Allocate custom
tables you create in production instances to subscriptions that include custom table
entitlements. Performing this task on a consistent basis enables you to track custom
table subscription compliance over time.
Custom table entitlements
A
custom table is defined as any non-
ServiceNow provided
table that you create or install on the
Now Platform. Some tables are exempted
from being classified as a custom table.
You can freely create or install custom tables on a non-production instance. However,
creation or installation of custom tables on a production instance requires a custom table
entitlement granted when you purchase a product subscription. For example, a single
subscription might include a total entitlement of 50 custom tables.
Note: A custom table
entitlement is an individual component of a subscription, but is not a type of
subscription itself. Standard licensing metrics, such as fulfiller, requester, and
unrestricted, and the subscription types, such as Per-User and Capacity, still apply to
subscriptions with custom table entitlements. To learn more about licensing metrics and
subscription types, see:
Allocating custom tables to custom table entitlements
After you finalize the purchase of a subscription with a custom table entitlement, the
entitlement is delivered, with related subscription data, to your production instance. The
subscription and custom table entitlement data appear in a subscription record in Subscription Management.
As your developers create and deploy new custom tables on your production instance, use the
Subscription form to allocate them to individual subscriptions. You can use
Subscription Management dashboards to monitor the current table allocations and their
compliance statuses, and take corrective action as needed. To learn more about how this
allocation process works, see:
Example: Custom table entitlements
Scenario: Your organization has purchased three subscriptions and each has differing table
entitlements.
For example, Subscription 1 has an entitlement of 100 fulfillers and a total entitlement of
50 custom tables. Subscription 2 has 20 fulfillers and a total entitlement of 25 custom
tables. Subscription 3 has 5000 users and a total entitlement of five custom tables. In
total, you can manually allocate up to 80 custom table to these three subscriptions as you
create them in your production instance.
Table 1. Multiple subscriptions with custom table entitlements
Subscription |
User/custom table entitlements |
Can manually allocate up to entitlement quantity of |
1 |
100 fulfillers/50 custom tables |
50 |
2 |
20 fulfillers/25 custom tables |
25 |
3 |
5000 users/5 custom tables |
5 |
Allowing grandfathered tables on an instance
Sometimes an extra subscription with a grandfathered table entitlement may be
delivered to your production instance. This type of subscription triggers an
automatic allocation of grandfathered tables to the grandfathered entitlement, up to
its specified maximum limit. This one-time process ensures that custom tables that
currently exist in a production instance do not count against custom table
entitlements for a new ServiceNow subscription. You
can not manually allocate these grandfathered tables to a subscription entitlement.
Once a grandfathered table is auto-allocated to a subscription that has a
grandfathered entitlement, this mapping is permanent. Deleting a grandfathered
custom table does not free up a custom table entitlement.
Example: Allowing grandfathered tables on an instance
Scenario: You purchased three new subscriptions, with a total of 80 custom table
entitlements. An extra subscription with an entitlement for 23 grandfathered tables has also
been delivered to your instance. The grandfathered tables are visible within Subscription Management. This subscription triggers an automatic allocation of the
custom tables that currently exist in your production instance, up to its 23 table limit.
These subscriptions result in a total custom table entitlement of 103. You manually allocate
the remaining 80 as you create custom tables in your production instance.
Table 2. Multiple subscriptions with legacy and custom table entitlements
Subscription |
Custom table entitlements |
Can manually allocate up to entitlement quantity of |
Legacy subscription |
Up to 23 legacy tables auto-allocated at subscription
arrival |
0 (legacy tables auto-allocated) |
New Subscription 1 |
50 |
50 |
New Subscription 2 |
25 |
25 |
New Subscription 3 |
5 |
5 |
Custom table subscription allocation life
cycle
The life cycle begins with the purchase of a subscription, and it continues
with the allocation of custom tables. The cycle ends with the monitoring of custom table
allocations over time.

- Purchase subscription, receive custom table entitlement.
- A subscription that contains a custom table entitlement is delivered to your
production instance.
- Sometimes an extra subscription with a grandfathered table entitlement may also be
delivered. The extra subscription triggers an automatic allocation of legacy custom
tables to the entitlement.
- Subscription Management records are
automatically updated to reflect the new subscription and grandfathered table
entitlement. The subscription is ready for you to administer.
- Allocate custom tables to custom table entitlements.
- As you deploy new custom tables on a production instance, you allocate them to the
relevant custom table entitlement from the subscription record.
- You can allocate tables to any subscription with a custom table entitlement, up to
the entitlement limit.
- Monitor custom table allocation over time.
- Reports provide the current usage of each custom table entitlement, as well as usage
over time.