Configure a ServiceNow Egress connection

The egress connectors enable the flow of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) app data between Apptio and ServiceNow.

To display application TCO insights in the relevant ServiceNow dashboards, you can use the ServiceNow certified Apptio integration. The integration brings detailed, transparent, and defensible cost structures to application and service offerings within ServiceNow. It is compatible with the Quebec, Paris, and Orlando releases of ServiceNow.

There are two ServiceNow integrations:
  • ServiceNow Egress connector enables to push data from Apptio to ServiceNow.
  • ServiceNow Ingress connector enables to push data from ServiceNow to Apptio.

    DataLink ServiceNow Ingress connector

To configure a ServiceNow Egress connection

  1. On the ServiceNow platform, install the Apps and Services TCO app.

    Learn more about installing the Apps & Services TCO app

  2. In TBM Studio, set up the apps TCO reports.

    Learn more about setting up the apps TCO reports

  3. In DataLink, configure the DataLink egress connector.

    Learn more about configuring the DataLink egress connector

When you configure the ServiceNow Egress connection, you can view the Apptio TCO data in ServiceNow.

Learn more about viewing the Apptio TCO data in ServiceNow

Install the Apptio Apps and Services TCO integration on the ServiceNow platform

Note: Installing the integrating is a prerequisite to running the egress connector.
To use the Apps & Services Total Cost of Ownership integration ServiceNow app, users need to have the x_appti_app_servic.user role. Administrators with the x_appti_app_servic.admin role can also view the support UI page, delete any data in staging or custom tables, and run the integration.
  1. In ServiceNow, navigate to Plugins.
  2. On the Plugins home page, select Find in Store.
  3. In the ServiceNow app store, search for Apptio Application and Services IT TCO.
  4. Select Install.

Learn more about the app dependencies from the application documentation in the ServiceNow Store.

Set up the apps & services TCO reports in TBM Studio

You need to create reports in Apptio which are tailored to the destination table in ServiceNow. ServiceNow allows Application TCO to be represented with different breakdowns. Because Apptio can only perform two to three object drills, with reporting elements from a maximum of two objects, you need to create two reports, configured with the columns listed below:

Learn more about creating reports in TBM Studio

Application TCO report (including Cost Pool composition)

This report is a drill-down from Applications to Cost Source.

Mandatory columns

Note: You need to follow the exact syntax shown.
  • Cost Model: hard code to Business Application Costing
  • Fiscal period: use the following formula:
    = "FY"& CurrentDate("YY") &": "&"Q"&
            gettimeoffset("Quarter","Start","Year") +1
  • Breakdown Id: hard code to Business Unit <--> Business Application
  • Business Application: Application Name (from Applications)
    Note: Needs to match the name field from the cmdb_ci_business_app ServiceNow table.
  • Bucket: Cost Pool (from Cost Source)
  • Sub-bucket: Cost Sub Pool (from Cost Source)
  • Business Unit: hard code to Check Apptio
  • Amount: = QuarterToDate(Cost)

Optional columns

  • Approved for ServiceNow Egress: you can use this as a filter on the report to filter out Apps you do not want to share with the ServiceNow Community. This needs to be added as a flag to the Applications object.

Application TCO (including IT Resource Tower composition)

This report is a drill-down from Applications to IT Resource Towers.

Mandatory columns

Note: You need to follow the exact syntax shown.
  • Cost Model: hard code to Business Application Costing
  • Fiscal period: use the following formula:
    = "FY"& CurrentDate("YY") &": "&"Q"&
            gettimeoffset("Quarter","Start","Year") +1
  • Breakdown Id: hard code to Business Application <--> IT Shared Service
  • Business Application: Application Name (from Applications)
    Note: Needs to match the name field from the cmdb_ci_business_app ServiceNow table.
  • IT Shared Service: IT Resource Tower Name (from IT Resource Towers)
  • Business Unit: hard code to Check Apptio
  • Amount: = QuarterToDate(Cost)

Optional columns

  • Approved for ServiceNow Egress: you can use this as a filter on the report to filter out Apps you do not want to share with the ServiceNow Community. This needs to be added as a flag to the Applications object.

