Grouping domains in Performance Analytics domain configurations

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    Summarized using AI
    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of Grouping domains in Performance Analytics domain configurations

    Performance Analytics domain configurations enable ServiceNow customers to manage and aggregate data across multiple domains effectively by creating reusable configurations. These configurations define hierarchical relationships between domains and aggregate scores, improving data visibility and reporting for groups of users rather than individual users.

    Show full answer Show less

    Domain configurations require the Performance Analytics – Domain Separation Support plugin and are applicable only with the Global domain separation approach. They must be associated with specific data collection jobs and dashboards to provide relevant and accurate Performance Analytics scores while maintaining core records in the global domain.

    Key Features

    • Reusable domain configurations: Define sets of domains visible to user groups or filtered domains, enabling consistent score collection and aggregation.
    • Hierarchical domain relationships: Configure parent-child domain structures to roll up and aggregate scores across domains.
    • Run as user context: Data collection jobs run under a specified user whose domain visibility determines accessible records. Use global admins for data tables and domain-specific users for process domains with domain-restricted records.
    • Flexible collection and aggregation: Options to collect individual child domain scores, roll up scores to parent domains (selectively or all children), and create aggregate scores stored in separate domains.
    • Domain configuration records: Stored in the [padomainconfigurations] table, managed via the Domain Separation Support plugin.
    • Dashboard integration: Domain configurations can be linked to dashboards with domain pickers to allow users to view scores from selected domains.
    • Update sets for migration: Domain configurations and aggregation domains (if used) should be transferred together between instances using update sets.

    Key Outcomes

    • Enables centralized and scalable Performance Analytics reporting across multiple domains, improving data visibility for user groups.
    • Provides control over how data from child domains contributes to parent domain scores, supporting complex organizational structures.
    • Ensures data collectors have appropriate visibility by configuring the Run as user correctly for different domain types.
    • Simplifies maintenance by keeping indicator definitions and sources in the global domain while supporting domain-specific analytics.
    • Facilitates easy migration and consistency of domain configurations across ServiceNow instances.

    Instead of configuring Performance Analytics for the domains of a specific user, create a reusable domain configuration. Select domains that are visible to a group of users, or filter domains directly. Domain configurations let you define hierarchical relationships and aggregate scores across multiple domains.

    Note:
    Performance Analytics domain configurations are enabled with the Performance Analytics – Domain Separation Support plugin. For more information about plugins, see Activate a Plugin.

    Associate these domain configurations with specific data collection jobs and dashboards to provide relevant scores to users. At the same time, maintain your Performance Analytics records, such as indicators, breakdowns, and their sources, in the global domain.

    Important:
    Regardless of whether a domain configuration is used, the Run as user always determines the domain context of where the data collection Job runs.

    Only Performance Analytics administrators with access to all the domains in a configuration can edit a data collection job that has a domain configuration applied to it.

    Required approach

    Only the Global approach to Performance Analytics with domain separation supports domain configurations. For more information, see Approaches to Performance Analytics with domain separation.

    Data tables, process tables, and Run as user

    The Run as user always determines the domain context of where the data collection Job runs. If you are collecting scores only on data tables such as Incident [incident], set an administrator from the global domain as the Run as user. This user, and the data collector running under them, has full visibility of all data table records.

    A different approach is needed if you are collecting scores on a process domain. It is common practice to define process records such as business rules and SLAs on a process domain. In this case, a Run as user who is a global administrator has visibility only to global domain records of these tables. This limitation also impacts scores collected through database views, for example if a join is made to an SLA table like contract_sla. In such cases, set a user with explicit visibility into the relevant process domains as the Run as user.

    Collection, roll-up, and aggregation options

    The Domain Configuration record provides flexibility in the way domain records contribute to scores. Prior to the availability of the Domain Support plugin, records in child domains would “roll up” and contribute to the score of a parent domain. The Domain Support plugin provides additional options for how records in child domains should be handled:

    • Select whether to collect scores from individual child domains.
    • Select whether to roll up scores from child domains into the parent domain score. You can roll up child domain scores with or without also collecting the individual scores.
    • If you roll scores from child domains up to the parent domain, select whether to roll up all child domains or only the ones that the domain configuration explicitly includes.
    • Select whether to sum all collected individual domain scores into an aggregate score. This score is stored in a separate domain.

    The following table shows the scores that are collected for different configurations with a parent domain and three child customer domains. The table also shows aggregate values.

    Table 1. Example of domain configurations for a single parent domain with three children
    Configuration Parent Domain: MSP
    Child domains: Customers MSP contains customers
    A B C MSP Customers Aggregate
    Data
    New incident records 30 100 50 20 0 -
    Results
    No aggregate options - - - 20 - -
    No aggregate options + Aggregate - - - 20 - 20
    Collect Children 30 100 50 20 0 -
    Collect children + Aggregate 30 100 50 20 0 200
    Collect Children + Roll up only selected domains (A and C) 30 100 50 100 80 -
    Collect children + Roll up only selected domains (A and C) + Aggregate 30 100 50 100 80 200
    Collect Children + Roll up all child domains 30 100 50 200 180 -
    Collect Children + Roll up all child domains + Aggregate 30 100 50 200 180 380
    Roll up only selected domains (A and C) - - - 100 - -
    Roll up only selected domains (A and C) + Aggregate - - - 100 - 100
    Roll up all child domains - - - 200 - -
    Roll up all child domains + Aggregate - - - 200 - 200

    Domain configuration records

    The Performance Analytics – Domain Separation Support plugin adds the Domain Configurations [pa_domain_configurations] table to your instance. The details of each domain configuration are stored in one of these records.

    Transferring records between instances

    Use update sets to transfer domain configurations between instances. If the domain configuration has Collect aggregate enabled, also transfer the aggregation domain separately. For more information, see Transfer domain configuration with score aggregation.