Before you begin the upgrade process, it is essential to read the release notes for your target version so you understand the required upgrade and migration tasks. This information helps you plan a safe and effective upgrade.

Before you begin

Important: If multiple software versions are involved in your upgrade, be sure to consult the release notes for each version between your current version and the target version.

Role required: admin.

About this task

Upgrade progress bar

Procedure

  1. Read the release notes for your target version.
    Review upgrade and migration tasks that you will need to complete before or after your upgrade.
    • ServiceNow provides release notes for every release. The release notes offer valuable information about new functionality, notable changes, and fixes available in a particular version. Read the Vancouver release notes to determine whether the upgrade contains functionality you need and fixes that resolve any issues affecting your instance. The release notes can also help you determine whether items you previously customized are being upgraded.
    • For Vancouver -specific upgrade considerations, see Pre- and post-upgrade tasks for various products.
    • If you are thinking about upgrading to the Vancouver family, problem (PRB) fixes can be an important factor in your upgrade plans. You can generate a list of Personalized PRB release notes for upgrades to Vancouver. Compare the lists of fixed problems across various Vancouver upgrade scenarios to help you decide which release version to upgrade to.
  2. Complete the preparation and planning tasks in Phase 2 of the Upgrade planning checklist.

    The checklist contains a list of planning tasks that guide you through various aspects of upgrade preparation. You are guided through tasks such as scoping, gathering stakeholders, identifying features to disable and enable, and creating test plans to use throughout the upgrade. Follow these steps to ensure that all aspects of your organization are ready for the upgrade.

  3. To better prepare for the upgrade, evaluate the level of customizations on your instances.

    For information on customization best practice guidelines, visit the Customer Success Center website.

    Complexity scoreCustomization examples
    Low
    • Modification to form layout/design
    • Add fields and/or UI policies to forms
    • Build simple custom integration
    • Extend an existing table (such as incident) in scope with new fields only
    Low-medium
    • Extend an existing table (such as incident) in scope with some scripting
    • Extend an existing table (such as incident) as the basis for a different application, such as HR
    Medium Build a new scoped application
    Medium-high Build a new global application
    High
    • Change baseline business rules (such as modifying the SLA process)
    • Build a complex custom integration
  4. Create a comprehensive test plan that includes test cases for all core instance functionality and integrations, including any customizations you may have.

    To efficiently test and evaluate system functionality, create a set of detailed test scripts for your testing team to use. You will use this test plan throughout each instance upgrade.

    Instance Type of testing required
    Development Conduct smoke tests.
    Test
    • Use the ServiceNow Automated Test Framework to assist you in testing your non-production instances.
    • You can use Automated Test Framework quick start tests and product testing suites to help you jump start your testing before and after upgrades. For a list of available tests and activation information, see Quick start tests.
    • For extra testing coverage, you can also conduct user acceptance testing (UAT) on your non-production instances.
    Production Conduct UAT.
    Note: The Automated Test Framework is intended for use on non-production instances. On your production instance, conduct UAT only.