Join the TechNow team as they go through everything you need to know about the most efficient way to get work done on the Now Platform: Workspace. In this episode the team will cover: An overview of Workspace, Understanding the personas involved with the Workspace experience, Exploring and configuring Workspace, Insights into the Workspace roadmap.

Originally aired: February 23, 2021 8:00 AM PT

Featured Experts

Jeremy Duncan is a Platform Architect on the Workflow Design Studio team at ServiceNow. Jeremy is an Enterprise Architect with over 16 years of IT and Service Management experience. His experience and certifications span across retail and manufacturing with focuses on hardware, software, and information security specialties and is a ServiceNow Certified Master Architect. He has done many implementations in both the Enterprise Federal and Commercial spaces since 2011 and brings a breadth of platform knowledge that aids him in sound architectural decisions. He achieved his B.B.A. at MTSU and majored in Information Systems. He spends his free time fighting crime as a volunteer certified police officer in North Nashville since 2012 and enjoys family time, camping, with his wife and kids!

Kreg Steppe is a Sr Staff Enterprise-wide Apps/Sys Developer within ServiceNow Training and Certification developing and supporting cloud training infrastructure. He specializes in developing integration solutions, automating repeatable processes and Cloud Management in ITOM. Kreg's prior experience includes operating his own ISP, developing web applications in PHP, network integration, managing network support, Application Development on cloud based networks, DNS and email server maintenance. He is a Linux enthusiast and enjoys Photography.

Chuck Tomasi is a Sr. Developer Advocate for ServiceNow. He is a computer science major with over 35 years of IT experience. As a former ServiceNow customer, Chuck won the first Innovation of the Year Award at Knowledge 10. Since joining ServiceNow in 2010 as a Technical Consultant, he has done many large scale ITSM implementations and custom applications, acted as an adjunct instructor for Education Services, created and lead the Technical Best Practices program, makes appearances on Live Coding Happy Hour, created dozens of fit for purpose custom applications, and co-hosts the ServiceNow series "TechNow".

Links Mentioned

Questions and Answers

Love the bowtie and the hat !!! Thamk you Jeremy for your service !!

Thanks for the comment. We try to inject a little fun.

Is there any kind of quick way / automated methodology to convert a platform view to a workspace view. I have lots of menus configured / etc and would like to move them to workspace. Thanks in advance!

Hi there! Today, there is nothing out of box designed to movie an application menu module to workspace list categories and list filters. With that said, I can see the possibility of a script being written to convert an app menu module that is pointing to a table and filter to a workspace list. You would have to go back and define the workspace and list category it belongs to, but it would save some of the work.

Do lists in Workspace automatically update? For example, if a new ticket comes in, does it show up in the list without a manual refresh by the user?

Currently (Quebec) they are not live lists, but there is a badge to indicate updates have been made (much like alerts on your mobile devices) to know when you need to do a refresh.

Kreg, is that a Covid beard?

Yes, yes it is. :)

In Quebec the CSM workspace has been redone with the new UI Builder. Wil other oob workspaces be redone too? in future releases ?

Hey Tommy, i'm not aware of any future plans to "re-do" existing Agent Workspaces into the new Workspace experience, HOWEVER, you should be able to create a new workspace experience and copy an existing template to bring over the existing layouts.

Can I use Creator Workflows and App Engine to build custom workspaces for individual scoped apps? Asking for a friend...

Yes, yes you can! The best place to build new workspaces and scoped apps in Quebec is App Engine Studio (coming in March, available from the store, and our next TechNow episode on March 23) http://bit.ly/tn85reg

are there additional "views" to consider in workspace or is that handled by the workspace now which is consistent for all components in the workspace.

Hey James! "views" will only come into play as it relates to the actual Form View, which can be managed in UI16 under "Workspace" view. As far as the record view in Workspace, you will manage the components within that record view in UI Builder and that layout is specific to the workspace. There are other components that are based on the record type being viewed, for instance the Form Header may change when a different table is viewed.

Is there a place to demo workspaces besides personal developer instance?

Unless you have access to a Paris/Quebec instance, then I would recommend reaching out to your account team. The Solution Consultant should be able to show you some of the things Workspace brings.

Could I download this session as I dont get enough bandwith to stream it online even if I have recording?

