Chapter 9. Diagnosing ServiceNow – Knowing What Is Going On

Have you ever written code that is longer than a few lines and had it work the very first time? Has a script always worked perfectly? The answer probably is no. Things don't always go according to plan during a complex implementation. Functionality doesn't quite work as you-or someone else-expects. Therefore, the tools and techniques needed to investigate the issue, come up with a diagnosis, and hopefully find a solution are a critical part of any administrator's toolkit.

ServiceNow provides a wide variety of ways to understand what is happening in the system. This chapter covers many of the ways through which the instance can tell you what's going on:

• Session logs give you insight into what decisions are being made by the instance

• The typical system log is where the system records messages while it processes

• The database records its activity in the SQL log, giving you insight into slow queries

• Every request is stored in the Transaction...