Configure a Design and Assign function example

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 7 minutes to read
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    Summary of Configure a Design and Assign function example

    This example guides ServiceNow customers on how to create and configure a playbook for the Design and Assign function within the Telecommunications Network Inventory application. The playbook automates the design and assignment of network services by capturing Optical Network Terminal (ONT) details such as site and equipment template, enabling efficient creation of ONT devices to fulfill customer orders.

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    Prerequisites

    • Change Model: Create a change model named Network Service Automated Flow with model states: Design in progress, Design complete, and Closed. Configure transitions and enable the "Allow CI Modification" attribute for the Design in progress and Design complete states.
    • Record Producer: Create a record producer named Capture ONT Details on the Change Task table to capture ONT site and inventory template information using reference variables.
    • Subflow: Develop a subflow named Capture ONT Details with input fields to manage validation and change tasks, including actions to read catalog variables, create equipment from templates, and update affected Configuration Items.
    • Request Definition: Define a request named Capture ONT Details with task type set to Change Task to be used in the playbook activities.

    Creating and Configuring the Playbook

    • Create a playbook named Design Network Service in Workflow Studio.
    • Configure a trigger to start the playbook on creation of a change request using the Network Service Automated Flow change model.
    • Define stages and activities:
      • Setup Network Service: A form activity linked to the Change Request table to collect service design details.
      • Capture ONT Details: An automated activity that creates a change task using the previously defined request definition and record producer to capture ONT information.
      • Review and Submit: A form activity for reviewing details and submitting the ONT device creation.
    • Save, close, and activate the playbook.

    Adding Playbook to Home Page

    Add the sysid of the Network Service Automated Flow change model to the system property snniws.tnidesignassignchgmodels to enable access from the Design and Assign home page.

    Using the Design and Assign Function

    • Agents navigate to Workspaces > Network Inventory Workspace and open the Design and Assign home page.
    • They start a new network service request using the Network Service Automated Flow playbook.
    • By completing the playbook activities, agents design the network service and instantiate ONT devices based on selected site and template, automating equipment creation and configuration.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This configuration provides a guided, automated workflow for designing and assigning network services, reducing manual effort and errors in equipment instantiation. It leverages change management and inventory templates to ensure consistent and efficient fulfillment of network service requests.

    This example demonstrates how you can create and configure a playbook to design and assign a network service in the Telecommunications Network Inventory application.

    Example overview

    Consider you have an order requests from a customer to fulfill a network service that must create Optical Network Terminals (ONT) for a specified location. To design and assign this network service, you must capture the ONT details such as an ONT site and equipment template details. By creating and configuring a playbook for the Design and Assign function, you can automate these tasks by following step-by-step guidance for designing the network service.

    As a playbook admin, you create and configure the playbook to design and assign your inventory for the network service. The playbook contains the following activities to create the ONT device.
    1. Setup Network Service - Collects service details of your design request.
    2. Capture ONT Details - Capture the ONT site and inventory template details to instantiate the equipment.
    3. Review and Submit - You review the activity details and creates the ONT devices for the specific location according to the template.
    As a part of this playbook workflow, you automate the following.
    • Creates a change request for the ONT design.
    • Creates change tasks for the activities such as capturing ONT details.
    • Execute the change tasks to instantiate the equipment using an inventory template.

    As a playbook agent, you can fulfill your customer orders and requests for the network service by using this Design and Assign function.

    Prerequisites

    Prior to creating a playbook, as an inventory core admin, you create and configure the following.
    1. Create a Change model and add model states.
      Table 1. Change model details
      Item Description
      Change model name Set name as Network Service Automated Flow.
      Model state Add the following model states and set the model state transitions.
      Design in progress
      Set model state transition to Design complete.
      Design complete
      Set model state transition to Closed.
      Closed
      Don't set any model state transition for this state.
      Note:
      You must add Allow CI Modification attribute to the Design in progress and Design complete model states.

      To learn more about the detailed steps, see Create a Change Model for Design and Assign function.

    2. Create a record producer to capture the ONT input details such as ONT site and inventory template. This record producer is used in the second activity in the playbook.
      Table 2. Record producer details
      Item Description
      Record producer
      • Set the record producer name as Capture ONT Details.
      • Set the Table field as Change Task.

      To learn more about the detailed steps, see Create a record producer for the Design and Assign function.

    3. Add variables to the record producer.
      Table 3. Variable details
      Item Description
      Variable 1 Set the following details for Variable 1.
      • Set the Type field as Reference.
      • On the Question tab, set the Question field as ONT site.
      • On the Specification tab, set Reference field as Network Site [cmdb_ci_ni_site].
      Variable 2 Set the following details for Variable 1.
      • Set the Type field as Reference.
      • On the Question tab, set the ONT Template field as ONT site.
      • On the Specification tab, set Reference field as Inventory Template [sn_ni_core_inventory_template].

      To learn more about the detailed steps, see Create variables for Design and Assign function.