Download - not really. Watch later, Yes! We will be posting this to YouTube on the ServiceNow community in a few days.

Will client script and business rule execute in agent workspace

Hi Deepa, yes both Client Scripts and business rules (server-side) will execute in workspace. There is a specific place for managing Client Scripts in UI Builder and Business Rules are still managed against the table in UI16.

What about application scopes? Are there any aspects that need to be considered when adjusting a workspace, which is in one application scope, by adding tables/lists from another application scope? For example, a workspace combining ITSM, CSM, and HR agendas within a single landing page.

The same system level stuff still applies in workspace. It's simply exposing that information to the user. For example, if ACLs say "you don't have access to this", they won't see it. If you want to add a customer list (from CSM) in to the ITSM workspace,

Are there plans to update the list views in workspace to accommodate similar UI actions as in UI16? Example, 'assign to me' exists, however there are a number of other UI actions available that don't appear in workspace.

Hey Tim, Some UI Actions will have to be re-worked to be shown in Agent, but the inherent capability of using UI Actions on the form and in the workspace view are there. More Info can be found here: https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/quebec-servicenow-platform/page/administer/workspace/task/configure-agent-workspace-ui-actions.html

If our organization has not been using service portal, but would like to move to that type of an experience, should we use UI builder from the start or build a service portal first and then migrate later?

If you haven't invested in Service Portal at this point, I would recommend you start looking at UI Builder. We will continue to have SP available, but not adding any additional support to that product - so why build in something that isn't getting any mor

Do you find customers who are using the Agent Workspace for all fulfillers (not just Tier 1 agents)? Is there anything we should consider if we open it up to non-tier 1 agents?

Hi there! Yes, i'm seeing a large shift of customers utilizing Agent for many tiers of support. I would consider training your "seasoned" users on the differences between UI16 and Agent because there will be some features that they "may" miss if they are used to the old way. For instance, creating and managing their landing page won't be the same experience "today" as they have with managing their own homepage/dashboard in UI16.

Does the Rich Text Editor in Work Notes support @mentions in Quebec?

Hey there! if you mention someone in the work notes or comments in the activity component, it does in-fact work as it does in UI16. I validated that an @mention notified the person mentioned via email.

How do we know the ribbon name from workspace view

Hi there! From the workspace view, you'd have to right click on one of the ribbon components --> Inspect --> look up in the div class under sn-ribbon-column and see the component name. You can also find these in UI16 under "Workspace Experience" --> Forms --> Workspace Ribbon Settings

how much of these configuration instructions can be used in the Service Owner Workspace?

Hi there, Service Owner was available pre-Quebec as a part of the ITSM release, therefore would be managed in the same way I showed today.

Can a Workspace landing page be set as your home?

Hey Brian, you can absolutely configure a "Home" Application Menu Module to point to your workspace URL. OOB, you will find /workspace/agent as the default which houses landing pages that are for CSM and ITSM folks, which are managed by role. With that said, if you're asking if you can take one of 10 landing pages configured for a specific workspace and point to one of those 10, i'm not aware of a way today.

Is or will 'User presence' be available in Agent Workspace?

I haven't heard yet. I suspect it is on the roadmap, but no definitely release yet. Great question. I might suggest you look on the Idea Portal in the community to see if it has already been suggested. If not, put it in so othes can upvote it.

I've heard workspace referred to as a replacement for dashboards. Is this the intent? Are dashboards intended to be phased out in favor of workspaces?

Dashboards still have their use in the standard/platform/classic UI. You can build dashboards in to the workspace experience as well. They each have their use for each persona.

When adding a List to a Landing Page I have been unable to define columns to view; SN keep changing the order of the columns on its own. In particular, the State and Priority columns won't stay where I add them and there appears to be no drag and drop/re-order function

Hi Tim, a list on the Workspace Landing page isn't user specific, and looks at admin configured settings for the list report that's configured. With that said, when you modify a list (after clicking into it away from landing page) you should have the option via the "settings" gear to "save as" and save the list with your view, otherwise, it appears there are no personalized views configured for your user and the globals are taking over. Have you tried going into UI16 into a list view, modifying there, and seeing if it holds in Agent?

