Working with tables from the ITSM Perspective.

In ServiceNow’s IT Service Management (ITSM) suite, different tables serve specific purposes aligned with ITIL processes. Here’s a breakdown of the key ITSM tables, their purposes, and how they differ:

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🔧 1. [incident] — Incident Table

• Purpose: Manage unplanned interruptions or service degradations.
• Use Case: A user reports they can’t access email.
• Key Fields: Number, Caller, Category, State, Priority, Assignment Group, Short Description.

✅ Goal: Restore service as quickly as possible.

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🧾 2. [problem] — Problem Table

• Purpose: Identify and manage the root cause of recurring incidents.
• Use Case: Multiple users reporting intermittent network issues.
• Key Fields: Number, Impact, Cause, Workaround, Known Error, Root Cause.

✅ Goal: Prevent future incidents by resolving underlying issues.

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🔄 3. [change_request] — Change Table

• Purpose: Manage changes to the IT infrastructure in a controlled manner.
• Use Case: Deploying a new version of a database.
• Key Fields: Number, Change Type, Risk, Assignment Group, Planned Start/End, Approval.

✅ Goal: Minimize risk and disruption during changes.

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📦 4. [sc_request] — Request Table

• Purpose: Tracks a user request initiated from the Service Catalog.
• Use Case: A user requests a new laptop.
• Key Fields: Number, Requested For, Opened By, Stage.

✅ Goal: Handle service delivery requests (not break-fix).

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🧾 5. [sc_req_item] — Requested Item Table

• Purpose: Represents individual items from a Service Catalog request.
• Use Case: The laptop itself from the above request.
• Key Fields: Request (reference to sc_request), Stage, Catalog Item.

✅ Goal: Fulfill each item requested by the user.

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📋 6. [sc_task] — Catalog Task Table

• Purpose: Breaks down a requested item into fulfillable tasks.
• Use Case: “Set up laptop,” “Install software,” etc.
• Key Fields: Request Item, Assignment Group, State, Short Description.

✅ Goal: Route work to fulfillers.

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📃 7. [task] — Task Table

• Purpose: The base table for many process records like Incident, Problem, Change, etc.
• Use Case: Enables shared fields (Assignment Group, Priority, etc.)
• Key Fields: Assigned To, Priority, State, Description.

✅ Goal: Provide a common structure for all work items.

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🧠 Summary Table Comparison

Table Name	Purpose	Related To	Is a Task?
incident	Restore service	User-reported issues	Yes
problem	Find root cause	Recurring incidents	Yes
change_request	Manage IT changes	Infrastructure changes	Yes
sc_request	Overall service request	Submitted via catalog	No
sc_req_item	Individual item in a request	Linked to sc_request	No
sc_task	Fulfillment task for item	Linked to req item	Yes
task	Parent structure	Inherited by others	Yes

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Would you like a visual diagram showing the relationship between these tables?