Service Catalog Item Creation

Overview

This skill covers the complete process of creating service catalog items:

• Understanding catalog item structure
• Creating items with proper categorization
• Adding variables (form fields) with correct types
• Configuring variable sets for reusability
• Setting up pricing and fulfillment options
• Publishing and testing items

When to use: When creating new service offerings, building request forms, or configuring catalog item fulfillment.

Prerequisites

• Roles: catalog_admin or admin
• Access: sc_cat_item, item_option_new, sc_category tables
• Knowledge: Service catalog structure, variable types
• Related Skills: Complete catalog/variable-management for advanced variable configuration

Procedure

Step 1: Understand Catalog Item Structure

sc_catalog (Catalog)
└── sc_category (Category)
    └── sc_cat_item (Catalog Item)
        ├── item_option_new (Variables) - Form fields
        ├── io_set_item (Variable Set M2M) - Reusable variable groups
        ├── sc_cat_item_catalog (Catalog M2M) - Multi-catalog support
        └── workflow/flow (Fulfillment) - Processing logic

Key Tables:

Table	Purpose
sc_cat_item	Catalog item definition
sc_category	Category for organization
item_option_new	Individual variables (form fields)
io_set_item	Variable set to item mapping
question_choice	Choices for catalog variables (NOT sys_choice!)

Step 2: Find or Create Category

Query existing categories:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sc_category
  query: active=true
  fields: sys_id,title,parent,sc_catalog,order
  limit: 100

Create new category if needed:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sc_category
  data:
    title: "Employee Services"
    sc_catalog: [catalog_sys_id]  # Usually Service Catalog
    parent: [parent_category_sys_id]  # Optional
    description: "Services for employee onboarding and lifecycle"
    icon: "user"
    active: true
    order: 100

Step 3: Create the Catalog Item

Basic Catalog Item:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sc_cat_item
  data:
    name: "New Employee Laptop Request"
    short_description: "Request a laptop for new employee"
    description: |
      Use this form to request a laptop for a new employee.

      Processing time: 3-5 business days

      Please have the following information ready:
      - Employee name and start date
      - Department and manager
      - Required software
    category: [category_sys_id]
    sc_catalogs: [catalog_sys_id]
    workflow: [workflow_sys_id]  # Or use flow_designer_flow
    active: true
    visible_standalone: true
    visible_bundle: true
    visible_guide: true
    order: 100
    meta: "laptop,computer,hardware,new hire"  # Search keywords

Advanced Item Configuration:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sc_cat_item
  data:
    name: "Software License Request"
    short_description: "Request software license"
    category: [category_sys_id]
    sc_catalogs: [catalog_sys_id]
    # Pricing
    price: 0
    recurring_price: 99.00
    recurring_frequency: "monthly"
    # Approval
    no_quantity: false
    no_proceed_checkout: false
    # Availability
    start_date: "2026-01-01"
    end_date: ""  # No end date
    availability: "on_desktop"  # desktop, mobile, both
    # SLA
    delivery_time: "3 00:00:00"  # 3 days in GlideDuration format
    # Template
    template: [template_sys_id]  # Pre-fill variables
    active: true

Step 4: Add Variables (Form Fields)

Variable Types Reference:

Type	Value	Use Case
Single Line Text	16	Short text input (names, titles)
Multi-Line Text	6	Long text (descriptions, notes)
Choice (Radio)	1	2-5 options, visible at once
Select Box (Dropdown)	5	6+ options or long labels
Reference	8	Link to ServiceNow record
Yes/No	7	Boolean toggle
CheckBox	7	Same as Yes/No
Date	9	Date picker
Date/Time	10	Date and time picker
Email	32	Email validation
URL	26	URL validation
Numeric Scale	2	1-10 rating
Lookup Select Box	21	Filtered reference
Container Start	19	Group variables visually
Container End	20	End container group
Label	11	Display-only text
Break	12	Visual separator
Macro	14	UI macro execution
Masked	25	Password-style input
HTML	17	Rich text/HTML display

