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sourceDocument: Yokohama IT Operations Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/yokohama/it-operations-management

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ft:locale :

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ft:publication_title :

    - Yokohama IT Operations Management

ft:clusterId :

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---

# Prepare for mapping application services based on tags

# Prepare for mapping application services based on tags {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Yokohama
* 
* Updated January 30, 2025
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read

Analyze, review, and define tags in your organization for successful
mapping.

## Before you begin

Role required: service_mapping_admin

## About this task

As a preparation for tag-based mapping, create tag categories that contain tags with
similar use.  
Note:  
Starting with Service Mapping Plus version 1.16.3, take advantage of the Tag-based Service Mapping workspace to efficiently map your application services. For more information, see [Tag-based mapping in the Service Mapping Workspace](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/OFk5tbvt1_hfHGvMajDU6w "The Tag-based service mapping dashboard offers an intuitive way to manage tag-based services. Use the widgets, data visualizations, and list navigation to review and update your services, or create new tag-based services in a few steps. The dashboard enhances the Service Mapping Workspace, offering an efficient and user-friendly interface for organizing and optimizing your service mappings.") and [Tag-based discovery for the Service Mapping Workspace](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/OFokaLB1WVsbZHgZsbWZRw "If your organization uses tags for asset management, you can use the Service Mapping workspace to manage these tags and create tag-based application services.").

Define a tag-based service family and define tags that you want Service Mapping to use for mapping. Based on the tag definitions for the tag-based service family, Service Mapping creates service candidates - suggested service instances. You review the candidates and decide which ones you want to use to create the actual tag-based service instances.
For details on the tag-based mapping process, see [Tag-based discovery in Service Mapping](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/STdLRftLCJbRDTiZiGN8fg "If your organization uses tags, or establishes them in a local ServiceNow instance, you can use these tags to map application services.").  
CIs that have discovered tag values for the tag categories you selected become part of application services. Service Mapping creates a separate service candidate for each tag value combination. If you narrow the criteria down by defining the tag values in addition to tag categories, Service Mapping maps only CIs that have the matching values. CIs that have more than one tag assigned to them, can be part of multiple services. You may want to create a tag category for tags related to different types of environments, if your organization uses "production" and "staging" tag values. Tag-based mapping is not case-sensitive; same key names and key values spelled with upper and lower case are identified as the same.  
Note:  
Service Mapping includes CIs that are part of CI relationships even if these CIs do not have tags assigned to them. For more information, see [Tag-based discovery in Service Mapping](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/STdLRftLCJbRDTiZiGN8fg "If your organization uses tags, or establishes them in a local ServiceNow instance, you can use these tags to map application services.").

## Procedure

1. Analyze the tag usage in your organization and make a list of all tags and their purposes. Use the Key Value \[cmdb_key_value\] table to see the tags in the CMDB.  
   Use Tag Governance to analyze and optimize tag application in your organization. See [Tag Governance](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/vzxIrxeZXHYH1ZeOw3jQ_w "Effective tag management improves reporting and overall operations management efficiency. Use the ServiceNow Tag Governance app to identify and remediate on-premises or cloud resources that are inconsistent and don't comply with the tag policies of your organization.").
2. If necessary, assign tags to CIs that you want to include in application services.  
   Avoid creating very large application services containing more than 5000 CI
   relations. Such large services may cause performance issues.
3. Create and define tag categories that you want Service Mapping to use for mapping service instances.  
   For example, to map all service instances your organization uses in the production environment in the EMEA
   region, create the following tag categories: Applications, EMEA region, and Production.
   1. Navigate to Service MappingAdministrationCI Tag Categories.
   2. Select a CI tag category to modify or select New.
   3. Define the tag category name, for example, Environment.
   4. Under CI tag keys, double-click the row and type the tag key, for example Env.

      Since tag-based mapping is not case-sensitive, tag key variants using different capitalization, like Env, env or ENV, are also
      assigned to this same tag category.

      Repeat this step until you add all tag key variants that your organization uses for the same purpose, for example Env and Environment.

   {#prepare-map-service-tag__ol_afr_ckl_jtb}  
   Note:  
   To see detailed examples of defining tag-based mapping criteria for service families, see [Tag-based mapping criteria examples for service families](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/cPOE8JGEG4Q8K5e4kCP7wg "When preparing to map application services based on tags, create tag categories that contain tags with similar use. Define a tag-based service family and the tags you want to use for mapping. In addition to tag categories, you can also define tag values to narrow the criteria for the service candidates created by Service Mapping. Use these examples for guidance.").
4. Run Discovery to horizontally discover CIs. Discovery populates the CMDB with the CI data, including tags.  
   If your ServiceNow instance uses domain separation and you have access to the global domain, log in to the relevant domain. The selected domain must be a domain without any child domains.

*[\>]: and then