ServiceNow Essentials: Beginner Setup Guide

An Interactive Guide to Instance Creation & The Homepage

Creating Your Developer Instance

This section provides a step-by-step visual guide to setting up your own Personal Developer Instance (PDI). Follow the flow to get your development environment ready.

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Access Portal

developer.servicenow.com

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Sign Up & Verify

Enter details & verify email

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Initial Setup

Select "Yes, we code"

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Request Instance

Choose a version & launch

Managing Your Instance

Once your instance is live, you have several actions available. Explore the cards below to understand key management tasks. These actions give you control over your personal development environment.

⬆️ Upgrade Instance

Move to a newer ServiceNow release. You can jump directly to any new version, skipping intermediate ones.

🗑️ Release Instance

Permanently delete all data and return your instance URL to the pool. Use with caution!

🔑 Manage Password

Reset the login credentials for your personal instance.

🔄 Refresh Instance

Reset your instance to its base state, wiping all customizations.

📧 Email Properties

Enable or disable your instance's ability to send and receive emails.

⚠️ 10-Day Activity Rule

Development Lifecycle

In a real-world scenario, development flows through multiple environments. Your PDI acts as your "Dev" environment. This chart visualizes the typical path of a feature from development to the live production system that users interact with.

Understanding User Interfaces

ServiceNow provides different interfaces tailored to different users. The charts below represent the primary audience for each UI. This helps clarify who uses which part of the platform.

Classic / Platform UI

The core interface for developers and fulfillers to build and manage the platform.

Service Portal

A user-friendly, web-like interface designed exclusively for end-users to request services and find help.

Service Operations Workspace

A specialized, modern UI for fulfillers to efficiently manage and resolve tasks like incidents and requests.

Key Takeaways & Best Practices

Keep these key points in mind as you continue your ServiceNow journey. Following these best practices will help you avoid common pitfalls and develop more effectively.

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Practice in PDI
Your Personal Developer Instance is your sandbox. Use it for all learning, experimentation, and practice.
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Understand UI Roles
Know the difference between Classic, Portal, and Workspaces to understand who you are building for.
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Leverage Favorites & History
Use the built-in navigation helpers to streamline your daily workflow and save time.
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Don't Touch Live Configs
Never modify basic configuration settings in a real-time client environment unless it's a specific requirement. These are global changes.
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Stay Active
Log into your PDI at least every 10 days to prevent it from being reclaimed by the system.

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