Instance Configuration · Topic 2 of 2
Personalizing, Customizing and the Common User Interfaces
ServiceNow CSA: personalizing versus customizing, system properties, upgrade safety and the main interfaces: platform UI, portals, workspaces and mobile.
- 4 min
- Personalize is one user; customize is everybody.
- Prefer configuration over scripting or changing out of box records.
- System properties are instance wide settings that affect all users.
What it is
Personalizing means a user changes their own view, such as a theme, a time zone or the columns in a list. It affects only that user.
Customizing means an admin changes the instance for many users, such as adding a field, changing a form or creating a rule. Customizing should favor configuration, using built in tools, over writing code.
The platform is reached through several user interfaces. They show the same data in different ways for different audiences.
How it works
Personalizing
| What | Example |
|---|---|
| Preferences | Time zone, date format, theme, set from the user menu |
| List columns | A user chooses which columns appear in their list |
| Favorites and filters | Saved shortcuts and saved filters |
| Homepages and dashboards | A user arranges their own view |
Personal changes do not change the underlying table or other people's views. If a user has set a personal list layout, an admin's change to the list layout may not show for that user.
Customizing
Admin changes are recorded so they can be moved between instances. Examples include form layouts, new fields and tables, UI policies, business rules and notifications.
| Approach | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Configuration | Using built in forms and tools, such as form layout or a UI policy |
| Customization | Changing behavior with scripts or by modifying out of box records |
Prefer configuration. Customized out of box records may conflict with new versions during an upgrade, and the upgrade can skip your change or the vendor change, which an admin then has to review. Customer changes are tracked as customer updates and captured in update sets.
System properties
System Properties hold settings that apply to the whole instance, such as default behavior of the interface or security options. A property is a name and a value. Changing one affects everybody, so it is an admin change that needs care and testing.
Common user interfaces
| Interface | Audience | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Platform UI (Next Experience) | Admins and fulfillers | The full interface, with lists, forms and Unified Navigation |
| Service Portal and Employee Center | Requesters and employees | A simple, branded self service view, usually at paths such as /sp or /esc |
| Workspaces | Agents and fulfillers | Role based work areas for faster case handling |
| Mobile | Users on phones | Mobile app for approvals, requests and field work |
| Virtual Agent | Anyone asking for help | A chat style conversation that can answer or raise requests |
Portals show what the requester needs and hide the rest. They use the same tables and the same access control as the platform UI, so permissions still apply.
Workspaces and portals can be configured by admins with tools that are separate from forms and lists. The data does not change.
Choosing the right level of change
Ask who needs the change. If only one person wants a different view, that user personalizes it. If a whole team needs it, the admin configures it once, tests it on a lower instance and moves it to production through an update set.
Moving changes through update sets keeps a record of what was changed, which makes problems easier to trace.
How the exam asks about this
- "A user wants fewer columns in their own incident list." Personalize the list.
- "All service desk agents need a new field on the incident form." An admin form configuration, which is a customization for everyone.
- "Employees should submit requests from a simple, branded site." Service Portal or Employee Center.
What to remember for the exam
- Personalize is one user; customize is everybody.
- Prefer configuration over scripting or changing out of box records.
- System properties are instance wide settings that affect all users.
- The platform UI is for admins and fulfillers; portals are for requesters.
- Workspaces give agents role based work areas.
- All interfaces show the same data and obey the same access controls.
A user's personal list layout or preference can hide an admin's change. If a user does not see what everyone else sees, check personal settings before assuming the change failed.
Common mistakes
Assuming a portal is a separate system. It reads and writes the same tables as the platform UI, and access control still applies.
Customizing when configuration would work. Changing out of box records or writing scripts makes upgrades harder than using a built in tool.
Changing a system property to fix one user's problem. Properties affect the whole instance. A single user's issue is usually a personal setting or a role.
Check yourself
What is the difference between personalizing and customizing?
Personalizing changes one user's own view; customizing is an admin change that affects many users.
Which interface suits employees who only submit and track requests?
Service Portal or Employee Center, a simple self service view.
Why prefer configuration to customization?
Built in tools are easier to maintain and less likely to conflict with changes during an upgrade.
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