Digital interface form

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Digital interface form

    The Digital Interface form in ServiceNow's Yokohama release provides a structured way to document and manage digital interfaces that enable interaction between business applications. These interfaces can be standalone or part of larger business applications, facilitating integration and data exchange through various API types and protocols.

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    Key Features

    • Identification Fields: Includes a unique name, system-generated number (with DINTF prefix), and version tracking to manage different interface iterations.
    • Provider Information: Captures the provider business application, provider company, and interface type (Open, Partner, Internal APIs), helping track ownership and access restrictions.
    • Parent Interface and Lifecycle Management: Supports referencing parent interfaces for bundled integrations and tracks lifecycle stages and statuses such as Ideation, Design, Deploy, Operational, and End of Life, with detailed status options for each stage.
    • Model and Description: Allows referencing interface models (e.g., Table API, Attachment API) and providing high-level design details to guide owners and architects in interface usage decisions.
    • Ownership and Support: Defines key roles including business owner, IT owner, supporting subject matter experts, and support groups to clarify responsibility and support paths.
    • Functional Details: Specifies communication protocols (e.g., REST, SOAP) and message formats (e.g., JSON, XML), with flexibility to add custom values to match organizational needs.
    • Authentication and Authorization: Supports multiple authentication types (Basic Auth, OpenID Connect, Certificate, WS-Security, LDAP, None, Other) and authorization methods (OAuth 2.0, JWT, SAML 2.0, None, Other), ensuring secure API access.
    • Activity Tracking: Includes fields for work notes and related tasks to document ongoing changes and actions related to the interface.

    Practical Use for ServiceNow Customers

    This form enables ServiceNow customers to comprehensively document digital interfaces, maintain clear ownership and lifecycle status, and ensure secure, standardized integration practices. By leveraging this form, organizations can improve interface governance, facilitate collaboration between business and IT teams, and efficiently manage API versions and support structures, ultimately enhancing operational reliability and integration transparency.

    Digital interfaces are provided as part of a business application, but they can also stand on their own. Interfaces provide a way for other business applications to interact with the applications.

    Digital interface form fields

    Field Description
    Name Unique and meaningful name of the digital interface. Enter a descriptive name that reflects the purpose of the interface.
    Number Number of the digital interface. This field is automatically generated with the DINTF prefix and can’t be edited.
    Provider Business Application Name of the provider business application that provides, manager, and owns the interface.
    Note:
    This attribute can be empty if there is no business application in your repository. If you are using open interfaces such as Weather or Financial Service, you are only aware of the interface and track it without a related business application.
    Provider company Name of the provider company.
    Interface Type Type of API used by the interface. This field helps to track whether the API is Public or Open.
    Note:
    For Public or Open APIs, there won’t be any Provider Business Application unless the Organization exposes it as an open interface.
    Use the following options:
    • Open API
    • Partner API
    • Internal API

    Public or Open APIs are available to anyone and can be used without any restrictions or license agreements.

    Internal or Private APIs are available to authorized (technical) users only and can be used without any usage restrictions and regulations.

    Partner APIs are available to authorized partners of an API provider. Usually, these APIs have special terms and conditions for usage.
    Parent Name of the parent interface.

    Often, interfaces are bundled or part of a composition. Because you can reference a digital interface on the digital integration, use the parent interface. The digital interfaces related to the parent interface are listed in the related list of the interface.
    Version Version of the interface. This field helps you to track which digital integrations are using which version of an interface.
    Life Cycle Stage Life cycle stage of the interface. Use the following options:
    • Ideation
    • Design
    • Deploy
    • Operational
    • End of Life
    Life Cycle Stage Status Life cycle stage status of the interface. Each of the main life cycle stages can have one or more life cycle stage statuses. For example, a digital Interface in the operational stage might change status over time from In Use to In Maintenance to Pending Retirement. Use the following options:
    • Ideation: Under Evaluation, Pilot
    • Design: Chartered, Design, Build
    • Deploy: Test
    • Operational: In Use, In Maintenance, Pending Retirement
    • End of Life: Retired, Obsolete
    Model ID Model ID of the interface. This field helps you to track the interface model.

    This is a reference to the Application Model table where you can manage your own variants of API models or types. For example, Table API, Attachment API, Aggregate API, and Process APIs. This optional field can be used to track the interface model. Depending on your use case, you can add new models and model categories.
    Description Description of the digital interface. Provide the high-level design aspects of the interface.

    You can provide the details such as how the digital interface adds value, how it should be designed, and how it’s intended to be used.

    You can also describe different changes and capabilities according to version of the interface. It helps the Application owners and Architects to decide which interface version they want to use.
    Table 1. Owners section form fields
    Field Description
    Business Owner The owner of the business function, who owns the digital interface. It can be the same person who owns the parent business application.
    IT Owner The owner within the IT organization, who owns the digital interface. It can be the same person who owns the parent business application.
    Supported By Name of the Subject matter Expert (SME) or individual who provides support to the digital interface.
    Support Group Name of the group that provides support to the digital interface.
    Table 2. Functional section form fields
    Field Description
    Protocol Type of protocol used by the interface. API Protocols are the specifications that regulate the application. These protocols are used to integrate application programming interfaces with their software. Choices include REST, SOAP, LDAP, and so on.
    Note:
    This list is a non-exhaustive list and can be extended by adding your preferred values or hide the provided values.
    Message Format Format of the message in the interface. Choices include JSON, XML, CSV, and so on.
    Note:
    This list is a non-exhaustive list and can be extended by adding your preferred values or hide the provided values.
    Table 3. Authentication section form fields
    Field Description
    Authentication Type Type of authentication used to authenticate the interface.
    Use the following options:
    • Basic Auth
    • OpenID Connect
    • Certificate
    • WS-Security
    • LDAP
    • None
    • Other

    You can use the system-provided authentication types or add yours.
    Authorization Type Type of authorization used to authorize the interface.
    Use the following options:
    • OAuth 2.0 Token
    • JWT Web Token
    • SAML 2.0 Token
    • Other
    • No authorization

    You can use the system-provided authentication types or add yours.
    Table 4. Activities section form fields
    Field Description
    Work notes Comments about the interface.