Using Performance Analytics with external data
-
- UpdatedJan 30, 2025
- 10 minutes to read
- Yokohama
- Performance Analytics
Performance Analytics on external data sources enables you to perform detailed analysis on data that is not in your ServiceNow instance.
When you collect scores on external data, Performance Analytics stores scores and breakdown elements from the external data on your instance. The raw data being analyzed remains on the external data source and is not copied to your instance. This functionality enables you to analyze and share metrics without duplicating the underlying data.
- An external indicator which specifies the JDBC data source and SQL statement used to collect scores.
- An external breakdown which specifies the JDBC data source and SQL statement used to specify breakdown elements.
- An external indicator breakdown which defines the relationship between an external indicator, and breakdown, and the SQL statement used to collect scores for each breakdown element for that indicator.
Supported database formats for external data
Performance Analytics supports only the database formats that ServiceNow supports by default. If a customer adds a JDBC driver for an unsupported database format, Performance Analytics does not support that database format as an external data source.
SQL Server Type | Port |
---|---|
MySQL | 3306 |
Microsoft SQL Server | 1433 |
Oracle | 1521 |
Create an indicator for external data
Create an external indicator to define what data to evaluate and the SQL statement used to determine the indicator score.
Before you begin
Procedure
What to do next
Create a breakdown using external data
Create an external breakdown to define what elements are available to break down external indicator scores.
Before you begin
About this task
By default an external breakdown can contain a maximum of 5000 elements. This limit is controlled by the property com.snc.pa.dc.max_external_elements.
External breakdown elements are stored on the pa_ext_elements tables.
Procedure
What to do next
Configure an external indicator to use an external breakdown
Associate an external indicator and external breakdown to define how to collect breakdown scores for the indicator.
Before you begin
Procedure
What to do next
Test external indicators and breakdowns
Test your external indicators and breakdowns to ensure you can connect to the external data source and collect the data you expect.
Before you begin
About this task
Test an indicator to test the query for that indicator and the queries for all breakdown elements. Test a breakdown to test the query used to determine available breakdown elements.
No scores or breakdown elements are saved when you test an indicator or breakdown.
Procedure
What to do next
Filtering external data by date
When using Performance Analytics with external data you must filter SQL statements that collect scores by date.
In indicator and indicator breakdown SQL statements, filter the query by date, such as
WHERE DATE(my_date_field) >= DATE(${start_at})
. It is not necessary to filter
breakdown SQL statements by date as breakdown SQL statements collect only elements and not
scores.
The variable ${start_at} contains the date of the period being collected in the format YYYYMMDD. For daily indicators this value is always the date being collected. For indicators with longer collection frequencies, such as weekly or monthly, the date is the first day of the collection period. The date that the data collection job runs on does not affect this variable.
When you test an indicator or breakdown, the ${start_at} variable is always set to the current date.
Limitations when using Performance Analytics with external data
Certain Performance Analytics functionality is not available when you measure external data.
- You cannot collect snapshots
- You cannot view real-time scores
- You cannot apply 2nd-level breakdowns
- You cannot use widget visualizations that depend on 2nd-level breakdowns with external data. This includes pivot and heatmap visualizations.
- Because snapshots are not available, you cannot view changes in collected records
On this page
- Supported database formats for external data
- Create an indicator for external data
- Create a breakdown using external data
- Configure an external indicator to use an external breakdown
- Test external indicators and breakdowns
- Filtering external data by date
- Limitations when using Performance Analytics with external data