Managing Request catalogs

Configure Request catalogs for Nexthink Spark to autonomously process common requests, grounded in your organization's list of active, orderable IT services. Import the list of catalog items as CSV files, or connect to a live external system, then classify and manage each source from one central location.

Request catalogs configuration is available only for Spark. Refer to for information on how Spark uses request catalogs.

Accessing Request catalogs

Select Administration > Request catalogs from the navigation panel.

Connecting Nexthink to request catalogs

To connect Nexthink to request catalogs, follow one of these options:

• Configure an inbound connector to connect to a live external system.
• Import request catalogs from a CSV file.

Refer to the procedures described on this page for details.

Connecting to a live external request catalog

From the top right corner of the Request catalogs page, use New request catalog connector to connect to a live external system, such as ServiceNow. The system navigates to the New connector - ServiceNow Request Catalog page where you can provide your configuration details.

Optionally, create a new inbound connector directly from the Inbound connectors management page.

Refer to ServiceNow Request Catalog connector for connector setup.

Importing a request catalog from a CSV file

Each imported CSV file is treated as an independent request catalog and is processed independently. Multiple request catalogs can coexist.

The following procedure uses ServiceNow as an example; however, on a high level, the process is similar in other ITSM platforms.

1

Identify data to export from your ITSM

1. Open the list of catalog items in your ITSM. In this case, ServiceNow's Service Catalog.
2. Select catalog items by applying these filters:

   • Published items only
   • Items available to your service desk users.
   • Exclude translated versions of the same item.
   • Include every item you want to import.

Spark indexes every uploaded item regardless of ITSM permissions.

2

Export data from your ITSM

Export data from your ITSM, in this case ServiceNow, by performing a standard CSV export:

After you configured the desired filters, personalize the items list by including the following columns in the CSV. Use the exact case-sensitive column names listed in the table below.

Ensure the file is UTF‑8 encoded. If your ServiceNow instance is not configured to perform UTF-8 exports by default, convert the file to UTF-8 afterward.

Column name	Description
number	Identifier of the request catalog item. Example: 67429650877bcd1029c687f60cbb3563
name	Title of the request catalog item. Example: Keybaord and Mouse
short_description	Short description of the request catalog item. Example: "Request Keyboard and Mouse"
description	Description of the request catalog item. Example: "Provide any relevant details, including whether you need a standard wired set, a wireless set, or an ergonomic alternative."
category	Category of the request catalog item. Example: Hardware

3

Upload the CSV file to Nexthink

In Nexthink, Import request catalogs from the top-right corner of the Request catalogs page.

Enter the source URL

Provide a full, parameterized URL that links to individual items in your ITSM, including a placeholder for the item identifier. Root-only hostnames aren't supported: https://example.company.com/path/to/item/{number}

URL example for ServiceNow: https://<instance>.service-now.com/sp?id=sc_cat_item&sys_id={number}

Upload the CSV file

Drag and drop your CSV file into the upload area, or Choose file to browse—up to 100 MB per file. Each row in the file represents one request catalog item.

After choosing a CSV file, the dialog displays the file name and size.

If an error occurs during import, the dialog displays a warning message. Check your file and retry the import.

Once the import succeeds, the system validates the file and displays a confirmation indicator.

File processing occurs asynchronously and may take up to 15 minutes for large request catalogs.

Manual uploads are not incremental. When uploading a new CSV file into Nexthink, the new content replaces the previous content.

Updating manually imported request catalogs

To ensure Nexthink Spark always has a request catalog available, even when the system is processing a new version of a request catalog file, Nexthink recommends the following order:

1. Upload the updated request catalog file while still leaving the old one in the system.
2. Once the new request catalog file is processed, delete the old file.

Nexthink recommends the following best practices to improve the selection of request catalog items:

• Keep items current and up to date.
• Include key information in the item description.

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Managing request catalog sources

The Request catalogs page lists every imported or connected catalog source. Each table row shows:

• Name: the CSV file name or connector name.
• Origin: how the source was added. Imported and connected sources both show as Custom.
• Type: Connector or File, depending on how the source was added.
• Size: the number of articles in the CSV. The system can also display the following statuses:

  • Failed: if the file cannot be processed, for example, if it contains a syntax error. In this case, hover over the error message to see more details and a remediation proposal.
  • Processing: if the file contains many articles, it may take the system time to process.
• Last update: when the source was last imported or synced—helps to assess if an article is up to date.

Request catalog actions

From the table, hover over a request catalog to reveal the action menu on the right side of the row. Depending on the request catalog type, you can:

• Edit: update the settings of an existing request catalog.
• Export: Download the original CSV file corresponding to the last successful import. Each request catalog CSV file can be exported only individually.
• Delete: Permanently remove a previously uploaded CSV and all request catalog items associated with it.