What's this course about?

This ServiceNow Administration Fundamentals course teaches you how to manage the ServiceNow platform as an
administrator. Think of an administrator like the person who sets up and controls how ServiceNow works for a
company. If you’re aiming to get certified as a Certified System Administrator (CSA), this is the right course for you.
But if you’ve never used ServiceNow at all, there’s a simpler, beginner course called "Welcome to ServiceNow" that
you should check out first.

What is ServiceNow?
Imagine ServiceNow as a giant, super-organized online office. In this office:

 Everything is stored as records in tables. These tables hold all the data your company uses to run its
business.

 These tables are part of different applications (or "apps") that help employees do their jobs.

Example:

Think of Google Sheets. Just like a sheet has rows and columns for data, ServiceNow has tables with rows (records)
and columns (data fields). For example, a table in ServiceNow could store information about all the computers in the
company, and each row is a record of one computer with details like its brand, model, and purchase date.

Why is ServiceNow useful?

ServiceNow helps companies automate tasks and organize their work so they can save time and reduce mistakes.

Example:

Let’s say your computer breaks, and you need a new one. In ServiceNow, you could go to the Service Catalog (like an
online store), request a new laptop, and the platform will automatically:

1. Notify the IT team that you need a new laptop.

2. Track how long it takes for them to deliver it.

3. Keep a record of the whole process, so you know what’s happening.

What will you do as an administrator?

As a ServiceNow administrator, you’ll be the person setting up all these tables, forms, lists, and workflows. You’ll
also decide who has access to what, how data is displayed, and make sure everything works smoothly.

Example:

Imagine you're working for a company that uses ServiceNow, and the HR department wants to track job applications.
You can:

1. Create a table to store all the details of each applicant (name, resume, interview date, etc.).

2. Set up forms so HR staff can enter this data easily.

3. Build workflows that automatically send emails to applicants when they’re approved for an interview.

Simple Summary:
 ServiceNow is like a giant, cloud-based workspace where all company data and tasks are organized.

 Everything in ServiceNow is stored in tables (like a spreadsheet), and you interact with these through lists,
forms, dashboards, and KB, workspace and service catalog.

 As a ServiceNow administrator, you'll manage and set up all this data so employees can do their jobs
efficiently.
User Access and Personas Lesson
Users:
 Who are they?
Users are people (or systems) who log into ServiceNow to perform various tasks. Each user has specific
permissions based on their roles.

 Example:
John from IT logs in to resolve issues. He is a user in ServiceNow. Also, automated systems (like software
programs) that access ServiceNow data are considered users too.

Groups:
 What are they?
Groups are collections of users who perform similar tasks. Groups help manage roles more easily by assigning
specific permissions (roles) to everyone in the group.

 Example:
The IT Support group includes all IT staff. Anyone in this group can manage support tickets.

Roles:
 What are they?
Roles define what a user can do in ServiceNow. They are like keys that unlock access to certain features or
areas of the system.

 Example:

o The "Admin" role gives John full access to everything, including system settings.

o The "Requester" role lets Sarah submit requests for help (like reporting a broken laptop) but not
change system settings.

Personas (Conceptual Idea):

 What is a Persona?
A persona describes what kind of responsibilities a user has on the platform (e.g., Admin, IT Support, Regular
User). It helps us understand what different types of users need to do on ServiceNow.

Summary of Personas:
1. System Administrator: Full access to the platform, manages users, groups, and system configurations.

2. Delegated Admin: Manages specific parts of the system (e.g., HR, IT).

3. Fulfiller/Process User: Handles tasks like resolving tickets or responding to service requests.

4. Requester/End User: Regular users who submit service requests or check information but don’t manage
tasks.

5. Approver: Can approve or reject requests but doesn't perform other tasks.

*Both Requester and Approver does not have roles within the platform, they are kind of self-service users.
Approver can also perform the requester functions.

Roles and Their Assignment in ServiceNow

1. Direct Role Assignment: You can assign roles directly to individual users, but it’s more efficient to assign them to
groups. Users inherit roles from their group memberships.

 Example:
The HR Group might have the "HR Admin" role, which allows members to manage employee data. When
Alice joins the HR group, she automatically gets this role.
2. Role Inheritance:
Roles can be part of a hierarchy. A "parent" role can inherit permissions from "child" roles. This helps manage
access in a more sophisticated way.

 Example:
A "Catalog Admin" can do everything that a "Catalog Manager" and a "User Criteria Admin" can do because
the admin role is the parent of those roles.

Impersonation (Testing User Access)

What is impersonation?
Impersonation allows administrators to "pretend" to be another user and see what that user can access in the
system. This helps test if permissions are set up correctly.

 Example:
John (the admin) impersonates Sarah to check if Sarah can only submit requests and doesn’t have access to
admin functions. This makes sure that users see only what they should.

Simple Summary
 Users: People or systems that log into ServiceNow.

 Groups: Collections of users who share similar responsibilities.

 Roles: Permissions that define what users can do in the platform.

 Personas (Concept): Different types of users based on their tasks or responsibilities.