The direction from ServiceNow of no customizations - how does this apply to "customizing" the UI Components? It will still create a skip?

Like Service Portal, the OOB components are configured, but if you want to customize, you make a copy (or start from scratch.) So, no skip.

Is time worked available yet? We really like the workspace but it's a deal breaker until we can report time worked within the workspace.

Hi Greta, in Customer Service, "record time" UI Action is available and working. It opens a new Time Worked record. There is also the ability to add the Time Worked field to the record.

Can someone explain where Workspace falls as it relates to Service Portal vs accessing Classic UI? What type of users is Workspace for?

Jeremy covers that about 8 minutes in to the video. If you're watching live, he just mentioned it. Your agents, fulfillers are the key personas. Thanks.

Can you allow access to landing pages based on groups instead of roles?

Currently it is role based. Best practice is to apply roles to groups and then add uses to groups (and they inherit the roles) so if you follow best practices, you're covered. Thanks.

In vendor workpace, we see that drilldown capabilities with in PI dashboard. Can we also create similar workspace?

Hey there! Yes you can, as Vendor Workspace is just one example of the different types of workspaces that can be configured.

Can you make as many workspaces as you want?

Hi there! Yes you can technically create as many as you'd like. I'd make sure you are thinking about the workspace bucket as the primary space you brand, theme, and manage the overall experience, but within that workspace you can create multiple landing page options that are role based to ensure that different audiences see different "home" pages.

if we are not Pro users why do we have to pay for Predictive Intelligence? that should come OOB like agent workspace

Predictive intelligence and licensing are beyond the scope of what we'll be talking about on this webinar. If you have licensing questions, please work with your account team. Thanks!

do you run guided setup in DEV and is it then captured in update sets or is it better to run guided setup right in PRD?

Yes, that's correct. Guided Setup brings you to the records/pages to configure and those are captured the same way you would do manually (w/o Guided Setup.)

For lists created by users - can they set a static grouping?

Hi Monica, I'm sorry, but today that is not a feature available to users in the "My List" section of the component. With that said, I think it's a great idea and if you have a chance, i'd encourage you to submit it here: https://community.servicenow.com/community?id=ideas\_list&sysparm\_module\_id=enhancement\_requests

Will we ever get the ability to send workspace notifications to a group instead of a single agent?

I don't have visibility to the product manager's roadmap, but if you feel strongly that this would make a good enhancement, I recommend suggesting it on the Idea Portal on the community. If it's already there, upvote it.

Can I get a clarification on a statement Jeremy made earlier, where he said "have an upgrade plan/path from Portal to Workspace". Can you elaborate on this for me?

Hi Elias, Portal and Workspace are comprised of different technologies. Portal utilizes Widgets, which are managed within the Service Portal Configuration windows. Those widgets are made up of CSS, HTML, Client Scripts, Server Scripts, and some Angular and Bootstrap. Workspace utilizes the Now Experience Framework which is still using standard Web Components, but not managed the same as Portals. With that said, I wanted to encourage the admins/architects on the call to consider the technology behind the scenes and how it interacts with the data on the platform before creating Portal experiences using UI Builder. There will not be an intermingling of Portal Widgets and Workspace Components on a page, therefore there will be a decision (one day in the future) to either build new experiences in UI Builder and migrate over, or continue using Portal. That doesn't mean Portal is going way, or that Workspace Experiences will replace Portal. It's just that they are two different methods of creating a User Interface on our platform, that's all.

can a user switch to another landing page with higher order # ?

Hi there! A "user" cannot, but a workspace admin can.

Do the conditions to color field values in the list also apply to "My Lists" created by individual agents or just Global lists?

Hey Dennis, the color field conditions are configured at the table level, so they should appear anywhere you see a list, with the exception of a list report found on a landing page. You might not see that rendered the same as that is actually a "report" and not an actual rendering of the list view in the window.

Are you able to change the height of the Ribbon?

Hey there! Height is not a configurable item for Agent Workspace Ribbons today, HOWEVER, if you begin to create new Workspace experiences directly from UI Builder, you'll find the abillity to modify MANY things, including Ribbon height. Here's how: Type "UI Builder" in your left-nav (Quebec) --> Click the "Page" icon in the left hand side of the screen --> Under "Variant" click "+Create" --> Name the page, and under "Page Template" choose "Record --> Choose the "Only Copy" option --> Find the Ribbon in the middle of the page and click on it --> In the "pinkish" looking menu box, find the one that looks like a workflow icon and click it --> voiala! you should see height options on the right.

