Product documentation Docs
    • English
    • Deutsch
    • 日本語
    • 한국어
    • Français
  • More Sites
    • Now Community
    • Developer Site
    • Knowledge Base
    • Product Information
    • ServiceNow.com
    • Training
    • Customer Success Center
    • ServiceNow Support Videos
  • Log in

Product documentation

  • Home
How search works:
  • Punctuation and capital letters are ignored
  • Special characters like underscores (_) are removed
  • Known synonyms are applied
  • The most relevant topics (based on weighting and matching to search terms) are listed first in search results
Topics are ranked in search results by how closely they match your search terms
  • A match on the entire phrase you typed
  • A match on part of the phrase you typed
  • A match on ALL of the terms in the phrase you typed
  • A match on ANY of the terms in the phrase you typed

Note: Matches in titles are always highly ranked.

  • Release version
    Table of Contents
    • Now Platform administration
Table of Contents
Choose your release version
    Home Orlando Now Platform Administration Now Platform administration Data management System clone Request a clone

    Request a clone

    • Save as PDF Selected topic Topic & subtopics All topics in contents
    • Unsubscribe Log in to subscribe to topics and get notified when content changes.
    • Share this page

    Request a clone

    Request a clone to copy data from a production instance to a non-production instance, or to copy data between non-production instances.

    Before you begin

    Role required: admin

    About this task

    The Now Platform uses data from the most recent, nightly backup of the source instance when cloning. Backups that are used for cloning are a maximum of 36 hours old. System Clone begins the initial preparation, including selecting the latest backup to use, only at the date and time processing is scheduled to start.

    If cloning from a source backup fails, the system uses the legacy clone engine instead. The legacy clone engine cannot preserve data from extended tables, relationships, hierarchies between tables, and dot-walked queries. You may want to restore the target instance from a backup and then reschedule the clone in such cases.

    For instances that use an Oracle database, see KB0538884 - System Clone Support for Oracle Customers.

    You can automate cloning by scheduling it in the Options pane.

    Procedure

    1. Log in to the instance you want to clone.
      This instance becomes the source instance of the clone request.
    2. Create a clone target record for each target instance you want to receive clone data.
    3. Verify the list of tables excluded from cloning and add or remove tables to exclude from the target instance.
    4. Verify the list of tables and system properties that you want saved on the target instance by data preservers. You can also create or modify data preservers, as needed.
      The legacy clone engine does not support data preservers for these records.
      • Tables that extend the Task table
      • Relationships
      • Hierarchies
      • Dot-walked queries

      If you are preserving any data not supported by the legacy clone engine, verify that there is a recent backup of the target instance available. If the clone-from-backup-process fails for any reason, you can restore the target instance from the backup.

    5. Preserve any unpublished applications on the target instance.
    6. Navigate to System Clone > Request Clone.
    7. (Optional) Specify a predefined clone profile.
      A clone profile stores target and clone options. The clone profile automatically populates your clone request with your selected profile settings. See clone profiles for clone requests.
    8. n the Target instance field, select the target instance that you want to receive the cloned data.
      Create a separate clone request for each target instance that you want to receive clone data.
    9. In the Clone Scheduled Start Time field, select the time that you want the cloning to start.
      You can schedule multiple clone requests for the same source instance. For example, create one clone request to copy data to non-production instance A and another clone request to copy data to non-production instance B. The scheduling engine determines whether multiple clone requests against the same source instance can occur simultaneously or whether they must occur sequentially.
      The system verifies the scheduled start time and either accepts the date-time value that you selected or suggests an available date-time value. The validation process prevents scheduling conflicts with other automations using the same target instance.
    10. In Email upon completion field, enter your email address so that you can receive alerts after the cloning finishes, is canceled, or has an error.
    11. Click the Options arrowhead so it turns downward and use the following table to make appropriate selections in the Options pane.
      Table 1. Clone options
      Field Description
      Exclude tables specified in Exclusion List Prevents cloning records from the source instance specified in the System Clone > Exclude Tables module. Use this option to create empty but usable tables on the target instance. By default, the system excludes tables for auditing, license usage, logging, and notifications. This option is selected by default.
      Note: This option is not supported by the legacy clone engine.
      Exclude audit and log data Prevents cloning audit and log records from the source instance. Use this option to create empty but usable audit and log tables on the target instance. This option is selected by default.
      Exclude large attachment data Prevents the cloning of large attachments such as video files, image files, and other typically large binary file types. Use this option to exclude all common binary file types, regardless of file size. When selected, the clone also excludes attachments from the Attachments [sys_attachment] and Attachment Documents [sys_attachment_doc] tables that meet all these criteria.
      • The attachment table_name value does not indicate that it is a small file. Small attachments have table name values that start with ZZ_.
      • The attachment data type value indicates that it is a large file such as an application or video.
      • The attachment table_name is not one of these system tables: sys_certificate, ecc_agent_jar, ecc_agent_mib, sys_store_app, or invisible.sys_store_app.
      Preserve theme Preserves the theme and CSS elements on the target clone.
      Lock settings for this clone request Option that locks the setting and options at the time of the clone request if you use a clone profile. Any subsequent changes to the clone profile, regardless of when the clone runs, do not effect the clone request.
      Amount of data copied from large tables Clones the number of days of historical data to clone from large source tables, including task, pa_scores, and metric_instance. By default, the target instance receives the latest 90 days of historical data from the source instance.
      Preserve In Progress Update Sets Preserves update sets during the clone process. This option eliminates the need to export in-progress, global update sets before you initiate a clone. The default is none. You can select the latest 90 days to preserve the in-progress update sets during this time.
      Note: Review and commit the update sets after the clone.
      Preserve users and related tables Prevents users and user-related tables from being overwritten on the target clone.
      Clone frequency Defines how often this target automatically receives clone data. For more information about scheduling cloning, see Schedule cloning.
    12. Click Submit.
      If there are no issues with the clone request, the system displays the Authenticate Target modal.
      If your clone request preserves large tables, a warning message displays the large tables from your preserver list. You can cancel your clone request and remove the tables from your preserver list, or you can specify a reason and continue the clone request.
    13. In the Username and Password fields, enter the username and password for an administrator account on the target instance and then click Authenticate.
    14. Review the clone settings and click OK.
      An email is sent to the supplied address after the clone finishes, is canceled, or has an error.

