Editing maps in Unified Map

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Editing maps in Unified Map

    The Unified Map editor in ServiceNow allows you to visually manage Configuration Items (CIs) and their relationships within a map. You can add, modify, or remove CIs and their connections to improve your CMDB's accuracy and visualize dependencies. Changes made in the map editor do not immediately affect the CMDB until you save them, enabling safe editing sessions.

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    Key Features

    • Map Editing Functions: Right-click menus provide quick access to CI and relationship attributes, adding existing CIs, and managing relationships directly on the map.
    • Adding and Removing CIs: You can add existing CIs with their relationships to the map or remove CIs added during the current session. Removing a CI from the map hides it but does not delete the CI record from the CMDB.
    • Relationship Management: Create, update, or delete CI relationships. Deleting connections affects the map visualization and relationship records but preserves the CI records.
    • Editing Session Controls: Use filters and levels to simplify maps before editing, and undo unsaved changes with the reset option. Exiting the editor restores timeline and control features.

    Practical Use and Behavior

    • You must have the sncmdbadmin or sncmdbeditor role to access the map editor.
    • Added CIs are only saved to the map if they maintain a connection path to the home node; isolated CIs and their downstream branches are hidden when saved.
    • Deleting all connections to and from a CI removes those relationship records from the CMDB but keeps the CI record intact.
    • Connection deletions may cause isolated "island branches" of CIs to be automatically hidden from the map upon saving.

    Limitations

    • The editor does not support editing mapped application services (service instances), deleting or adding CI records directly in the CMDB, or managing endpoint CIs and their connections.
    • It cannot delete reference or endpoint connections or update applicative flow relationship types between endpoint CIs.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This functionality enables you to maintain a clear and accurate visualization of your CMDB relationships, control map complexity during editing, and make confident changes that improve your configuration management without risking unintended data loss. Understanding these capabilities and limitations helps you effectively manage your CMDB topology and relationships through the Unified Map editor.

    While you work in the map editor, you can add a CI to the map and remove (hide) a CI from the map. Removing a CI node from a map deletes the records of the CI's relationships, but does not delete the CI record from the CMDB. You can also add, modify, and delete CI relationships in the CMDB.

    Actions you can take in the map editor

    You can perform the following actions in the map editor:
    • Right-click a CI, relationship, or anywhere in the map to open a context menu.
    • Select the Attributes icon to manage CIs and relationships.
    • Select the Add CI icon to add an existing CI and its existing relationships to the map.
    • Select a relationship or CI and then select the Manage relationship icon to add, update, or delete relationships.
    • You can remove a CI from the map only if you added it during the current editing session. You cannot remove CIs that were on the map when you started the editing session. Select Remove for a CI to delete the CMDB records for all relationships to and from the CI. The CI is removed from the map, but the CI record isn’t deleted from the CMDB.

    Working in the map editor

    • You must have either the sn_cmdb_admin or sn_cmdb_editor role to use the map editor.
    • Before editing a map, prepare it to optimize your experience. Use filters and levels to display the minimum set of CIs to work on. Minimizing the map makes it easier to understand and control the effects of changes that you make.
    • To edit a map, select the edit map icon . A thick blue outline on the map indicates that the map editor is active.
    • While you work in the map editor, no changes are made to the CMDB until you select Save.
    • During an editing session, related items and associate badges are not shown on the map.
    • At any time, select the reset icon to undo all unsaved changes.
    • End an editing session by selecting Exit. You must exit the editor to access the timeline and controls (search, filter, zoom, and so on).

    Adding a CI to or removing a CI from the map

    • You can view an existing CI on the map to enable you to create, modify, or delete its connections.
    • You can add only CIs that have existing records in the CMDB.
    • If you try add a CI that already has a connection to another CI on the map, the map re-centers and the CI is highlighted. In some cases, due to filter settings, the CI isn't displayed.
    • An added CI appears on the map but its CMDB record isn't changed unless you change the CI's connections and save the changes. After you add a CI, it is saved to the map only if it has a path (direct or indirect) to the home node.
    • When you delete all connections between one CI and another CI so that no connection path remains to the home node, the isolated CI and all of its downstream connections are considered an island branch. When you save, changes that you made to downstream connections are saved and the island branch CI is removed from the map (hidden). The CI record is not, however, removed from the CMDB.
    • When you remove (hide) a CI from the map, the record of the CI in the CMDB is not deleted. In contrast, connection records for a removed CI are affected as described in Deleting a connection.

    Creating or modifying a connection (relationship or reference) between CIs

    Use the map editor to add a connection between two CIs or to modify an existing connection.

    To learn more, see CI relationships in the CMDB.

    Deleting a connection

    Warning:
    Deleting a connection might result in an invalid CMDB state.

    Connections that are not editable are dimmed and view-only.

    • When you delete a connection, the connection is removed from the map (hidden). The relationship is deleted from the [cmdb_ci_rel] table only when you save your changes.

    • When you delete all connections between one CI and another CI so that no connection path remains to the home node, the isolated CI and all of its downstream connections are considered an island branch. When you save, changes that you made to downstream connections are saved and the island branch CI is removed from the map (hidden). The CI record is not, however, removed from the CMDB.
    • When you delete all connections to and from a CI and save the change, the following actions occur:
      • The records of all relationships — both upstream to and downstream from — the CI are deleted from the CMDB [cmdb_ci_rel] table.
      • The CI is removed from the map (hidden).
      • The record of the CI in the CMDB is not deleted.

    Limitations

    The map editor does not support the following actions:
    • Editing mapped application services (service instances).
    • Deleting a CI record from or adding a CI record to the CMDB.
    • Adding endpoint CIs to or removing endpoint CIs from the map.
    • Deleting reference or endpoint connections or removing from the map a CI that has reference or endpoint connections.
    • Updating the applicative flow relationship type (connection between endpoint CIs).