Accelerating and automating your repetitive tasks by using Workflow Data Fabric

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Accelerating and automating your repetitive tasks by using Workflow Data Fabric

    Workflow Data Fabric enables ServiceNow customers to accelerate and automate repetitive tasks by integrating multiple applications within a single workspace. This solution combines Document Intelligence for data extraction, Integration Hub for data validation using third-party APIs, and RPA Hub for automating legacy systems, all coordinated through the Automation Center workspace.

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    Key Features

    • Document Intelligence: Automatically extracts data from documents, such as void checks, with AI-driven confidence scoring that improves over time.
    • Integration Hub: Validates extracted data through API integrations with external systems, enabling low-code/no-code process extensions and validations.
    • RPA Hub: Automates manual, error-prone tasks by deploying unattended robots to interact with legacy payroll systems lacking API interfaces.
    • Automation Center Workspace: Provides consolidated visibility into workflows, enabling tracking of cost savings, time savings, and automation value.
    • Employee Center Portal: Acts as the centralized access point for employees to submit requests, using AI Search or Virtual Agent chat assistant.

    Workflow Example: Direct Deposit Service

    This scenario illustrates how an employee updates direct deposit information through an automated process:

    • The employee accesses the Direct Deposit form via the Employee Center portal and uploads a void check.
    • Document Intelligence extracts data from the check for agent review within the Direct Deposit Workspace.
    • Integration Hub validates the extracted bank details against external systems using API calls orchestrated in Workflow Studio.
    • RPA Hub runs an unattended robot to securely input validated bank information into the legacy payroll system, eliminating manual errors.
    • The request status updates to Closed upon completion, and Automation Center tracks the automation’s effectiveness.

    Requirements for Integration

    To implement this solution, administrators need to:

    • Activate Integration Hub plugins and spokes.
    • Install and configure the Employee Center application and portal.
    • Set up Document Intelligence for document data extraction.
    • Install RPA Hub for robotic process automation.
    • Install Automation Center to manage and monitor automation workflows.
    • Optionally build custom spokes using the Spoke Generator.

    This integrated approach significantly reduces manual effort, speeds up service delivery, and enhances data accuracy, providing a streamlined automation experience within ServiceNow.

    Reduce the time that you spend on repetitive tasks and deliver services faster through an automated workflow in Workflow Data Fabric. You can automate the data extraction from your documents with the Document Intelligence application, automate your data validation with third-party APIs with the Integration Hub application, and automate your legacy systems with the RPA Hub application all within a single workspace.

    Using the combined benefits of the solution

    Get these benefits by using different applications through the solution:

    • Automate document data extraction.
    • Create and extend processes by using low-code, no-code API integration.
    • Automate repetitive and legacy processes to deliver services faster.
    • Reduce the time that you spend on repetitive tasks and improve your productivity.
    • Realize the value of automation to the organization through Automation Center workspace.

    Workflow for the solution

    Let's consider a scenario of how an employee and an agent use an automation engine and its various products to set up a direct deposit service. The employee, who had recently changed bank accounts, wants to update their direct deposit information. A direct deposit service is used to set up a new bank account for payroll, through an automated process. In this automated process, the following applications are used:
    • Document Intelligence
    • Integration Hub
    • RPA Hub
    • Automation Center
    These applications together enable the employee and agent to get complete visibility into the direct deposit workflow.

    The direct deposit request from the employee is divided into three stages. The stages are to extract the data, validate the data, and update the payroll system.

    The following diagram shows the workflow for the solution.

    Figure 1. Workflow for the solution
    Workflow for accelerating and automating your repetitive tasks with Workflow Data Fabric. For the text description, refer to the workflow steps that follow.
    The workflow for this solution is
    1. An employee visits the Employee Center portal and searches for the Direct Deposit form through AI Search or Virtual Agent chat assistant.

      Employee Center is a central portal where employees can find out the latest updates from your organization. For more information, see Employee Center.

    2. The employee uploads a void check and submits the request.
    3. The request comes into the Direct Deposit Workspace that uses a playbook to navigate the complex process in a guided process.
    4. In the back end, Document Intelligence analyzes the attached check data, extracts the data, and displays it so that the agent can review it.

      Document Intelligence knows which fields to extract. When the model is trained over time, the value has a higher confidence score that is determined by the AI in Document Intelligence. The agent or the automation team can set a score to meet their threshold requirements.

      For more information about Document Intelligence, see Document Intelligence.

    5. An agent navigates to the Direct Deposit Workspace, opens the direct deposit request, and reviews the data that was extracted from the employee's check. As the agent completes the review, the information is automatically updated on the form.
    6. The extraction stage completes and the validation stage starts. An agent can view this process in the playbook.
    7. By using Integration Hub, a third-party integration validates the extracted data from the check. The extracted values are sent through an API for validation using Integration Hub spoke actions. This flow is completed by using Workflow Studio with the power of the Integration Hub spokes. The flow hits an external end point, fetches the data, and compares this data against the system data to validate the bank details. On a successful validation, the direct deposit form is updated with any relevant notes.

      For more information about Workflow Studio, see Workflow Studio. For more information about Integration Hub, see Integration Hub.

    8. The data validation stage completes and the payroll system update stage begins.
    9. When the request arrives for a payroll update, the system initiates an unattended robot to process the employee's bank information into the legacy payroll system (that doesn't have any API interface) by using RPA Hub.

      In a typical situation, an agent copies the data from the bank record, opens the payroll application, and pastes the data manually to submit. This process is prone to error. With RPA Hub, this process is automated by using an unattended robot that impersonates the agent and runs on any remote Windows machine. It accesses the ServiceNow record securely and inserts the data into the payroll system within a few seconds.

      For more information about RPA Hub, see Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Hub.

    10. After the payroll updates, the direct deposit request changes to the Closed state.
    11. The agent can open the Automation Center Workspace to view the cost, time saving, and the true value of the automation.

      For more information about Automation Center, see Automation Center.

    Requirements for integrating the solution

    Your administrators can integrate the solution by doing the following actions:
    1. Activate the Integration Hub plugins. For more information, see Request an Integration Hub plugin and Integration Hub plugins.
    2. Install the Employee Center application and configure the Employee Center Portal. For more information, see Install Employee Center and Employee Center admin configurations.
    3. Install and set up the Document Intelligence application. For more information, see Install Document Intelligence and Set up Document Intelligence.
    4. Install the RPA Hub application. For more information, see Install Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Hub.
    5. Install the Automation Center application. For more information, see Install Automation Center.
    6. Activate a spoke. For more information, see Integration Hub available spokes.
    7. Build spokes using Spoke Generator. For more information, see Building spokes using Spoke Generator.