Lesson 2
SLA Properties
In ServiceNow, Service Level Agreement (SLA) properties are configurable settings that define how SLAs are calculated and behave. These properties can be found and managed within the ServiceNow platform, allowing administrators to tailor the SLA functionality to meet specific business needs.
Key SLA Properties in ServiceNow:
-
SLA Definition:This is where you create and manage the actual SLAs, including setting start, stop, and pause conditions, schedules, and time zones.
-
Task SLA:This table stores the SLA records associated with specific tasks, like incidents or change requests.
-
Incident SLA:A database view that connects the Task SLA table with the Incident table, providing a way to see which SLAs are attached to specific incidents.
-
SLA Calculation:Properties related to how SLAs are calculated, including whether they are calculated on display, and how retroactive start and pause features work.
-
SLA Properties Configuration:You can configure properties such as whether to allow retroactive start for SLAs, which can be helpful for scenarios where an SLA needs to retroactively account for a change in status or assignment.
-
SLA Engine:The core logic that drives the SLA calculations and behavior, including how conditions are evaluated and how SLAs transition between states.
-
SLA Condition Rules:You can configure simple or default SLA condition rules, which determine how SLAs start, stop, pause, or reset based on conditions defined in the SLA definition.
Example of SLA Properties Configuration:
-
Retroactive Start:If an incident is upgraded from P3/P4 to P1/P2, you might want the SLA to retroactively start from the time of the priority upgrade, not the time of the reassignment.
-
Pause Conditions:An SLA might be paused when a ticket is in a “Pending Customer” or “Pending Vendor” state, and then resumes when the ticket returns to an active state.
-
Multiple SLAs:ServiceNow supports multiple SLAs per task, allowing you to define different SLAs for different aspects of the same task, such as one for the team assigned and another for the impacted service.
Important Considerations:
-
Start, Stop, and Pause Conditions:Carefully define the conditions that trigger the start, stop, and pause of an SLA to ensure accurate measurement.
-
Schedules and Time Zones:Configure schedules and time zones appropriately to align with your business requirements.
-
Retroactive Start/Pause:Leverage retroactive start and pause features to accurately reflect the SLA timing for past events.
-
SLA Engine Logic:Understand how the SLA engine evaluates conditions and transitions between states to troubleshoot and optimize SLA performance.