Generic API call in ServiceNow installation guide

You must be a ServiceNow-certified professional to execute this installation process.

If you are new to ServiceNow, refer to the Exporter to ServiceNow documentation.

This guide explains how to install and configure the Generic API call in the ServiceNow integration from the update set package (XML file). This document also includes basic maintenance guidelines.

Perks of installing the Generic API Call in ServiceNow

The Generic API call in ServiceNow offers your organization a default set of flows and predefined mappings to integrate end-user IT data from the Nexthink platform into ServiceNow. With the Generic API call you can:

• Select a set of information about different Configuration Items (CI) such as devices, users, software packages and others, to populate in ServiceNow.

• Choose to import the relationships between these CIs into ServiceNow.

• Configure different CMDB ServiceNow tables and fields without using write-protected flows.

• Leverage the import of specific fields associated with a given CI type.

Download these ServiceNow components from the update set package.

For the installation guidelines, jump directly to the Initial Configuration section.

ServiceNow components included in the update set package

This section explores the main ServiceNow components included in the update set package.

Custom table inventory

The application creates 5 custom tables that it uses as staging tables to manage import sets. The Nexthink Data Export feature generates a CSV file to create all the import set tables listed below.

Learn about custom table allocations with the following queries:

Label: Import Set Software

Name: x_nexsa_g_api_call_import_set_software

NQL:

package.installed_packages
| summarize nb_installations = count(), unique_packages = package.count() by package.name, package.version, package.type, package.publisher, package.platform, package.parent_name
| list package.name, package.version , package.publisher

Label: Import Set User

Name: x_nexsa_g_api_call_import_set_user

NQL:

users
| where type != system and name !in ["*Local*"]

Label: Import Set Workstation

Name: x_nexsa_g_api_call_import_set_workstation

NQL:

devices
| where hardware.machine_serial_number != "" and (hardware.type == laptop or hardware.type == desktop)
| include cpus
| compute num_of_cores = number_of_cores.sum() , number_of_cpus = count(), sum_frequency = frequency.sum()
| include disks
| compute disk_capacity = capacity.sum()
| list group_name, entity, hardware.manufacturer, hardware.model , operating_system.architecture , hardware.machine_serial_number , name, hardware.memory, num_of_cores , number_of_cpus , sum_frequency ,disk_capacity, first_seen, last_seen

Label: Import Set Workstation - Software

Name: x_nexsa_g_api_call_import_set_workstation_software

NQL:

package.installed_packages
| summarize c1=count() by package.name, package.version , device.name
| list package.name, package.version , device.name

Label: Import Set User - Workstation

Name: x_nexsa_g_api_call_import_set_user_workstation

NQL:

session.logins during past 7d
| where hardware.type == laptop or hardware.type == desktop
| summarize c1 = count() by device.name , user.name , user.ad.full_name
| list device.name , user.name , user.ad.full_name

Transform maps

The Generic API call in the ServiceNow update set includes 5 data sources with transform maps to insert the CI types and relationships. ServiceNow lists the 5 data sources as shown in the following image:

Below is an example of a transform map from the 5 data sources provided:

Default transform maps are not write-protected. You can modify them if you need to insert more fields or transformations in the CMDB tables.

Refer to the Transform maps ServiceNow documentation for more information.

Initial configuration

Installing the application

The application package is only available in the update set format. Follow the installation procedure:

1. Go to the System Update Sets > Retrieved Update Sets module.

2. Click on the Import Update Set from XML related link.

3. Upload the application update set XML file.

4. On the update set table, click on the Generic API call in ServiceNow update set.

5. Click on the Preview update set button and wait for the preview process to finish.

6. Click on the Commit update set button and wait for the process to finish.

7. The update set status should be updated as committed.

Changing timeout settings in a ServiceNow instance

These settings are necessary to avoid timeout errors when sending a large volume of records in a request.

1. Go to the System definition > Transaction Quota Rules module.

2. Search REST Import Set API request timeout and REST and JSON Catch All.

3. Change the value for Maximum Duration (seconds) to a value according to the recommended times in the Prerequisites section from the Exporter to ServiceNow documentation.

Changing application access to the table CI/User Relationship Type

This setting allows the application to write into the CI/User table and categorize relationships between the user and the workstation.

1. Go to the System definition > Tables module.

2. Search by name with the value cmdb_rel_user_type.

   
3. Go to the Application Access tab and enable Can read, Can create, and Can update for all the scopes.

   

Update set package

Download the file.