Create Single Line Text Variable:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new
  data:
    cat_item: [catalog_item_sys_id]
    name: "employee_name"
    question_text: "Employee Full Name"
    type: 16  # Single Line Text
    order: 100
    mandatory: true
    active: true
    help_text: "Enter the employee's full legal name"
    default_value: ""

Create Select Box (Dropdown) Variable:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new
  data:
    cat_item: [catalog_item_sys_id]
    name: "laptop_type"
    question_text: "Laptop Type"
    type: 5  # Select Box
    order: 200
    mandatory: true
    active: true
    include_none: false

Create Choice (Radio Button) Variable:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new
  data:
    cat_item: [catalog_item_sys_id]
    name: "warranty"
    question_text: "Warranty Option"
    type: 1  # Choice (Radio)
    order: 300
    mandatory: true
    active: true

Create Reference Variable:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new
  data:
    cat_item: [catalog_item_sys_id]
    name: "manager"
    question_text: "Manager"
    type: 8  # Reference
    reference: sys_user
    reference_qual: "active=true^roles!=admin"  # Filter options
    order: 400
    mandatory: true
    active: true

Create Date Variable:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new
  data:
    cat_item: [catalog_item_sys_id]
    name: "start_date"
    question_text: "Employee Start Date"
    type: 9  # Date
    order: 500
    mandatory: true
    active: true

Create Multi-Line Text Variable:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new
  data:
    cat_item: [catalog_item_sys_id]
    name: "special_requirements"
    question_text: "Special Requirements or Notes"
    type: 6  # Multi-Line Text
    order: 600
    mandatory: false
    active: true
    default_value: ""

Step 5: Add Choices to Variables

CRITICAL: Catalog variable choices use question_choice table, NOT sys_choice!

Add choices to a Select Box or Choice variable:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: question_choice
  data:
    question: [variable_sys_id]  # item_option_new sys_id
    text: "MacBook Pro 14-inch"
    value: "macbook_pro_14"
    order: 100
    inactive: false

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: question_choice
  data:
    question: [variable_sys_id]
    text: "MacBook Pro 16-inch"
    value: "macbook_pro_16"
    order: 200
    inactive: false

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: question_choice
  data:
    question: [variable_sys_id]
    text: "Dell XPS 15"
    value: "dell_xps_15"
    order: 300
    inactive: false

Step 6: Configure Variable Sets (Reusable Groups)

Variable sets allow reusing common variable groups across multiple catalog items.

Query existing variable sets:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new_set
  query: active=true
  fields: sys_id,title,description
  limit: 50

Create new variable set:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new_set
  data:
    title: "Standard Location Questions"
    description: "Common location-related variables for hardware requests"
    active: true
    type: "one_to_one"  # or "one_to_many"
    order: 100

Add variable to variable set:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new
  data:
    variable_set: [variable_set_sys_id]  # Instead of cat_item
    name: "delivery_location"
    question_text: "Delivery Location"
    type: 16
    order: 100
    mandatory: true
    active: true

Associate variable set with catalog item:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: io_set_item
  data:
    sc_cat_item: [catalog_item_sys_id]
    variable_set: [variable_set_sys_id]
    order: 100

Step 7: Configure Pricing

One-Time Price:

Tool: SN-Update-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sc_cat_item
  sys_id: [catalog_item_sys_id]
  data:
    price: 1500.00
    cost: 1200.00  # Internal cost
    recurring_price: 0

Recurring Price:

Tool: SN-Update-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sc_cat_item
  sys_id: [catalog_item_sys_id]
  data:
    price: 0
    recurring_price: 49.99
    recurring_frequency: "monthly"  # monthly, quarterly, yearly

Variable-Based Pricing: Configure pricing through workflow or catalog client script based on selected options.

