Exploring actions
Summarize
Summary of Exploring actions
Actions in ServiceNow automate repeatable tasks within flows by executing a sequence of steps. They enable flow authors to reuse these tasks across multiple flows with minimal configuration, enhancing efficiency and consistency in automation processes. Actions receive data inputs from flows, perform operations, and return outputs to be used by other parts of the flow.
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Key Features
- Inputs: Defined data variables required by the action, such as references to tables or fields. Inputs become configuration options in Workflow Studio, allowing flow designers to specify values. Advanced input options include hints, default values, and choice lists to guide configuration.
- Outputs: Data variables representing the results of the action, which can be used by subsequent actions within the flow.
- Steps: Individual reusable operations within an action, such as creating a record. Step configuration requires familiarity with application tables, fields, and business logic and is performed in Workflow Studio by developers or IT generalists.
- Workflow Studio Integration: Actions are created and managed in Workflow Studio, which provides core ServiceNow steps and supports adding application-specific steps via spokes.
- Conversational Actions: Actions can be executed through Now Assist conversations by configuring conversational skills within Workflow Studio.
Benefits for ServiceNow Customers
- Enable process analysts and flow designers to easily add pre-configured, reusable actions to flows with minimal setup, reducing complexity and errors.
- Allow developers and integration owners to create scripted and integration-based actions that appear code-less in flows, simplifying automation management.
- Support passing data seamlessly between actions, facilitating complex workflows and integrations.
- Provide flexibility to run automated operations on demand and stream data efficiently within flows.
- Extend automation capabilities into conversational interfaces, enhancing user interaction with workflows.
Actions automate a repeatable task or operation within a flow. Flows run actions by passing them data as inputs. Actions run a sequence of steps to complete the task, and pass data to the flow as outputs.
Actions overview
Automate a repeatable task within a flow as a sequence of related steps. Enable flow authors to add actions to multiple flows with minimal configuration.
A reusable action includes these components.
- Inputs
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Inputs are data variables used in your action. For example, if an action step creates a record in the incident table, your input might be a reference to the incident table. Once added as an input, the table and its fields are available to steps and outputs in the flow.
Each input you define for an action becomes a configuration option in the Workflow Studio interface. To use the action in a flow, flow designers must define a value for each mandatory input. The more inputs an action has, the more data flow designers must define and the more familiar they must be with the underlying data model to use the action effectively.
Inputs provide advanced options based on their data type. All inputs have advanced options to add a hint or provide a default value. Use advanced options to guide flow designers through adding and configuring an action to a flow. For example, create a choice input to provide flow designers with a pre-defined list of configuration options to choose from. For more information about the configuration options available to particular data types, see field types.
- Outputs
- Outputs are data variables that represent the results of the action. These results are available to other actions in a flow.
- Steps
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A step is a single reusable operation within an action. For example, the Create Record step allows action designers to specify the table and field values to use during record creation. Step configuration requires subject matter expertise with application tables, fields, and business logic. Application developers or IT generalists add steps to actions from the Workflow Studio action design environment. Workflow Studio provides a set of ServiceNow core steps to automate ServiceNow AI Platform processes. You can add application-specific steps by activating the associated spoke.
Workflow to create actions using Workflow Studio
The following illustration describes the basic tasks involved in creating a subflow using Workflow Studio. For detailed instructions for creating a subflow, see Create an action in Workflow Studio.
Actions benefits
- Create application-specific actions with pre-set configuration details, enabling process analysts to easily add actions to a flow with little configuration.
- Create scripted actions that appear code-less when added to a flow.
- Build integrations using Integration Hub.
| Benefit | Feature | Users |
|---|---|---|
| Build an automated operation from an existing library of automated steps. | Action | Application developer, integration owner, or process owner |
| Run an automated operation on demand. | Action | Application developer, integration owner, or process owner |
| Use data from other automated operations as inputs. | Action | Application developer, integration owner, or process owner |
| Pass data to other automated operations as outputs. | Action | Application developer, integration owner, or process owner |
| Stream data in a sequence of pages. | Data Stream Action | Integration owner |