    4. Select DA common variables as a variable set to the record producer.

      To learn more about the detailed steps, see Add variable set to the record producer for Design and Assign function.

    5. Create a subflow for the request definition that you use to configure the second activity in the playbook.
      Table 4. Subflow details
      Item Description
      Subflow name Set the subflow name as Capture ONT Details.
      Input fields Add the following input fields for the subflow.
      • Set Label as Ignore Validation Error and the Type as true/false for input 1.
      • Set Label as Change task and the Type as Reference.Change Task for input 2.
      Actions Add the following actions to the subflow.
      • Add the Get Catalog Variable action to read the details from the record producer.
      • Add the TNI Create CI from Template action to create the equipment from the inventory template.
      • Add the Update Record action to update the equipment to the affected Configuration Items (CI)

      To learn more about the detailed steps, see Create subflow for Design and Assign function.

    6. Create a request definition that you use to configure the second activity in the playbook.
      Table 5. Request definition details
      Item Description
      Request definition name Set the following details for the request definition.
      • Set the request definition name as Capture ONT Details.
      • Set the Task type field as Change Task.

      To learn more about the detailed steps, see Create subflow for Design and Assign function.

    Creating and configuring a playbook

    As a playbook admin, you create and configure the playbook for the Design and Assign function in the Workflow Studio. For the detailed information about the following steps, see Create a playbook for the Design and Assign function.
    1. Create a playbook and set the name as Design Network Service.
    2. Add and configure your trigger.
      Table 6. Trigger details
      Item Description
      Additional properties window On the Schedule tab, set the following details for the trigger.
      • Set the Define your own conditions for when your process runs as Create Record.
      • Set trigger condition as Network Service Automated Flow Change model.
      You configure additional property to trigger the playbook when a change request is created using the Network Service Automated Flow Change model.
    3. Create a stage and add activities such as Setup Network Service, Capture ONT Details, and Review and Submit.
      1. Create and configure the Setup Network Service activity.
        Table 7. Setup Network Service activity details
        Item Description
        Add activity Select the Display Form default activity.
        Details tab Rename the activity as Setup Network Service.
        UI Layout tab Set the following details in the UI Layout tab.
        • Set the Associated table field as Chang Request.
        • Set the Associated record field as Flow DataTrigger - change_request > change_request Record
        • Set the Experience Status Table field as Flow Data.
        • Set the Experience Status Record field as Automation plan > Create Flow Data > Outputs > Flow Data Record.
        • Set the Form View field as Playbook.
      2. Create and configure the Capture ONT Details activity.
        Table 8. Capture ONT Details activity details
        Item Description
        Add activity Select the Auto Create Change Task default activity.
        Details tab Rename the activity as Capture ONT Details.
        Automation tab Set the following details in the Automation tab.
        • Set the Request Type field as Capture ONT Details. The Capture ONT Details is the request definition that you created.
        • Set the Record Producer field as Capture ONT Details.
        • Set the Change Request field as Flow DataTrigger - change_request > change_request Record
        UI Layout tab Set the following details in the UI Layout tab.
        • Set the Associated table field as Chang Task.
        • Set the Associated record field as Automation plan > Create Change Task Data > Outputs > Change Tasks.
        • Set the Experience Status Table field as Flow Data.
        • Set the Experience Status Record field as Automation plan > Create Flow Data > Outputs > Flow Data Record.
        • Set the Form View field as Playbook.
      3. Create and configure the Review and Submit activity.
        Table 9. Review and Submit activity details
        Item Description
        Add activity Select the Display Form default activity.
        Details tab Rename the activity as Review and Submit.
        UI Layout tab Set the following details in the UI Layout tab.
        • Set the Associated table field as Chang Task.
        • Set the Associated record field as Automation plan > Create Change Task Data > Outputs > Change Tasks.
        • Set the Experience Status Table field as Flow Data.
        • Set the Experience Status Record field as Automation plan > Create Flow Data > Outputs > Flow Data Record.
        • Set the Form View field as Playbook.
      4. Select Save and close.
    4. Select Activate.
    The following example shows the playbook that you created and configured in the Workflow Studio.
    Figure 1. Example of the playbook in Workflow Studio
    Playbook in Workflow Studio with the list of activities.

    Adding playbook to home page

    You add the sys_id of the Network Service Automated Flow Change model in the sn_ni_ws.tni_design_assign_chg_models record. To learn more about the detailed steps, see Update system property to configure the Design and Assign home page.

    Using a Design and Assign function

    As an agent, you use the playbook for the Design and Assign function to fulfill the requirement of the network service by following the steps.
    1. Navigate to Workspaces > Network Inventory Workspace.
    2. Select the design and assign icon (Design and Assign Icon) to open the Design and Assign home page.
    3. On the Design Assign home page, select New > Network Service Automated Flow.
    4. Complete the activities on the playbook to design and assign your network service.

    This process creates an ONT device based on the template and site that you selected in the playbook activity.

    The following example is the Design and Assign function that you created.

    Figure 2. Example of playbook
    Playbook view with the list of activities