"Delta loading" is an optimized way to load an application from a Git repository.

Important: You've landed at the legacy version of Studio, which will be supported until the Australia release in Q1 2026. Try building and editing apps in the new version of ServiceNow Studio instead. For more information, see Building applications with ServiceNow Studio.

When you switch branches and apply remote changes, the Delta loading feature makes sure only changed updates load. Rather than having to perform a full uninstall and reinstall of the application, only the changes update. This speeds and eases the process for developers and does away with the need to use all branches during development. Data stored in tables is retained during these operations, lowering the need to load demo data back into the application after a reinstall or branch change operation.

Benefits of Delta loading

Time savings
Typically, the longest part of an application uninstall or reinstall is dropping and creating tables. Delta loading prevents that from occurring. Depending on the size of the application, not having to drop or create tables can significantly improve an operation's completion time.
Test and demo data retained
Tables that contain test and demo data are no longer deleted, so data is not lost. Developers can save time if they don't need to reimport demo data each time.
Cross-scope dependent references preserved
Items that are cross-scoped and share references are no longer lost when you apply changes. This used to occur when an item in scope B was associated to a parent item in scope A. Applying remote changes on scope A would delete the parent item and reinstall it, breaking the reference between both items, but not restoring that relationship. Delta loading prevents the uninstall, so the reference is not lost.
Recommended practice
Delta loading is enabled by default on all instances starting with the ServiceNow Paris release. The feature is designed to help in application development and receives continued support and upgrades.