Prepairing Data Sources: ServiceNow API

Preparing a ServiceNow data source for integration ensures secure, structured, and high-performance access to operational IT and business data. By leveraging the built-in REST APIs—such as the Table API, Aggregate API, Attachment API, Import Set API, and Scripted REST endpoints—organizations can enable reliable data exchange while maintaining governance, authentication standards, and performance controls. A properly configured ServiceNow API connection provides the foundation for seamless synchronization with Noreja and supports scalable, secure process analytics.

Overview

Below is a consolidated reference for the most commonly used ServiceNow REST API endpoints. These built-in APIs enable CRUD operations on tables, statistical aggregations, attachment handling, import set staging, and custom logic via scripted endpoints. Use the REST API Explorer in your instance (System Web Services ▶ Inbound ▶ REST API Explorer) to test requests and inspect available parameters.

In summary, ServiceNow provides the following core REST interfaces:

Table API (/api/now/table/{tableName}) for standard CRUD on any table servicenow.com servicenow.com

Aggregate API (/api/now/stats/{tableName}) for record counts and statistical summaries servicenow.com

Attachment API (/api/now/attachment/*) for uploading, downloading, and listing file attachments servicenow.com

Import Set API (/api/now/import/{stagingTableName}) for bulk staging and transformation of external data servicenow.com

Scripted REST API (custom /api/{namespace}/{api_id}/…) for bespoke endpoints with server-side logic servicenow.com

Below, each endpoint is described with its URI pattern, supported methods, key query parameters, and a brief usage example.

Table API

Performs Create, Read, Update, and Delete operations on any ServiceNow table.

Base URI

https://<instance>.service-now.com/api/now/table/{tableName}
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Supported Methods

GET – retrieve records
POST – create a new record
PUT / PATCH – update an existing record
DELETE – delete a record

Common Query Parameters

sysparm_query – encoded query string (e.g. active=true^priority=1)
sysparm_limit / sysparm_offset – pagination controls
sysparm_fields – comma-separated list of fields to return
sysparm_display_value – true/false, return display vs. raw values

Example: Retrieve Top 10 Incidents

GET https://<instance>.service-now.com/api/now/table/incident
    ?sysparm_limit=10
    &sysparm_query=priority=1
    &sysparm_fields=number,short_description,priority
``` :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

Aggregate API

Generates summary statistics (counts, sums, averages) on table data without retrieving full records.

Base URI

https://<instance>.service-now.com/api/now/stats/{tableName}
``` :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

Supported Methods

GET only

Key Query Parameters

sysparm_count – true to return total record count
sysparm_sum_fields – comma-separated numeric fields to sum
sysparm_group_by – comma-separated fields to group results
sysparm_query – filtered subset for aggregation

Example: Count High-Priority Incidents

GET https://<instance>.service-now.com/api/now/stats/incident
    ?sysparm_count=true
    &sysparm_query=priority=1
``` :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

Attachment API

Handles file attachments for any recordable table.

Upload a File

POST https://<instance>.service-now.com/api/now/attachment/file
    ?table_name={tableName}
    &table_sys_id={recordSysId}
    &file_name={filename}

Content-Type: multipart/form-data or binary servicenow.com

Download a File

GET https://<instance>.service-now.com/api/now/attachment/{attachmentSysId}/file

List Attachments on a Record

GET https://<instance>.service-now.com/api/now/attachment
    ?sysparm_query=table_name={tableName}^table_sys_id={recordSysId}

Delete an Attachment

DELETE https://<instance>.service-now.com/api/now/attachment/{attachmentSysId}

Import Set API

Stages external data in an “import set” table for transformation and loading into target tables.

Single Record Insert

POST https://<instance>.service-now.com/api/now/import/{stagingTableName}

Body: JSON object representing one record servicenow.com

Bulk Insert (Insert Multiple)

POST https://<instance>.service-now.com/api/now/import/{stagingTableName}/insertMultiple

Body: { "records": [ { … }, { … } ] }ahmeddrar.me

Key Query Parameters

None; all mapping and transformation is handled after staging

Scripted REST API

Allows creation of fully custom endpoints backed by server-side scripts.

Definition Location

Navigate to System Web Services ▶ Scripted REST APIs in your instance. servicenow.com

URI Pattern

https://<instance>.service-now.com/api/{namespace}/{api_id}/{resourcePath}

Typical Methods

GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, as defined in your script
Custom request/response scripting in the Scripted REST resource

Use Cases

Complex business workflows
Data transformations not covered by core APIs
Secured, versioned custom interfaces

Discovering and Testing Endpoints

REST API Explorer

Within your ServiceNow instance: System Web Services ▶ REST API Explorer
Browse built-in APIs, dynamically construct sample requests, and view response schemas servicenow.com

Versioning

Endpoints may include a version: /api/now/v1/... or /api/now/v2/...
Omitting the version defaults to the current API stability level servicenow.com

Authentication & Security

Supported Schemes

Basic Authentication (username/password)
OAuth 2.0 (recommended for integrations)
Mutual TLS (instance-level certificate)

Rate Limits & Best Practices

Respect sysparm_limit and sysparm_offset to avoid large, blocking queries blog.josephvelliah.com
Use index-friendly filters (sysparm_query) to optimize performance

By leveraging these built-in ServiceNow REST interfaces, you can integrate and manage the communication with the Noreja tool —seamlessly and securely with your ServiceNow data model.