Configure the connection

Obtain an OAuth 2.0 token

If you are using OAuth 2.0 authentication for your connector, you need to obtain a token from ServiceNow before you configure it, as follows:

  1. Register DataLink as a client application with your ServiceNow OAuth 2.0 source.
  2. Make a note of the Client_ID and Client_Secret values.
  3. Enter a redirect URL. Use the URL which applies to your region:
Create the connection
  1. Open Datalink and select New Connection.
  2. Enter a Connection Name, then select Next.
  3. Select ServiceNow Apps & Services TCO Egress connector, then select Next.
  4. Select the agent.

You can either choose a cloud-based or on-premise agent for your egress connection. To configure an on-premise agent, see Configure an on-premises DataLink Agent for ServiceNow.

Tip: On-premise agents generally experience faster loading times than cloud-based agents.
Configure authentication
  1. Select the authentication type to connect to your ServiceNow instance: Basic or OAuth 2.0.

    Note: You can only use OAuth 2.0 authentication with cloud agents.
  2. Enter the ServiceNow base URL (for example, https://{instance}.service-now.com).
  3. Enter your authentication details:
    • If you are using basic authentication, enter the user name and password.
    • If you are using OAuth 2.0 authentication, do the following:
      1. Enter the token information:
        • In Authorization URL, enter the URL used for OAuth 2.0 authorization (for example, https://{instance}.service-now.com/oauth_auth.do).
        • In Token URL, enter the URL for retrieving and refreshing access tokens (for example, https://{instance}.service-now.com/oauth_token.do).
        • In the Client ID and Client Secret fields, enter the client ID and client secret you obtained from ServiceNow.

          Learn more about obtaining an OAuth 2.0 token

      2. If you want to limit the level of access granted to the access token, specify the Scope as READ and WRITE or READ access.
      3. Select Get Access Token.

      DataLink encrypts the access token and uses it while running the connector.

    Note: When the OAuth 2.0 access token expires, DataLink automatically tries to refresh it.
Enter report details
  1. In Fill in the Report details, select the BIIT host where the Costing Standard report resides. If you have just one BIIT instance, DataLink selects it automatically.
  2. Select the Costing Standard reports you want to upload to ServiceNow, from the reports you set up in Set up the apps & services TCO reports in TBM Studio.
  3. Enter Costing Standard report URLs for each of the reports, as follows:
    1. Navigate to Costing Standard and open the report.
    2. Right-click on the report and select Show API URI.
    3. Copy the report URL in JSON format from into the DataLink Report URL field for the report.
  4. Select the time period for the reports. You can choose the current or previous month, or a custom time period.
  5. Select Next.
Schedule the connection
Select your schedule option and fill in the details:
  • Schedule by time
  • Schedule by event, for example, run the connection after a specific connection has executed.
Save the connection
Select Complete in the bottom right corner to save the connection. DataLink adds the connector to the list.
Run the connection
To run the connection, select the arrow in the Run column next to the connection in the list. After successful execution of the connection, the TCO data from TBM Studio is pushed to your ServiceNow instance.

View the Apptio TCO data in ServiceNow

To get the most out of your TCO data, we recommend you install table itfm_allocation_breakdown in your ServiceNow instance. Installing the table gives you access to the following dashboards, where you can analyze spend on Apps and Services:
  • Application TCO
  • Business Application Costing
You can install the table with one of several plugins, for example:
  • com.snc.financial_management
  • com.snc.financial_management_for_apm
  • com.snc.financial_management_for_spm
Note: These plugins are paid plugins. For information about costing and to request help with installing the plugin, contact your ServiceNow representative. Installing the plugins is not mandatory for the app and the egress connector to run.
Custom dashboards
The egress connector creates the TCO data in Apptio custom table x_appti_app_servic_apptio_tco. You can use this table to create custom dashboards to display TCO insights. Learn more about creating custom dashboards in the ServiceNow documentation