    What to do next

    You can:
    • Schedule automatic clonings.
    • Cancel your clone request.
    • View the cloning history of completed clonings.

    Tags:

    Feedback
    On this page

    Previous topic

    Next topic

    • Contact Us
    • Careers
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Statement
    • Sitemap
    • © ServiceNow. All rights reserved.

    Release version
    Choose your release version

      Request a clone

      • Save as PDF Selected topic Topic & subtopics All topics in contents
      • Unsubscribe Log in to subscribe to topics and get notified when content changes.
      • Share this page

      Request a clone

      Request a clone to copy data from a production instance to a non-production instance, or to copy data between non-production instances.

      Before you begin

      Role required: admin

      About this task

      The Now Platform uses data from the most recent, nightly backup of the source instance when cloning. Backups that are used for cloning are a maximum of 36 hours old. System Clone begins the initial preparation, including selecting the latest backup to use, only at the date and time processing is scheduled to start.

      If cloning from a source backup fails, the system uses the legacy clone engine instead. The legacy clone engine cannot preserve data from extended tables, relationships, hierarchies between tables, and dot-walked queries. You may want to restore the target instance from a backup and then reschedule the clone in such cases.

      For instances that use an Oracle database, see KB0538884 - System Clone Support for Oracle Customers.

      You can automate cloning by scheduling it in the Options pane.

      Procedure

      1. Log in to the instance you want to clone.
        This instance becomes the source instance of the clone request.
      2. Create a clone target record for each target instance you want to receive clone data.
      3. Verify the list of tables excluded from cloning and add or remove tables to exclude from the target instance.
      4. Verify the list of tables and system properties that you want saved on the target instance by data preservers. You can also create or modify data preservers, as needed.
        The legacy clone engine does not support data preservers for these records.
        • Tables that extend the Task table
        • Relationships
        • Hierarchies
        • Dot-walked queries

        If you are preserving any data not supported by the legacy clone engine, verify that there is a recent backup of the target instance available. If the clone-from-backup-process fails for any reason, you can restore the target instance from the backup.

