Interact with ServiceNow records

This guide demonstrates how to implement a self-service action that interacts with any ServiceNow record directly from Port using synced webhooks. You will learn how to create, update and delete records in ServiceNow without leaving the Port UI.

Use cases

• Provide developers and managers with safe, self-serve CRUD operations on ServiceNow records.
• Automate table record creation, updates, or removal as part of CI/CD or maintenance workflows.

Prerequisites

• Complete the onboarding process.
• Access to your ServiceNow account with permissions to manage records in relevant tables.

Implementation

To enable interaction with ServiceNow from Port, we will configure three self-service actions:

1. Create a ServiceNow record
2. Update a ServiceNow record
3. Delete a ServiceNow record

These actions use Port’s synced webhooks to communicate with ServiceNow’s REST API and rely on Port's secret manager to securely store authentication credentials.

Add Port secrets

To add a secret to your portal:

1. Click on the ... button in the top right corner of your Port application.

2. Click on Credentials.

3. Click on the Secrets tab.

4. Click on + Secret and add the following secrets:

   • SERVICENOW_INSTANCE_URL - The ServiceNow instance URL. For example https://example-id.service-now.com.

   • SERVICENOW_API_TOKEN: A base64 encoded string of your servicenow instance credentials generated as:

     echo -n "your-instance-username:your-instance-password" | base64

Set up self-service action

The following steps will walk you through configuring each self-service action, starting with creating a record, then updating, and finally deleting it from ServiceNow.

Create a ServiceNow record

1. Head to the self-service page.

2. Click on the + New Action button.

3. Click on the {...} Edit JSON button.

4. Copy and paste the following JSON configuration into the editor.

   Create a ServiceNow record (Click to expand)

   {
       "identifier": "create_servicenow_record",
       "title": "Create ServiceNow Record",
       "icon": "Servicenow",
       "description": "Create a new record in a specified table in ServiceNow using a JSON payload",
       "trigger": {
           "type": "self-service",
           "operation": "CREATE",
           "userInputs": {
           "properties": {
               "table_name": {
               "icon": "DefaultProperty",
               "type": "string",
               "title": "Table Name",
               "description": "Name of the table in ServiceNow"
               },
               "request_body": {
               "type": "object",
               "title": "Request Body ",
               "description": "JSON payload for the new record. The payload must follow the table schema in ServiceNow"
               }
           },
           "required": [
               "request_body",
               "table_name"
           ],
           "order": [
               "table_name",
               "request_body"
           ]
           }
       },
       "invocationMethod": {
           "type": "WEBHOOK",
           "url": "{{.secrets.SERVICENOW_INSTANCE_URL}}/api/now/table/{{.inputs.table_name}}",
           "agent": false,
           "synchronized": true,
           "method": "POST",
           "headers": {
           "RUN_ID": "{{ .run.id }}",
           "Content-Type": "application/json",
           "Accept": "application/json",
           "Authorization": "Basic {{.secrets.SERVICENOW_API_TOKEN}}"
           },
           "body": {
           "{{ spreadValue() }}": "{{ .inputs.request_body }}"
           }
       },
       "requiredApproval": false
   }

5. Click Save.

Now you should see the Create ServiceNow Record action in the self-service page. 🎉

Update a ServiceNow record

1. Head to the self-service page.

2. Click on the + New Action button.

3. Click on the {...} Edit JSON button.

4. Copy and paste the following JSON configuration into the editor.

   Update a ServiceNow record (Click to expand)

   {
       "identifier": "update_service_now_record",
       "title": "Update ServiceNow Record",
       "icon": "Servicenow",
       "description": "Update an existing record in a specified table in ServiceNow based on system ID and a JSON payload",
       "trigger": {
           "type": "self-service",
           "operation": "DAY-2",
           "userInputs": {
           "properties": {
               "table_name": {
               "type": "string",
               "title": "Table Name",
               "description": "Name of the table in ServiceNow"
               },
               "request_body": {
               "type": "object",
               "title": "Request Body ",
               "description": "JSON payload containing the fields and values to update in the record. Must follow the table schema in ServiceNow"
               },
               "system_id": {
               "type": "string",
               "title": "System ID",
               "description": "Globally Unique ID (GUID) of the record in ServiceNow"
               }
           },
           "required": [
               "table_name",
               "request_body",
               "system_id"
           ],
           "order": [
               "table_name",
               "system_id",
               "request_body"
           ]
           }
       },
       "invocationMethod": {
           "type": "WEBHOOK",
           "url": "{{.secrets.SERVICENOW_INSTANCE_URL}}/api/now/table/{{.inputs.table_name}}/{{.inputs.system_id}}",
           "agent": false,
           "synchronized": true,
           "method": "PATCH",
           "headers": {
           "RUN_ID": "{{ .run.id }}",
           "Content-Type": "application/json",
           "Accept": "application/json",
           "Authorization": "Basic {{.secrets.SERVICENOW_API_TOKEN}}"
           },
           "body": {
           "{{ spreadValue() }}": "{{ .inputs.request_body }}"
           }
       },
       "requiredApproval": false
   }

5. Click Save.

Now you should see the Update ServiceNow Record action in the self-service page. 🎉

Delete a ServiceNow record

1. Head to the self-service page.

2. Click on the + New Action button.

3. Click on the {...} Edit JSON button.

4. Copy and paste the following JSON configuration into the editor.

   Delete a ServiceNow record (Click to expand)

   {
       "identifier": "delete_service_now_record",
       "title": "Delete ServiceNow Record",
       "icon": "Servicenow",
       "description": "Delete a record based on system ID from a specified table in ServiceNow",
       "trigger": {
           "type": "self-service",
           "operation": "DELETE",
           "userInputs": {
           "properties": {
               "table_name": {
               "icon": "DefaultProperty",
               "type": "string",
               "title": "Table Name",
               "description": "Name of the table in ServiceNow"
               },
               "system_id": {
               "type": "string",
               "title": "System ID",
               "description": "Globally Unique ID (GUID) of the record in ServiceNow"
               }
           },
           "required": [
               "system_id",
               "table_name"
           ],
           "order": [
               "table_name",
               "system_id"
           ]
           }
       },
       "invocationMethod": {
           "type": "WEBHOOK",
           "url": "{{.secrets.SERVICENOW_INSTANCE_URL}}/api/now/table/{{.inputs.table_name}}/{{.inputs.system_id}}",
           "agent": false,
           "synchronized": true,
           "method": "DELETE",
           "headers": {
           "RUN_ID": "{{ .run.id }}",
           "Content-Type": "application/json",
           "Accept": "application/json",
           "Authorization": "Basic {{.secrets.SERVICENOW_API_TOKEN}}"
           },
           "body": {}
       },
       "requiredApproval": false
   }

5. Click Save.

Now you should see the Delete ServiceNow Record action in the self-service page. 🎉