So I decided to take a look at the new licensing. Here's my notes;

Why platform licensing is changing

Create Custom tables and extend functionality.

Current Licensing

• Today customers can build any custom table in the "same business purpose"
• Unlimited custom tables can be created for the purpose of configuring and customizing the owned products.

Issues with this are; - Identifying what is "an app" and if it was "within the same business purpose" is time consuming and difficult.

• The definitions of "an app" and "business purpose" are subjective.

New Licensing

• Per User model with one simple, transparent, and objective meter for the extensibility of the platform -- custom tables
• While ensuring we do no harm to our products and continue to enable configuration and customization freedom.
• This no longer uses business purpose or application definitions.

Whats included in the new licensing

Bundled Subscription Entitlements

User Licenses

Personas Concepts

For ITSM;

• ITSM Fulfiller has access to all the 50 custom tables to create, read, update, and delete any records.
• ITSM Requester has access to all 50 custom tables to create, read, update, and delete their records only.

Example License use

Definitions / Other Details

Unrestricted User Model: This means that all users, as long as their registered users in the user table on the platform get full access to the custom tables linked to these product bundles

If Table limit is reached, additional table will fall under the "Now Platform App Engine" subscription

Each custom table under the bundle can have up to 50 custom fields (inherited custom fields do count )

Now Platform App Engine

• Platform User's are not differentiated like ITSM's fulfillers, approvers, requesters.
• Platform User's consume a entitlement if you have access to a custom table. By Access, we mean, "Create Read Update rights".
  • The following User Actions on a custom table request a subscription
  • Read/View: Look at the custom table or a record in a custom table directly
  • Create/Insert: Create a new record in the custom table, directly or indirectly
  • Update: Update a record in a custom table
  • Delete: Delete a record in a custom table
• If a person has a Starter Subscription, they can access up to a max of 5 custom tables
• The 5 tables can be different on a user-by-user basis. E.g. If is in Marketing and Bill is in HR. They may access 5 different tables and still be valid Starter Users
• If the table has Agent Intelligence, Virtual Agent, or Performance Analytics, the user must have the Professional, or Enterprise entitlement.
• For the starter package, you need to get one for every active registered user that doesn't have one of the other subscription packages.

Tables

Types of Custom tables;

Exempt Tables

These tables have been selected because the extension of these tables is common practice for setting up the core of the platform.

Extending these tables enables you to add them to your scoped application.

Foundational Data

• cmdb_*
• cmn_location
• kb_knowledge

Integrations

• sys_import_set_row
• sys_transform_script
• sys_transform_map
• sys_auth_profile
• scheduled_data_import
• sys_hub_action_type_base
• sys_report_import_table_parent

System Configruation

• sys_dictionary
• sys_choice
• syslog
• sys_user_preference
• sys_filter
• sys_portal_page

Process Automation

• sysauto
• dl_definition
• dl_matcher
• sf_state_flow
• sc_cat_item_delivery_task

Development Implications

Applications are either Paid or Free

Development Considerations

1. Actively manage and monitor table usage & assignments
2. Make use of the Exempt tables
3. Carefully consider the access roles for a new table
4. Be aware of how many tables are available within a bundle
5. Extensions of core tables are counted (e.g. extending incident)
6. AI on a custom table requires a Pro or higher subscription
7. Leave enough room for future development needs
8. Be aware of the custom field limits for a table

New York Pricing

I came across a shared pdf file on Slack.

Further Reading

• Understanding your servicenow licensing
• New York One Pager