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ServiceNow

Knowledge Base and service management platform

✅ Ready📚 Documentation Available

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Configuration Guide

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Overview

The ServiceNow connector provides access to your organization’s Knowledge Base articles through OAuth 2.0 authentication. It syncs users, groups, knowledge bases, categories, and articles with their attachments.

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Authentication

The ServiceNow connector uses OAuth 2.0 authentication with user impersonation. This allows a single admin account to access Knowledge Base articles on behalf of all users, ensuring each user sees only the content they have permission to view.

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How to configure and enable the ServiceNow Connector

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Step 1: Create OAuth Application in ServiceNow

  1. Sign in to ServiceNow:
    Navigate to your ServiceNow instance (e.g., https://dev12345.service-now.com) and sign in with administrator credentials.
  2. Access Application Registry:
    • In the navigation filter, search for “Application Registry”
    • Or navigate to System OAuth → Application Registry
ServiceNow Application Registry
  1. Create New OAuth Application:
    • Click “New”
    Create OAuth API endpoint
    • Select “Create an OAuth API endpoint for external clients”
    Create OAuth API endpoint
  2. Configure OAuth Application: Fill in the following details:
    • Name: PipesHub KB Connector (or any meaningful name)
    • Client ID: Auto-generated (copy this value)
    • Client Secret: Auto-generated (copy this value)
    • Redirect URL: (Get the redirect uri from pipeshub configure servicenow dialog in connector settings)
      • For production: https://your-domain.com/connectors/oauth/callback/ServiceNow
    OAuth application configuration
    • Accessible from: All application scopes
    • Refresh Token Lifespan: 8640000 seconds (100 days recommended)
OAuth application configuration
  1. Copy Credentials:
    • Client ID: Copy and save securely
    • Client Secret: Copy and save securely
Client ID and Secret
  1. Click “Submit” to save the application
Store the Client ID and Client Secret securely. You’ll need these to configure the connector in PipesHub.

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Step 2: Verify Admin User Permissions

The admin user authenticating the OAuth connection needs appropriate roles for user impersonation:
  1. Navigate to System Security → Users
  2. Find the admin user who will authenticate the connector
  3. Verify the user has one of the following roles:
    • admin role (recommended)
    • impersonate role
Admin user roles
Most administrator accounts already have the admin role by default. User impersonation allows the connector to access Knowledge Base articles on behalf of different users while respecting their individual permissions.

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Step 3: Prepare Instance URLs

You’ll need three URLs based on your ServiceNow instance:If your instance URL is: https://dev12345.service-now.comThen:
  • Instance URL: https://dev12345.service-now.com
  • Authorize URL: https://dev12345.service-now.com/oauth_auth.do
  • Token URL: https://dev12345.service-now.com/oauth_token.do
Simply append /oauth_auth.do for the Authorize URL and /oauth_token.do for the Token URL to your instance URL.

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Step 4: Configure Connector in PipesHub

  1. Navigate to Settings → Connectors in PipesHub
  2. Find the ServiceNow connector and click “Configure”
  3. Enter the following details:
    • ServiceNow Instance URL: Your instance URL (e.g., https://dev12345.service-now.com)
    • ServiceNow Authorize URL: Instance URL + /oauth_auth.do
    • ServiceNow Token URL: Instance URL + /oauth_token.do
    • Client ID: From Step 1
    • Client Secret: From Step 1
PipesHub ServiceNow configuration
  1. Click “Next” or “Save Configuration”

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Step 5: Authorize Connection

  1. After saving configuration, you’ll be redirected to ServiceNow
  2. Sign in with your administrator account (if not already signed in)
  3. Review the permissions requested by PipesHub connector
  4. Click “Allow” to authorize the connection
ServiceNow OAuth consent screen
  1. You’ll be redirected back to PipesHub with a success message
The authorization grants PipesHub access to your ServiceNow Knowledge Base data using the admin account credentials while maintaining user-level permissions through impersonation.

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Step 6: Enable the Connector

  1. After successful authorization, toggle the connector to “Enable”
ServiceNow connector enabled
  1. The connector will verify credentials and begin initial sync
  2. Wait for the status to show “Active and syncing data”
ServiceNow connector enabled
Initial sync duration depends on the number of Knowledge Base articles, categories, and users in your ServiceNow instance.

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Supported Features

The ServiceNow connector syncs the following data:
  • Users: User profiles and permissions
  • Groups: User groups and memberships
  • Knowledge Bases: KB structures and configurations
  • Categories: Article categories and hierarchies
  • Articles: Knowledge Base articles with full content
  • Attachments: Files attached to articles

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Data Sync Behavior

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Initial Sync

  • Fetches all users, groups, knowledge bases, categories, and articles
  • Respects user permissions for article visibility
  • Duration depends on the size of your Knowledge Base

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Incremental Sync

  • Uses timestamp-based synchronization (sys_updated_on field)
  • Only syncs new or modified content since last sync
  • Efficient delta queries reduce API calls and sync time

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User Impersonation

  • Single admin OAuth token authenticates the connector
  • Connector impersonates individual users when fetching articles
  • Each user sees only articles they have permission to access
  • Maintains ServiceNow’s access control and security model

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Troubleshooting

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Common Issues

Invalid client credentials error:
  • Verify Client ID and Client Secret are correct
  • Ensure you copied the full values without extra spaces
  • Check that the OAuth application is active in ServiceNow
Authorization failed:
  • Verify the admin user has admin or impersonate role
  • Ensure the admin account is active and not locked
  • Check that Knowledge Base access is granted to the admin user
Incorrect instance URL:
  • Instance URL format must be: https://instance-name.service-now.com
  • Do not include trailing slashes or additional paths
  • Ensure URLs match exactly (Instance, Authorize, Token)
Token expired or sync stopped:
  • Refresh tokens expire based on the configured lifespan
  • Disable and re-enable the connector to re-authenticate
  • Consider increasing Refresh Token Lifespan in ServiceNow OAuth settings
Permission denied for articles:
  • Verify the admin user has Knowledge Base read access
  • Check user group memberships for article access
  • Ensure ACLs (Access Control Lists) are configured correctly in ServiceNow
If you modify OAuth application settings in ServiceNow (Client ID, Secret, Redirect URL), you must update the configuration in PipesHub and re-authorize the connection.

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ServiceNow Version Compatibility

This connector has been tested with ServiceNow version Zurich and should work with other recent versions (Rome, San Diego, Tokyo, Utah, Vancouver, Washington, Xanadu).
ServiceNow maintains backward compatibility for OAuth 2.0 and Table APIs across versions, ensuring the connector works reliably.

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Ready to Get Started?

Connect your ServiceNow Knowledge Base to PipesHub in just a few minutes. Follow the steps above to enable organization-wide knowledge search and access.