Setting up the ServiceNow approvals integration

This topic explains how to configure the LaunchDarkly ServiceNow integration for flag and experiment approvals.

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Prerequisites

To complete this topic, you must meet the following prerequisites:

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Integration permissions in LaunchDarkly

You must have a LaunchDarkly account with a Writer, Admin, Owner, or a custom role that allows the createIntegration action on the integration resource.

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Admin permissions in ServiceNow

You must have an existing ServiceNow account with the admin role.

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IP address access in ServiceNow

If your ServiceNow instance has IP address access control enabled, you must create inbound ServiceNow IP access control rules corresponding to the outboundAddresses from LaunchDarkly’s public IP list. To learn how to create IP access control rules, search for “IP Address Access Control” in ServiceNow’s documentation and choose the article for your ServiceNow version. For example, if your ServiceNow version is Zurich, read IP Address Access Control.

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Create a ServiceNow standard change template

To begin, create a ServiceNow standard change template that you want to use for all proposed changes originating from LaunchDarkly. We recommend creating a dedicated template for LaunchDarkly changes. To learn how to propose a new standard change template, search for “Propose a standard change template” in ServiceNow’s documentation and choose the article for your ServiceNow version. For example, if your ServiceNow version is Zurich, read Propose a standard change template. If you do not use a ServiceNow standard change template, we recommend using the Custom approvals integration instead.

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Create an application registry entry in ServiceNow

Next, create an application registry entry in ServiceNow. This provides the OAuth Client ID and Client Secret you will use when you set up the integration in LaunchDarkly. To do this, first find the Redirect URL in LaunchDarkly:

1. In LaunchDarkly, navigate to the Integrations page and find “ServiceNow.”
2. Click Configure. The integration menu appears.
3. Click Connect to ServiceNow. An OAuth provider registration dialog appears.
4. Copy the Redirect URL to your clipboard.

You will use this redirect URL when you create the application registry entry in ServiceNow. To learn how to create the application registry entry, search for “Create OAuth API endpoints for external clients” in ServiceNow’s documentation and choose the article for your ServiceNow version. For example, if your ServiceNow version is Zurich, read Create OAuth API endpoints for external clients. When you save the new entry, ServiceNow displays the Client ID and Client Secret for this application. Save these for use in the integration setup section.

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Set up the ServiceNow integration in LaunchDarkly

To use the ServiceNow integration to manage approvals, you must first establish an OAuth connection between your LaunchDarkly and ServiceNow accounts. After you create the connection, you can either:

• configure automatic approvals, or
• configure manual approvals.

To establish an OAuth connection:

1. In LaunchDarkly, navigate to the Integrations page and find “ServiceNow.”
2. Click Configure. The integration menu appears.
3. Click Connect to ServiceNow. An OAuth provider registration dialog appears.

4. Enter your ServiceNow host URL. It may look something like https://launchdarkly.service-now.com.
5. Enter the Client ID and Client Secret from the ServiceNow application registry entry you saved in the application registry step.
6. Click Register OAuth Provider.
7. Click Allow. ServiceNow may prompt you to log in to your ServiceNow account at this step.

Your LaunchDarkly and ServiceNow accounts are now connected. Next, enable the ServiceNow approvals integration for your LaunchDarkly environment.

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Configure a LaunchDarkly environment to use ServiceNow for approvals

By default, the LaunchDarkly approvals request feature only creates approval requests in LaunchDarkly. You can change this behavior so LaunchDarkly creates change requests in ServiceNow. To do this, you must update your chosen environment’s approval settings. The ServiceNow approvals integration supports approval requests for feature flag and experiment changes. Here’s how:

1. Click the project dropdown. The project menu appears:

2. Select Project settings. The list of project settings appears.
3. Click Approval settings.
4. In the “Flag and experiment approvals” section, select an environment.
5. Click Edit approval setting. The “Approval settings for [environment]” dialog appears.
6. Change the Approval system from “LaunchDarkly” to “ServiceNow.”
7. Select the ServiceNow standard change template you wish to use for all proposed changes in this environment. All change requests created by LaunchDarkly will include relevant details for the Short description, Justification, and Requested by fields. We recommend choosing a template with all other change request fields pre-populated.
8. (Optional) Fill in the Detailed information column name field with the name of the ServiceNow Change Request column you would like LaunchDarkly to populate with detailed approval request information. This field defaults to justification if you do not provide a value.
9. (Optional) Select the Require approvals for this environment checkbox to require approval for changes in this environment. If you select this, then you must also choose:

• Whether to require approval for all flags and experiments, or only for flags and experiments with matching tags. While tags are global across environments, this setting applies only to flags and experiments in the current environment.
• Whether to allow scheduled changes for a flag to be deleted without approval in this environment.

10. Choose whether to Automatically apply changes in LaunchDarkly when associated external change requests are approved.
11. Click Save changes.

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Create a LaunchDarkly workflow in ServiceNow for manual approvals

You can create your workflow using either of these two ServiceNow workflow creation methods:

• Flow Designer
• Workflow Editor

To learn more, search for “Flow Designer” and “Workflow Editor” in ServiceNow’s documentation and choose the articles for your ServiceNow version. The screenshots below are from the Flow Designer, but you can create a workflow the same triggers, actions, and conditions using the Workflow Editor if you prefer. To create a LaunchDarkly approvals workflow in ServiceNow:

1. Create a new Workflow Trigger for record “Created” on the “Change Request [change_request]” table. To learn how to do this, search for “Create Security Operations workflow triggers” in ServiceNow’s documentation and choose the article for your ServiceNow version.
2. Set two conditions on your trigger: “State” is “New” and “Standard Change Template version,” “Template,” “Name” is “LaunchDarkly template.”

3. Add a new “Ask For Approval” Action on your Trigger Change Request Record and set the approval rules.

4. Add an if condition that requires Approval State is “Approved.”

5. Add two “Update Change Request Record” Actions as extensions of the if condition.

• Set the first Action to “Update Record” with “State” “Scheduled” on the latest version of the triggering Change Request Record.
• Set the second Action to “Update Record” with “State” “Implement” on the latest version of the triggering Change Request Record.

6. As an extension of the else condition, add an “Update Change Request Record” Action that moves the “State” to “Canceled.” LaunchDarkly uses this state to determine that the approval request has been rejected.

You can now request manual approvals in ServiceNow for flag and experiment changes in LaunchDarkly.

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Create a LaunchDarkly workflow in ServiceNow for automatic approvals

Automatic approval workflows create a correlating ServiceNow Change Request for any LaunchDarkly flag or experiment changes. Automatic approvals are for record-keeping only and no actual approval is requested. Automatic approval workflows resemble manual approval workflows but without the approval Action. To create an automatic approval workflow:

1. Create a new Workflow Trigger for record “Created” on the “Change Request [change_request]” table. To learn how to do this, search for “Create Security Operations workflow triggers” in ServiceNow’s documentation and choose the article for your ServiceNow version.
2. Set two conditions on your trigger:

• “State” is “New”
• “Standard Change Template version,” “Template,” “Name” is “LaunchDarkly auto-approve template”

3. Add two “Update Change Request Record” Actions as extensions of the if condition.
4. On the first Action, set the Action to “Update Record” on the latest version of the triggering Change Request Record. Set “State” to “Scheduled.”
5. On the second Action, set the Action to “Update Record” on the latest version of the triggering Change Request Record. Set “State” to “Implemented.”

You can now track your LaunchDarkly flag and experiment changes in ServiceNow.