Reporting on data from low-code apps
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Summary of Reporting on data from low-code apps
ServiceNow enables reporting on data from low-code applications to provide actionable insights that drive change. Reporting typically involves visualizing data from tables such as Incident [incident] and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) over time using Performance Analytics.
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Currently, there are two main user interfaces for reporting within the ServiceNow AI Platform®:
- Core UI: The older interface includes the Reporting application for table data and Performance Analytics (PA) Widgets for KPI data, all of which can be placed on responsive dashboards.
- Platform Analytics: The newer interface allows creating data visualizations from any data source, placing these on Platform Analytics dashboards with filters. It uses the Next Experience UI Framework and supports both developers and non-developers.
For clarity, "report" and "reporting" refer to Core UI tools, while "visualization" or "visualize" refer to Platform Analytics features.
Best Practices for Building Reports and Visualizations
- Filter large datasets by date range or other criteria to prevent performance issues.
- Avoid grouping by fields with many possible values to maintain efficiency.
- If a report or visualization times out with a "Long running transaction" message, add more filters to reduce data load.
- Schedule regular exports and email deliveries for recurring report or dashboard needs.
Options for Displaying Multiple Visualizations
ServiceNow offers several ways to present multiple data visualizations on one page, catering to different skill levels and customization needs:
- Platform Analytics Experience: Non-developers can create data visualizations and dashboards entirely within this interface without technical knowledge.
- UI Builder with Visualization Components: Developers can build custom UI Builder pages incorporating data visualizations, filters, and other components for maximum flexibility.
- Hybrid Approach: Create dashboards and visualizations in Platform Analytics and then embed them in UI Builder pages using the Dashboard page template. This allows combining ease of use with some page customization.
- Technical Dashboards: Build dashboards inside UI Builder with features like sharing and dashboard library inclusion, offering a developer-focused option similar to creating pages from scratch.
These options enable ServiceNow customers to tailor reporting and visualization experiences according to their technical capabilities and business requirements.
Most applications that you create have some level of reporting requirements. Reports should be actionable to drive change.
"Reporting" generally refers to showing the data inside facts tables like Incident [incident]. You can also create key performance indicators (KPIs) to track changes in this data over time, through the Performance Analytics application.
- The older Core UI technology. This UI includes the Reporting application, which only shows data directly from tables, and PA Widgets, which show data from Performance Analytics indicators. Both reports and PA widgets can be placed on Core UI responsive dashboards. For more information, see Reporting, dashboards, and Performance Analytics in the Core UI.
- The newer Platform Analytics technology. This UI includes Data Visualizations, which let you report on data from any source. These visualizations can be placed on Platform Analytics dashboards, along with Platform Analytics filters. For more information, see Platform Analytics experience.
All Platform Analytics objects are rooted in the Next Experience UI Framework and are available to developers. However, a non-developer can still build their own objects through the Platform Analytics experience, without using UI Builder. For more information, see Platform Analytics experience.
Follow these guidelines when building reports or data visualizations:
- Creating reports or visualizations on large tables can negatively impact performance. Be sure to filter by a date range or other limiting criteria rather than showing all records on the table.
- Grouping by fields that contain many possible values can negatively impact performance.
- If loading a report or visualization gives a Long running transaction timer message, consider adding more data filters to reduce the load time.
- If you need to export a report, data visualization, or dashboard on a regular basis, schedule the export and email.
- Create the data visualizations and the dashboards entirely inside the Platform Analytics experience. This approach does not require a developer role or special technical knowledge, and probably should be explored before you try a more complex solution.
- Create data visualization components in a generic UI Builder page, along with filters and other components. This approach gives you the most freedom as a developer, but also requires the most configuration.
- Create the data visualizations and the dashboards inside the Platform Analytics experience, but then place the dashboards inside UI Builder pages using the Dashboard page template. This approach lets you use the convenience and special features of the Platform Analytics experience to create dashboards, data visualizations, and filters in your own experiences/workspaces. This approach also gives you the freedom to customize the page configuration partially. For more information, see Creating Platform Analytics pages in your own workspace.
- Create a technical dashboard and populate it inside UI Builder. This approach is almost the same as creating your own UI Builder page from scratch, but the dashboard is available in the dashboard library, has dashboard details, and can be shared like other dashboards. For more information, see Technical dashboards.