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Build the Seeding Template for ServiceNow

Select the tables you want to seed to make sure you are seeding the exact data required by your use case. Once your seeding template is in Edit mode, you can start building your node hierarchy of tables that you want to seed in the Template Builder tab.

In the Template Builder tab, when viewing a locked seeding template (locked by another user for editing, as indicated by the display of the Lock icon in the upper right of the UI), users that are assigned the Master Admin role have use of the Make me editor link.

This link is made available to Master Admin users by hovering their cursor over the Lock icon, which then expands and presents a template locked for edit status message followed by the Make me editor link.

Add a Root Node

Root nodes are the anchor tables of your schema. Add their parent nodes and their child nodes based on your business requirements. Typically, select a table that is the center of the business data model to be the root. The graph of related tables is built from the root. You can have more than one root table in your template, although it is recommended to have as few as possible, to keep the template easy to understand.

  • Mandatory Parent Nodes: When selecting a table with mandatory relationships to other tables, the system automatically adds those tables to the template. These nodes cannot be removed.
  • When the mandatory parents are multiple extended tables, we are unable to display the exact relationship to the tables as parent table(s) can vary depending on the actual reference value. This can only be determined during the seeding process when we fetch the live data from the source and discover the specific class type referenced.
  1. On the Template Builder screen, in the Roots column, click +Add root to add a table as a root table.
  2. Filter by typing in the drop-down to find the required table.
  3. Click on the table to create the root node.

You could now seed an instance with data however, you may want to bring in some more tables to seed a complete business data set.

Add Child Nodes

  1. Click the root node you want to select. The Children and Parents columns open.
  2. Click Add child.
  3. Filter or scroll to select the required table.
  4. Repeat if more Child nodes are required.

    When adding a Child with a mandatory Parent, the system automatically adds the mandatory Parents to be seeded.

  5. Click Add.

When the mandatory parents are multiple extended tables, we are unable to display the exact relationship to the tables as parent table(s) can vary depending on the actual reference value. As the parent table in the template is unknown, we will only add the base table as the parents. This can only be determined during the seeding process when we fetch the live data from the source and discover the specific class type referenced.

Click the blue tab next to your node to view the nodes' parent tables.

Add Parent Nodes to a Root Table

When a Root table has optional parents (from a lookup relationship), you can add them to the hierarchy.

Click the Add parent to add optional parent nodes to the root table.

Add Optional Parent Nodes to Child Tables

When a Child table has optional parents, you can add them to the hierarchy.

  1. On the child node, click the three dots to display the menu.
  2. Select Add Parents. The Add parents window opens.
  3. Add the required parent nodes.

Add Optional Child Nodes to Parent Tables

When a Parent table has optional children, you can add them to the hierarchy.

  1. On the parent node, click the three dots to display the menu.
  2. Select Add Children. The Add children window opens.
  3. Click Add.
  4. Filter or select the required child nodes.

Configure a Seeding Template to Anonymize As Part of a Seeding Job

As part of the execution of a seeding job, you can anonymize the data of the service that is defined as the Template Source in the seeding template. This allows you to anonymize personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive information, and classified information before it is copied to the destination.

  1. Configure the seeding template to reference an anonymization template:
    1. In the Seeding application Templates tab, select a seeding template in which you want to define a reference to an anonymization template. The seeding template displays in the Template Builder tab.
    2. If the selected seeding template is currently not in Edit mode, click Edit. The seeding template transitions to Edit mode.
    3. Click Publish. The seeding template is updated with the reference to the selected anonymization template and transitions to view-only mode.
    4. Click Publish. The seeding template is updated with the reference to the selected anonymization template and transitions to view-only mode.
  2. (Optionally) Anonymize data as part of the execution of a seeding job:
    1. Using a seeding template selected for the seeding job, define and execute the seeding job, whether manually executed or by schedule. The Seeding application retrieves the seeding source's data.
    2. The Anonymize application uses the anonymization template that is referenced in the Anonymization Template field of the seeding template to anonymize the retrieved seeding source data.
      The Seeding application copies (seeds) the anonymized seeding source data into the destination that is defined for the seeding job.

When data anonymization is performed as part of the execution of a seeding job, no Anonymization Report is produced for the anonymization. The anonymization processing phase of the seeding job is reported in the Seeding Report of that seeding job, including any associated warnings and errors.

For information about defining and executing a seeding job, see Run a Seeding Job for ServiceNow.