Service Catalog and CSDM tables

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Service Catalog and CSDM tables

    The Service Catalog in ServiceNow manages and utilizes Common Service Data Model (CSDM) tables to facilitate business and technical service management. It primarily operates within the Sell/Consume domain by managing business services and integrates with the Operate domain for technical services such as Event Management. The Service Catalog enables request creation and fulfillment through catalog items linked to service offerings, supporting workflows that include approvals and task management.

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    Key Features

    • Catalog Item Management: The Service Catalog manages the sccatitem table, which creates requests in Request Management. Catalog items can be linked to service offerings, allowing tracking of request activities.
    • Types of Catalog Items:
      • PC Hardware Item (pchardwarecatitem): Supports hardware asset requests integrated with Asset Management workflows.
      • PC Software Item (pcsoftwarecatitem): Supports software asset requests integrated with Asset Management workflows.
      • Record Producer (sccatitemproducer): Submits requests or generates records outside Request Management for services like HR, Facilities, or Legal.
    • CSDM Tables Managed and Used: Includes Configuration Item tables (cmdbci), Service Offering (sccatitemsubscribe), Application Service (cmdbciservicediscovered), and Product Model tables (cmdbmodel).
    • Updated Relationships: Legacy CMDB relationship tables linking catalog items to users, groups, departments, locations, and companies are deprecated. New user criteria relationships should be used instead.
    • Integration with Other Products:
      • Service Portfolio Management: Links catalog items with service offerings to enhance service ownership and visibility.
      • Hardware and Software Asset Management: Enables asset ordering and service tracking via the self-service catalog.
      • Human Resources (HR): Utilizes Record Producers to expose HR case creators in self-service portals.
      • Customer Service Management (CSM): Exposes customer service case creators via Record Producers in self-service channels.

    Key Outcomes

    • Streamlined creation and fulfillment of service requests through catalog items associated with service offerings.
    • Improved visibility and management of business and technical services across ServiceNow products.
    • Enhanced integration with Asset Management, HR, and Customer Service Management for comprehensive service delivery and tracking.
    • Modernized relationship management by replacing legacy CMDB relationships with user criteria for better access control to catalog items.

    Service Catalog manages and uses CSDM tables. Several ServiceNow products benefit from and add value to Service Catalog.

    CSDM tables managed by the Service Catalog

    The Service Catalog primarily manages business services in the Sell/Consume domain. Technical Services are also viewed from the Operate domain of Event Management.

    The Service Catalog manages the Catalog Item table [sc_cat_item]. The Catalog Item table creates requests in Request Management. The requests usually have an automated, semi-automated, or business workflow for fulfilling the request, which can consist of approvals and tasks. When part of Service Portfolio Management, the CIs are associated with service offerings. When you link a catalog item, you can track request activity for all catalog items associated with a service offering. An offering can have multiple catalog items.

    The CIs can include:
    • PC Hardware Item (pc_hardware_cat_item): Submits hardware asset requests included in Asset Management workflows.
    • PC Software Item (pc_software_cat_item): Submits software asset requests included in Asset Management workflows.
    • Record Producer (sc_cat_item_producer): Submits requests or generates records other than Request Management tables for services that aren't serviced by Request Management (for example, HR Cases, Facilities Requests, or Legal Requests).
    Figure 1. CSDM tables managed by the Service Catalog

    CSDM tables managed by Request Catalog.

    CSDM tables used by the Service Catalog

    1. Configuration Item tables [cmdb_ci*]
    2. Service Offering table [sc_cat_item_subscribe]
    3. Application Service table [cmdb_ci_service_discovered]
    4. Product Model tables [cmdb_model]
      Note:
      The following legacy CMDB relationships that once provided access to catalog items are no longer supported. To provide access, use the new relationships listed in the table.
      Table 1. Relationship tables
      CMDB table Catalog item relationship table New relationship to use instead
      User (sys_user) sc_cat_item_user_mtom, sc_cat_item_user_no_mtom User criteria
      Group (sys_user_group) sc_cat_item_group_mtom, sc_cat_item_group_no_mtom User criteria
      Department (cmn_department) sc_cat_item_dept_mtom, sc_cat_item_dept_no_mtom User criteria
      Location (smn_location) sc_cat_item_location_mtom, sc_cat_item_location_no_mtom User criteria
      Company (core_company) sc_cat_item_company_mtom, sc_cat_item_company_no_mtom User criteria
    Figure 2. CSDM tables used by the Service Catalog

    CSDM tables used by Request Catalog.

    Products that benefit from the Service Catalog

    Service Portfolio Management (Service Portfolio Management)

    Ties catalog items to service offerings. Lets service owners create and maintain catalog items more easily, and gives more visibility into the service offerings.

    Hardware Asset Management and Software Asset Management

    Self-service catalog lets you order an asset and track service delivery.

    Human Resources (HR)

    Exposes the creator (Record Producer) of HR cases and displays the Record Producer in the relevant self-service catalogs (for example, Portal, Mobile, and Virtual Agent).

    Customer Service Management (CSM)

    Exposes the creator (Record Producer) of customer service cases and displays the Record Producer in the relevant self-service catalogs (for example, Self-service Portal, Mobile, and Virtual Agent).