Are there limitations with using the OOB Agent Workspace versus stating fresh with a new custom workspace?

Hey Joe, today there are. OOB Agent Workspace will be limited to managing only the landing page with UI Builder. I'm hearing plans of that changing, but for today that's the case. To utilize UIB in its full capacity, you have to go into UIB from the UI16 filter nav and either copy or begin with a new experience and either create a Workspace or Portal from there. Great news is you can use OOB templates to help speed things along!

Can we have multiple workspaces in one instance?

Yes you can. Each would have their own unique URL/endpoint. Ex: /now/csm, or /now/karaoke. :)

where do we have this video for futre reference?

You can find the video by going to the TechNow episode index on the community and clicking the title for episode 84. http://bit.ly/servicenow-technow

Right now workspace fields doesn't support the Tooltip/mouse over text. Are there any enhancements in Paris or Quebec to enable Tooltips for form fields?

Hi Nitink, i'm not seeing tooltips supported in Quebec, however it's a GREAT idea and a valuable UX tool. If you have a few moments, and would like to be possibly one of the first to suggest this, would you mind submitting an enhancement request via our Ideas Portal? https://community.servicenow.com/community?id=ideas\_list&sysparm\_module\_id=enhancement\_requests

Can we create new workspaces?

Yes you can. Jeremy gives a quick overview of this in a little bit.

is allow to use both Workspace UI and the current U16 UI during all users are getting used to use WS? Is it just different UI to deal with the same back-end data right?

Same back end data, but users can choose which they wish to interact with. For those, like agents/fulfillers, that need multiple tabs open at the same time, Workspace is way more productive.

Does workspace require a PRO license? and is it available for the ITBM modules?

Hope we answered your question live (about 18m in). For best information please work with your account team.

For Platform power users, how do we get AW to provide easy access to items like the Knowledge Homepage, On Call, Reports etc. without making dozens of custom lists?

Hey John, giving access to those items would be synonomous to creating a menu module in UI16. You could also do something with Rich Text Editor and HTML to create some links, but I wouldn't consider that "easy" to manage :). Also, the Knowledge and Reports are all consumed within the Landing Page (reports) and the Report View (Knowledge).

how do we convert existing refrence buttons to Agent workspace?

Can you clarify what you mean by a "reference button"?

re: Ribbon, what is the total width cover if any? What is the unit of Width?

The width is the width of the screen. I was watching Brad Tilton work on one today and he had three sections that filled the screen. I don't know what that unit is, but it is relative. For example, 3 was pretty skinny and five was about 1/3 of his screen. It could be some unit I haven't learned yet. Some experimentation may be needed.

Will workspace improve performance compared to native UI?

I believe it will improve performance in a couple of different ways 1: by reducing the number of clicks that an agent has to take to gain information about a user/consumer/contact, etc 2: by serving up other pertinent information on a single page without having to navigate other parts of the platform. A great example is the use of Playbooks in the UI, that walks an agent step-by-step through a flow without having to leave the UI they are in.

Perhaps you could mention something about ServiceNow's plans to provide more UI Action capability in Workspace. Disappointed many UI Actions just don't work in that UI.

Thanks for the feedback. For the latest and greatest around UI Action scripting, i'd encourage you to check out the Q notes: https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/quebec-servicenow-platform/page/administer/workspace/task/configure-agent-workspace-ui-actions.html and for suggestions/ideas around making our product better: https://community.servicenow.com/community?id=ideas\_list&sysparm\_module\_id=enhancement\_requests

would the best practice to be copy and customize the "agent" workspace to get an individualized workspace for our Service Desk agent team(s) across the org?

You can configure the workspace without issue (like form layouts on the standard UI). Customizing components gets to your point about copy and mod (like Service Portal.) Hope that helps. Thanks for the question.