      5. Preserve any unpublished applications on the target instance.
      6. Navigate to System Clone > Request Clone.
      7. (Optional) Specify a predefined clone profile.
        A clone profile stores target and clone options. The clone profile automatically populates your clone request with your selected profile settings. See clone profiles for clone requests.
      8. n the Target instance field, select the target instance that you want to receive the cloned data.
        Create a separate clone request for each target instance that you want to receive clone data.
      9. In the Clone Scheduled Start Time field, select the time that you want the cloning to start.
        You can schedule multiple clone requests for the same source instance. For example, create one clone request to copy data to non-production instance A and another clone request to copy data to non-production instance B. The scheduling engine determines whether multiple clone requests against the same source instance can occur simultaneously or whether they must occur sequentially.
        The system verifies the scheduled start time and either accepts the date-time value that you selected or suggests an available date-time value. The validation process prevents scheduling conflicts with other automations using the same target instance.
      10. In Email upon completion field, enter your email address so that you can receive alerts after the cloning finishes, is canceled, or has an error.
      11. Click the Options arrowhead so it turns downward and use the following table to make appropriate selections in the Options pane.
        Table 1. Clone options
        Field Description
        Exclude tables specified in Exclusion List Prevents cloning records from the source instance specified in the System Clone > Exclude Tables module. Use this option to create empty but usable tables on the target instance. By default, the system excludes tables for auditing, license usage, logging, and notifications. This option is selected by default.
        Note: This option is not supported by the legacy clone engine.
        Exclude audit and log data Prevents cloning audit and log records from the source instance. Use this option to create empty but usable audit and log tables on the target instance. This option is selected by default.
        Exclude large attachment data Prevents the cloning of large attachments such as video files, image files, and other typically large binary file types. Use this option to exclude all common binary file types, regardless of file size. When selected, the clone also excludes attachments from the Attachments [sys_attachment] and Attachment Documents [sys_attachment_doc] tables that meet all these criteria.
        • The attachment table_name value does not indicate that it is a small file. Small attachments have table name values that start with ZZ_.
        • The attachment data type value indicates that it is a large file such as an application or video.
        • The attachment table_name is not one of these system tables: sys_certificate, ecc_agent_jar, ecc_agent_mib, sys_store_app, or invisible.sys_store_app.
        Preserve theme Preserves the theme and CSS elements on the target clone.
        Lock settings for this clone request Option that locks the setting and options at the time of the clone request if you use a clone profile. Any subsequent changes to the clone profile, regardless of when the clone runs, do not effect the clone request.
        Amount of data copied from large tables Clones the number of days of historical data to clone from large source tables, including task, pa_scores, and metric_instance. By default, the target instance receives the latest 90 days of historical data from the source instance.
        Preserve In Progress Update Sets Preserves update sets during the clone process. This option eliminates the need to export in-progress, global update sets before you initiate a clone. The default is none. You can select the latest 90 days to preserve the in-progress update sets during this time.
        Note: Review and commit the update sets after the clone.
        Preserve users and related tables Prevents users and user-related tables from being overwritten on the target clone.
        Clone frequency Defines how often this target automatically receives clone data. For more information about scheduling cloning, see Schedule cloning.
      12. Click Submit.
        If there are no issues with the clone request, the system displays the Authenticate Target modal.
        If your clone request preserves large tables, a warning message displays the large tables from your preserver list. You can cancel your clone request and remove the tables from your preserver list, or you can specify a reason and continue the clone request.
      13. In the Username and Password fields, enter the username and password for an administrator account on the target instance and then click Authenticate.
      14. Review the clone settings and click OK.
        An email is sent to the supplied address after the clone finishes, is canceled, or has an error.

      What to do next

      You can:
      • Schedule automatic clonings.
      • Cancel your clone request.
      • View the cloning history of completed clonings.

      Tags:

      Feedback

          Share this page

          Got it! Feel free to add a comment
          To share your product suggestions, visit the Idea Portal.
          Please let us know how to improve this content

          Check any that apply

          To share your product suggestions, visit the Idea Portal.
          Confirm

          We were unable to find "Coaching" in Jakarta. Would you like to search instead?

          No Yes
          • Contact Us
          • Careers
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Statement
          • Sitemap
          • © ServiceNow. All rights reserved.

          Subscribe Subscribed Unsubscribe Last updated: Tags: January February March April May June July August September October November December No Results Found Versions Search preferences successfully updated My release version successfully updated My release version successfully deleted An error has occurred. Please try again later. You have been unsubscribed from all topics. You are now subscribed to and will receive notifications if any changes are made to this page. You have been unsubscribed from this content Thank you for your feedback. Form temporarily unavailable. Please try again or contact  docfeedback@servicenow.com  to submit your comments. The topic you requested does not exist in the release. You were redirected to a related topic instead. The available release versions for this topic are listed There is no specific version for this documentation. Explore products Click to go to the page. Release notes and upgrades Click to open the dropdown menu. Delete Remove No selected version Reset This field is required You are already subscribed to this topic Attach screenshot The file you uploaded exceeds the allowed file size of 20MB. Please try again with a smaller file. Please complete the reCAPTCHA step to attach a screenshot
          Log in to personalize your search results and subscribe to topics
          No, thanks Login