ServiceNow IntegrationHub ETL

Data is the most popular buzzword, and we are always looking for new tools and ways to manage our data more efficiently in our organizations. With so many different sources, structures, and formats, it does not make the job any easier. ServiceNow is constantly upgrading its platform with new functionalities, so when I heard about the IntegrationHub, I knew I needed to try it out.

I want to share my experience and understanding of the ServiceNow Integration Hub on this blog. Before delving into this, let’s start by discussing what ETL means. ETL is an acronym for Extract, Transform, and Load. Simply put, this is a process that takes data from one or several sources, formats it in a manner that the destination system can understand, then loads it into the destination. And IntegrationHub ETL makes it easy by providing a simple and intuitive way of configuring integrations. It provides a graphical interface that lets us define the source and destination system using an import set and the data transformation that needs to happen between them.

Moreover, you can also trigger your integrations based on certain events or schedule them to work at specific times.

One of the first things that impressed me about IntegrationHub ETL was its flexibility. With so many disparate systems in every organization, it allows us to handle a wide variety of data sources, including REST APIs, JDBC databases, and even flat files. It means that if you have 100 different systems in your organization, you can connect to all of them without worrying about compatibility problems. ServiceNow has also created many custom workflows and connectors that businesses can plug in and play with and adapt to suit their specific needs.

The ETL is an upgrade to their traditional transform maps. It differs because you can map data to multiple destination tables using a single-read operation. With transform maps, however, we needed one read operation per target table. Also, all data that goes into the ServiceNow CMDB tables goes through the IRE, ensuring that the CMDB is not polluted and only lets in data that passes some directives defined in the Class Manager.

At RapDev, we have helped many customers leverage the benefits of IntegrationHub, one example being to use this to connect ServiceNow to a customer’s Dynatrace instance. We modified some OOTB workflows using their graphic interface to adapt them to the client’s specific needs.

If we made a list of some of the benefits of using IntegrationHub, that would look like this:

• Simplifies data integration - Most businesses have multiple data sources, including databases, web services, and APIs. IntegrationHub lets us connect with them without writing complicated codes and logic, saving time and effort.
• Improves data quality - Data quality influences operational outcomes in today’s world. The ETL process ensures that the data in the destination table is clean and high-quality. Furthermore, its integration into the IRE ensures that the CMDB is not polluted.
• Automates Data Integration – It minimizes manual intervention by enabling businesses to automate the data integration processes, thus also enhancing speed and accuracy.

Needless to say, no tool is perfect, and IntegrationHub ETL is no exception. While the tool is incredibly powerful, it may be overwhelming sometimes, especially if you are new to data integration. But with some patience and practice, anyone can master IntegrationHub ETL and become a data integration wizard.

Overall, I enjoyed working with the IntegrationHub ETL from ServiceNow. This helped me streamline my data integration workflows and save countless hours of writing custom code. Above all, it has given me a new appreciation of the power of data integration tools and what ServiceNow is capable of. Give it a try!