Step 8: Configure Fulfillment

Assign Fulfillment Group:

Tool: SN-Update-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sc_cat_item
  sys_id: [catalog_item_sys_id]
  data:
    fulfillment_group: [group_sys_id]
    group: [group_sys_id]  # Alternative field

Assign Workflow:

Tool: SN-Update-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sc_cat_item
  sys_id: [catalog_item_sys_id]
  data:
    workflow: [workflow_sys_id]

Assign Flow Designer Flow:

Tool: SN-Update-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sc_cat_item
  sys_id: [catalog_item_sys_id]
  data:
    flow_designer_flow: [flow_sys_id]

Step 9: Publish and Test

Activate Catalog Item:

Tool: SN-Update-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sc_cat_item
  sys_id: [catalog_item_sys_id]
  data:
    active: true

Verify Item Configuration:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sc_cat_item
  query: sys_id=[catalog_item_sys_id]
  fields: name,short_description,category,active,workflow,price

Verify Variables:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new
  query: cat_item=[catalog_item_sys_id]
  fields: name,question_text,type,order,mandatory,active
  limit: 50

Verify Variable Choices:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: question_choice
  query: question.cat_item=[catalog_item_sys_id]
  fields: question.name,text,value,order
  limit: 100

Complete Example: New Employee Laptop Request

# 1. Create catalog item
Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sc_cat_item
  data:
    name: "New Employee Laptop Request"
    short_description: "Request a laptop for new employee"
    description: "Complete this form to request laptop provisioning for new hires"
    category: [category_sys_id]
    sc_catalogs: [catalog_sys_id]
    price: 0
    delivery_time: "5 00:00:00"
    active: true
# Result: sys_id = "abc123"

# 2. Create employee name variable
Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new
  data:
    cat_item: "abc123"
    name: "employee_name"
    question_text: "Employee Name"
    type: 16
    order: 100
    mandatory: true
    active: true

# 3. Create laptop type variable
Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new
  data:
    cat_item: "abc123"
    name: "laptop_type"
    question_text: "Laptop Type"
    type: 5
    order: 200
    mandatory: true
    active: true
# Result: sys_id = "def456"

# 4. Add choices to laptop type
Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: question_choice
  data:
    question: "def456"
    text: "MacBook Pro 14-inch"
    value: "macbook_14"
    order: 100

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: question_choice
  data:
    question: "def456"
    text: "Dell XPS 15"
    value: "dell_xps_15"
    order: 200

# 5. Create start date variable
Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new
  data:
    cat_item: "abc123"
    name: "start_date"
    question_text: "Employee Start Date"
    type: 9
    order: 300
    mandatory: true
    active: true

# 6. Create manager reference
Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new
  data:
    cat_item: "abc123"
    name: "reporting_manager"
    question_text: "Reporting Manager"
    type: 8
    reference: sys_user
    reference_qual: "active=true"
    order: 400
    mandatory: true
    active: true

Best Practices

• Naming Conventions: Use lowercase_with_underscores for variable names
• Order Variables Logically: Group related fields, put mandatory fields first
• Use Variable Sets: Reuse common groups (location, approver, dates)
• Test Before Publishing: Create test request to verify form flow
• Document Items: Use description field for user guidance
• Optimize for Mobile: Consider mobile users when designing forms
• Use Type 5 for 6+ Options: Select box better UX for long lists
• Use Type 1 for 2-5 Options: Radio buttons visible at glance

Troubleshooting

Variable Not Appearing on Form

Symptom: Created variable but not visible on catalog form Causes:

1. Variable inactive
2. Wrong cat_item reference
3. UI policy hiding it Solution:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: item_option_new
  query: cat_item=[item_sys_id]^active=true
  fields: name,question_text,active,order

Choices Not Appearing in Dropdown

Symptom: Select box or choice variable shows no options Cause: Choices created in sys_choice instead of question_choice Solution: Use question_choice table for catalog variables

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: question_choice
  query: question=[variable_sys_id]
  fields: text,value,order,inactive

Reference Qualifier Not Working

Symptom: Reference variable showing all records instead of filtered Cause: Invalid reference_qual syntax Solution: Verify encoded query syntax is correct

Item Not Visible in Catalog

Symptom: Item created but not appearing in catalog Causes:

1. Item inactive
2. Wrong category
3. Missing catalog association Solution: Verify active=true and sc_catalogs populated

Related Skills

• catalog/variable-management - Advanced variable configuration
• catalog/approval-workflows - Setting up approvals
• catalog/request-fulfillment - Processing requests
• admin/workflow-creation - Building fulfillment workflows

References

• ServiceNow Service Catalog
• Catalog Item Configuration
• Variable Types