Does ATF work with agent workspace

I'd answer with a "maybe". OOB, there is no workspace configured for ATF, therefore, you'd need to create a form view "Workspace" for sys_atf_test and start to re-create the view the agent would see. In addition, you'd have to look at the UI Actions created to kick off the test and possibly recreate with some new client scripting specific to workspace to make it all come together. Feasible i'd say, just not OOB today.

Are the user created lists still limited by ACLs?

ACLs are applied/evaluated when data is requested at the system level (e.g. read access). If the user doesn't have read access to a record, they won't see it. This is not specific to workspace.

Do client script work in the workspace's form? For example, hiding a field based on another field's value.

Hi Miguel, yes, client scripts are supported in workspace.

Can we configure workspace landing pages for snc_external role users

Vikas, external use of Agent Workspace is not supported at this time.

Can you talk about how platform workspaces work in the custom App Engine development projects? Are there example custom apps available that demo how workspaces and the Now Experience work in custom apps? Thank you

When App Engine Studio is released in March 2021, it will include several templates that demonstrate workspaces. You can also find a CSM workspace in Quebec to showcase some of the features.

Display guided set up please

Jeremy did quite a bit of guided setup for the form categories, forms, and lists. I hope you caught it. If not, the video is available for rewatching with time codes. Thanks.

Can you disable the My Lists area so that your agents can't create their own lists?

It looks like all the user needs is workspace_user to use this feature. While I haven't tested it, try removing that role from the user and they shouldn't be able to create lits. https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/quebec-servicenow-platform/page/administer/workspace/task/create-filtered-list-agent-workspace.html

Can you adjust height of those ribbon settings so there is less "white space"?

Hey Mike, Height is not a configurable item for Agent Workspace Ribbons today, HOWEVER, if you begin to create new Workspace experiences directly from UI Builder, you'll find the abillity to modify MANY things, including Ribbon height. Here's how: Type "UI Builder" in your left-nav (Quebec) --> Click the "Page" icon in the left hand side of the screen --> Under "Variant" click "+Create" --> Name the page, and under "Page Template" choose "Record --> Choose the "Only Copy" option --> Find the Ribbon in the middle of the page and click on it --> In the "pinkish" looking menu box, find the one that looks like a workflow icon and click it --> voiala! you should see height options on the right. Also check out the padding options within CSS if you don't see it configurable in the controls.

is there any benefit to using the agent workspace instead of creating a new experience for agents? (I'm assuming it is just not rebuilding the standard things that you folks have already built OOTB)

Hi James, For most, Agent Workspace will be enough as it is OOB and not much config will be required. For those who like to go outside the box, UI Builder will enable you to build those experiences in either Workspace or Portal for your customers. And with that tool, the aim is to enable Citizen Devs to be able to help with that process, but as it stands, there will still be some configuration and possible code development to get the experience just how your customers want it.

How we can chose landing page on role?

Check out "UX Page Element Permissions" under the landing page config in UI16.

Is ServiceNow moving to Workspace only in the future vs. current UI?

Hi there! No, Workspace will be one of several UIs available to you and your customers!

Is the AW Activity Stream the same as the Work Notes field in the Fulfiller platform?

Hey Jonathan! It is the same functionality, yes. You'll see both options "Comments, and Work Notes" in that component. And the comments still point to those journal entry fields.

Did I understand correctly, it sounds like ServiceNow is headed towards Agent Workspace and trying to migrate away from the Portal. Is that correct?

Hi David, I hope that's not what I said :). No, we're not moving from Portal to Agent. Maybe you heard me say that UI Builder will enable you to build both Workspace and Portal experiences.

Can we mix information between solutions ? (ITSM, ITOM, CSM, and so on)

Yes. You can create your own layout, as long as the users have access to that cross-process information as well.

Can we restrict visibility of a component based on user role?

Considering Client Scripting is possible for components, this should be possible, although I have not personally tried it.

Can we have demo for Landing pages criteria.

Hi there, sorry if I missed this live. But here is your Guide to the Galaxy regarding Landing Page management: https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/quebec-servicenow-platform/page/administer/workspace/concept/setting-up-landing-pages.html

Does the brand color 2 also apply to the list highlighting?

That is correct

I see potential for the Workspace Homepage to replace team dashboards. Do homepages support tabs in the same fashion as dashboards? Migrating some teams over to Workspace could be a hard sell if not.

