier versions, you still have the ability to use/work with the older UI.
General Considerations Prior to Upgrading
Before any upgrade should be attempted, it is best practice to read in full release notes for any and all changes to existing functionality, especially changes that could potentially break existing customizations. Note that not all changes in the upgrade are required. The Next Experience UI and the Employee Center portal are two features that are available, but careful considerations should be made for each of before implementing them.
ServiceNow Delta Exams
With every upgrade, ServiceNow certifications must be re-upped via a Delta exam to stay current – this includes partner accreditation, micro-certs, and mainline certifications. Partner accreditation and micro-certs may require additional training, while mainline certifications will require a Delta exam. The Delta exam consists of ten or fewer questions based on the release notes. This is a non-proctored open note exam to ensure certification holders remain up to date on the newest release. Each mainline certification has its own Delta exam.
Upgrading a system as large as ServiceNow can be daunting to any organization. Thankfully, ServiceNow does a fantastic job of easing the burden by providing phenomenal documentation in multiple formats. It is important that you and your organization understand all risks of upgrading, including what is new, and what is being sunsetted. If your organization has a need/wants to upgrade and isn’t comfortable or doesn’t have the expertise in house, well, that’s what ServiceNow partners are for (namely, us). Happy upgrading!