How to Set Up a Jira ServiceNow Integration

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How to set up an advanced Jira ServiceNow integration

Want to sync your Jira Service Management instance with your ServiceNow platform?

Your teams can use a Jira ServiceNow integration to improve collaboration and share relevant data back and forth. Connecting these powerful platforms will ensure data is never lost in manual updates, and emails. Stay on top of things, always!

So, how do you connect Jira and ServiceNow to ensure you have a two-way, real-time synchronization?

I’ll show you how to do this using Exalate. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Exalate, let me give you a quick overview.

Exalate is a script-based integration solution that helps you synchronize data between multiple tools like Jira, Salesforce, Azure DevOps, ServiceNow, and more. With its intuitive scripting capabilities, you can set up deep integrations between Jira and ServiceNow and sync any way you want. There is no limitation on data mapping or advanced logic. Sync anything that your use case requires.

Another option for integrating Jira with ServiceNow is IntegrationHub’s Jira Spoke, but the major drawback to using this solution is that it has a limited scope and is quite expensive. Also, ServiceNow is in the driving seat of this integration, so you cannot expect an ongoing bidirectional sync. Other integration apps available in the marketplace are also limited in scope and you cannot implement any kind of advanced use cases with them.

Moving onto Exalate.

First, you need to connect your Atlassian Jira (cloud or on-premise) instance with ServiceNow. You can also install it via docker for additional security. Then, you can configure the connection to control the incoming and outgoing data on both sides independently.

4 simple steps to get started with your Jira ServiceNow integration

Step 1: Install Exalate on Jira and ServiceNow

You can install the Exalate app via the marketplace or through our integrations page. If you want assistance with the initial setup, request a free trial from our team.

Check out some quick installation videos here to get started.

Step 2: Connect Jira to ServiceNow

Before you can detail the project, field, and entities you want to sync on both platforms you need to set up a connection.

A connection can be initiated from either Jira or ServiceNow. The UI is the same. On one side you click “Initiate connection” in the “Connections” tab and on the other platform, you click “Accept invitation”.

If you click “Initiate connection” in ServiceNow, for instance, you need to enter the destination instance URL as shown below.

Exalate has two modes: Basic and Script. The Basic mode is for simple syncs without any scripting or coding. The Script mode supports advanced configuration and scripting. This mode is where the full potential of Exalate lies.

Enter your connection details, like the local and remote instance names, the connection name, etc. Click “Initiate”. An invitation code is generated. Copy it.

Go to your Jira instance and as discussed click “Accept invitation”. Paste the code you’ve just copied.

Select a Jira project you want to sync issues into.

That’s all! You’ve successfully connected Jira to ServiceNow using Script mode.

Check out the detailed configuration guide to find out how to map and script your connection.

Step 3: Set up your sync rules

Sync rules are Groovy scripts that help you configure your synchronization behavior.

Depending on your needs, you can edit these rules to sync records uni or bidirectionally between Jira and ServiceNow. Map and sync custom fields, statuses, priorities, assignees, reporters, comments, attachments, third-party fields, and much more.

The outgoing sync decides what goes out to the other side, while the incoming sync decides how (and where) the information coming from the remote side appears. These incoming and outgoing sync rules are present on both Jira and ServiceNow instances.

 

Here is a sample line of code for custom fields.

entity.resolution_notes = replica.customFields.”Jira custom field name”.value

This maps the custom field value coming from Jira to the resolution notes in ServiceNow.

You can also add advanced conditions and logic to the sync rules. If you don’t want to sync certain fields, you can simply delete or comment out those script lines.

Use AI-assisted integration to make your Jira ServiceNow integration easy

If scripting is not your thing, you can always use AI Assist to generate scripts for you. Every incoming and outgoing sync section has an AI chatbox. Enter your sync requirements in detail and wait while AI generates the output for you.

So, if you want to map and sync statuses between Jira and ServiceNow, enter a prompt that looks something like this:

Be careful with AI results since they can sometimes go wrong. Refine your prompt till you’re satisfied with the output or save your changes.

There’s also a video of how you can use AI Assist. In this video, you’ll see how you can sync Jira comments as ServiceNow work notes using AI.

Sync Jira comments as work notes in ServiceNow

Step 4: Automate your sync with triggers

Triggers are conditions that control how your sync works. Once the condition is fulfilled, the connection carries out the operation automatically.

On Jira, you can configure triggers using Jira Query Language (JQL). On ServiceNow, use the ServiceNow advanced search syntax.

Here are sample JQL triggers:

• project = DEMO AND labels = sync

• project = XProject and assignee = JDoe

• worklogDate > startOfWeek()

Here are ServiceNow triggers using the search syntax:

• short_descriptionLIKETest — sync incidents that include "Test" in the description,

• urgency=1 — sync incidents with urgency of 1,

• caller_id=1234xyz — sync all incidents with the matching caller ID.

That’s it! You’ll sync your data automatically based on the rules and triggers you have set.  

Advanced Jira Azure ServiceNow integration use cases

• Sync ServiceNow change requests and Jira issues.
• Sync any entity available via REST APIs
• Sync third-party plugin fields between Jira and ServiceNow
• Orchestrate end-to-end Jira ServiceNow business workflows
• Integrate multiple ITSM systems like ServiceNow and Jira Service Management
• Connect multiple ServiceNow incidents to a single Jira issue
• Sync urgency and priority between ServiceNow and Jira.
• Display correlation details from Jira issues in ServiceNow.
• Sync ServiceNow change requests, RTIMs, problems, catalogs, tasks, and other entities with your Jira Cloud issue.

To learn more about syncing possibilities between Jira and ServiceNow, get in touch with our team to discuss your use case.

[francis]

Watch the video of a Jira ServiceNow integration here 

 https://bit.ly/42UFk1v