Hey Ethan, With OOB Agent Workspaces you won't have the ability to utilize the sections component, however, if you create new Workspace Experiences using UIB, you have many more options at your fingertips to manage the way the page is rendered.

Can JIRA, AzDO be integrated to Agent Workspace?

I'd need to know a little more about what you are trying to accomplish. The short answer is "yes". The data can be exchanged easily with the IntegrationHub spoke and how you choose to represent it could be configured with UI Builder. I recommend reaching out to your ServiceNow Solution Consultant to discuss further. Sounds like a fun project!

Our application has a requirement to have multiple landing pages for a particular group. Is it possible to show multiple landing pages in the workspace for a single group?

Hey Shruti! With "Agent" Workspace, landing pages are determined via order or role. With new Workspace "Experiences" you should have access to that page via URL, therefore theoretically, you could build access to individual landing pages.

how can i see webinars on fulfiller

Hi there! We have lots of content in the TechNow space that might answer your question: https://community.servicenow.com/community?id=community\_blog&sys\_id=4d6eaeaddbd0dbc01dcaf3231f961964, but i'd also peruse the Docs site on how a fulfiller gets their work done, because there are several ways today: Mobile, UI16, Agent Workspace.

Can we show agents homepages/reports in workspace?

The home pages would need to be rebuilt as landing pages on workspace, and you can add data visualizations on workspace as well.

Are we getting the recording of the training?

You can download a copy of the slides via the resource panel located in the lower right corner of your screen. You will be receiving an email from the host a couple days after the event with a link to the recording which includes slides and audio. Thank y

If I create a list I like, can I share with my team?

Hi Philip, you can, but it isn't the same experience as in UI16. There is a "Share" icon in the list that will copy the URL to your clipboard and you can send to your friends, to which they can save (using the gear icon) to their "My List" section.

When bouncing back and forth when setting up the Workspace, do we need to have an Update Set per scope

Standard update set/app repo practices apply here. If you are working on your "taco" app, for example, you'll want to make sure you're in the right scope so they are editable and captured. That stuff happens at the system level and is not specific to work

Can agents add some components to the homepage of workspace?

At this point (Quebec), agents do not have the capability to modify the workspace layout with standard roles. They would need to be granted the UI Builder admin role (ui_builder_admin) to make any modifications, but those would not be done in prod (same a

how do you switch between the landing pages as an Agent?

Hi Monica, today there is no way to "switch" between each, rather you'd have either order or role-based access to a landing page.

Jeremy made changes to Agent workspace and did not create a new one. Is it possible to create a new workspace for a custom app?

Toshit, ABSOLUTELY! You will be guided through that process if you use the Guided App Creator, and keep an eye out for the AppEngine Studio builder which will further enhance the creation of new applications with OOB templates, and experience creation!!!!

Is there an easy way to have workspace open at login?

Modification of login redirects are managed via sys_property which looks at a script to navigate the login options (which is easy) but keep in mind that it impacts the entire user-base. https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/paris-platform-administration/page/administer/login/task/t\_SpecifyingALoginLandingPage.html There can be modifications made to this, however it would not be easy and would be considered custom.

can't see that!

Try refreshing your browser if you cannot see the demo.

UI Policies and Actions from UI16 doesn't seem to be applied to Workspace, is there a way to make a single UI action work for both views?

Yes, check the UI action form. There's a field to make them available to/work with workspaces. Be sure to check for best practices - not ALL UI actions may work properly with workspace if you're doing some advanced stuff.

How many ribbon components can be displayed?

Hey Brian, there is no limit to the number of components within a ribbon that can be displayed. All components will be distributed evenly across the ribbon section.

Also the "Compose" section is not configurable? Will it be only Work Notes, Comments or do you have plan to change it for the next release like adding JIRA or AZDO comments?

You could use the Form Designer to add fields you need to the Workspace view. When those fields ae updated, Flows get triggered to update back to JIRA>

When you say end users, you mean fulfillers, not customer user right?

"end users" would be your internal users or external customers.

Are tabs in workspaces limited to the user session? Can different domains be opened and respected across workspace tabs?

If you are referring to domain separation, then yes. You can manage the data across multiple domains using a workspace with multiple tabs.