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Compare ServiceNow Backups to Identify Record Changes
Identify record changes between two ServiceNow backups by comparing them. You can analyze an entire org or focus on specific objects and their related objects. Quickly spot additions, modifications, and deletions to ensure data accuracy and integrity.
There are four methods for initiating a Compare job:
- From the Compare tab. This method is described in detail later in the section To Compare Two Data Backups.
- From the Backup History tab - using the Compare button. This method is for initiating a Compare job with the same Service on all objects/tables.
- From the Backup History tab - using the Object Changed/ Table Changed icon
in a specific object/table listing. This method is for quickly initiating a
Compare job for a specific object/table. - From the main Services screen - using a specific service’s Jobs menu. This method is for initiating a Compare job with the same Service, directly from the Services screen.
Compare Two Data/Metadata Backups
- Navigate to the Compare tab.
- The Compare screen appears. From the Service list, select the service you wish to compare. You can either compare with the same service, or compare with a different service. You can compare either data services or compare metadata services. Scroll down the list of services, or type in the first few letters in the Search for service field.
- Select the objects you wish to include in the comparison. You can choose either All Objects/All Tables, or choose specific objects/tables to include in the comparison (choosing All Objects may significantly slow down the Compare job). For metadata Compare jobs, all objects/tables will be compared by default.
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Select the two specific Backups that you wish to compare.
Note The Compare job compares the objects in the two specific backups that were selected. It does not compare all the backups during the entire range of dates. -
Click Compare.
The job begins and the Compare Job tab appears, where the progress bar is displayed until the Compare job has been completed. When the Compare job has been completed, the Compare Report is displayed
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By clicking on the object/table name, you can view the full drill down.
Note The drill-down isn't available for objects/tables with more than four million records. If the Compare result for an object/table exceeds this limit, a message is displayed.
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When the Compare job is completed, you can do the following:
- Click on the Download icon to download a CSV file listing the deletions, additions or changes to the object or table.
- Perform a Restore job directly from the Compare job results table, by clicking the Restore icon next to the number of records.
- Click on the object/table name to enter the Compare View screen, where you can repair corrupted objects or tables by restoring selected records. For more details see Restoring ServiceNow Data with Precision.
Identify Abnormal Behavior
Backup has a powerful graphing system that shows events of every data and metadata object or table in your ServiceNow environment.
This graph delivers a comprehensive view into changes in your data and metadata, letting you derive immediate insights and respond if necessary. You can also drill down into any specific backup to isolate specific objects and see specific added, changed, or removed records. This transparency allows administrators and database managers to easily spot abnormal, and potentially malicious or accidental behavior.
The visual data reports are available on the Dashboard of each Backup service.
To view statistical data on items that have been added, changed, or removed:
- Click the Added, Changed, Removed, or Total metrics below the chart to filter which data sets you want to see.
- Select any object from the top-left drop-down menu.
- Select a time frame from the top-right menu, or select a default range of one week, one month, two months, or all backups.
- Click and drag your mouse over the mini graph below the main graph to zoom into a specific region of the timeline.
