<h2>SLA timeline</h2><br/><div style="overflow-x:auto"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"><head><meta content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><meta name="copyright" content="(C) Copyright 2025" /><meta name="DC.rights.owner" content="(C) Copyright 2025" /><meta name="generator" content="DITA-OT" /><meta name="DC.type" content="concept" /><meta name="DC.title" content="SLA timeline" /><meta name="abstract" content="The SLA timeline is a feature of the Service Level Management application. The SLA timeline detail helps you understand the progress of an SLA. The timeline provides detailed insight to the task updates which triggered stage changes during the life cycle of a task SLA." /><meta name="description" content="The SLA timeline is a feature of the Service Level Management application. The SLA timeline detail helps you understand the progress of an SLA. The timeline provides detailed insight to the task updates which triggered stage changes during the life cycle of a task SLA." /><meta name="DC.subject" content="SLA Timeline, Timeline, Show SLA Timeline, View SLA Timeline" /><meta name="keywords" content="SLA Timeline, Timeline, Show SLA Timeline, View SLA Timeline" /><meta name="DC.relation" scheme="URI" content="../../../product/service-level-management/concept/service-level-management-reference.html" /><meta name="DC.relation" scheme="URI" content="../../../product/it-service-management/reference/r_ITServiceManagement.html" /><meta name="DC.relation" scheme="URI" content="../../../product/service-level-management/reference/service-level-mgmt-landing-page.html" /><meta name="DC.relation" scheme="URI" content="../../../product/service-level-management/concept/why-sla-did-not-trigger.html" /><meta name="DC.relation" scheme="URI" content="../../../product/service-level-management/concept/sla-timeline-determines-bus-schedule.html" /><meta name="DC.relation" scheme="URI" content="../../../product/service-level-management/concept/understand-sla-stage-change.html" /><meta name="DC.relation" scheme="URI" content="../../../product/service-level-management/concept/validate-new-sla-definition.html" /><meta name="DC.relation" scheme="URI" content="sla-timeline-determines-bus-schedule.html" /><meta name="DC.relation" scheme="URI" content="understand-sla-stage-change.html" /><meta name="DC.relation" scheme="URI" content="validate-new-sla-definition.html" /><meta name="DC.relation" scheme="URI" content="why-sla-did-not-trigger.html" /><meta name="DC.creator" content="ServiceNow" /><meta name="DC.date.created" content="2023-08-03" /><meta name="DC.date.modified" content="2024-02-01" /><meta name="DC.format" content="XHTML" /><meta name="DC.identifier" content="c_SLATimeline" /><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../../CSS/commonltr.css" /><title>SLA timeline</title></head><body id="c_SLATimeline"> <div class="breadcrumb"><a class="link" href="../../../product/it-service-management/reference/r_ITServiceManagement.html" title="The IT Service Management (ITSM) solution provides scalable workflows to manage and deliver IT services to your users all through a single cloud-based platform.">IT Service Management</a> > <a class="link" href="../../../product/service-level-management/reference/service-level-mgmt-landing-page.html" title="The ServiceNow Service Level Management (SLM) application helps to gather service requirements as well as monitor and report with regards to agreed service levels (SLAs).">Service Level Management</a> > </div> <h1 class="title topictitle1" id="ariaid-title1">SLA timeline</h1> <div class="body conbody"><p class="shortdesc">The SLA timeline is a feature of the Service Level Management application. The SLA timeline detail helps you understand the progress of an SLA. The timeline provides detailed insight to the task updates which triggered stage changes during the life cycle of a task SLA.</p> <div class="p">The SLA timeline detail helps you to: <ul class="ul" id="c_SLATimeline__ul_p5v_gyv_bz"><li class="li">View the progress of SLAs, OLAs, and underpinning contracts.</li><li class="li">View related task updates.</li><li class="li">Identify the reason a task update triggered a specific stage in the task SLA.</li><li class="li">Debug and verify a task SLA and the SLA definition.</li></ul> <div class="note"><span class="notetitle">Note:</span> This feature is available only on the SLA Engine 2011 version.</div> </div> <p class="p">Role required: itil, sla_admin, sla_manager</p> <div class="p"><div class="fig fignone" id="c_SLATimeline__fig_n5r_tkd_2z"><span class="figcap"><span class="fig--title-label">Figure 1. </span>SLA Timeline</span> <img class="image" id="c_SLATimeline__image_o5r_tkd_2z" src="../image/SLATimeline.png" alt="SLA Timeline" /> </div> </div> <div class="p"> <div class="tablenoborder"><table cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="" id="c_SLATimeline__table_a4l_zcr_xy" class="table" frame="border" border="1" rules="all"><caption><span class="tablecap"><span class="table--title-label">Table 1. </span>SLA Timeline field description</span></caption><colgroup><col style="width:9.337068160597573%" /><col style="width:27.077497665732963%" /><col style="width:63.585434173669476%" /></colgroup><thead class="thead" style="text-align:left;"><tr class="row" style="vertical-align:top;"><th class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" id="d278865e106">Levels</th><th class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" id="d278865e109">Field</th><th class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" id="d278865e112">Description</th></tr></thead><tbody class="tbody"><tr class="row" style="vertical-align:top;"><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e106 ">1</td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e109 ">Name</td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e112 ">Specifies the SLA definition name and lists the task SLAs that result from the SLA definition. This field also displays, in the form of symbols, the last known stage, and the completion or the cancellation status, if any, of the task SLA.</td></tr><tr class="row" style="vertical-align:top;"><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e106 ">2</td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e109 ">Preference to see <span class="ph uicontrol">Business elapsed time</span> or <span class="ph uicontrol">Business time left</span> on timeline row</td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e112 "><span class="ph uicontrol">Business elapsed time:</span> <p class="p">Specifies the business time that has accumulated from the beginning of the SLA to its end.</p> <p class="p"> <span class="ph uicontrol">Business time left:</span></p> Specifies the business time that is remaining by which the SLA task must be completed.<div class="note"><span class="notetitle">Note:</span> The selected option from the choice list is saved as a user preference and is selected by default when you navigate to the SLA timeline in the future. Whether you set the system property <span class="ph uicontrol">Always populate business fields on a Task SLA</span> to true or false, the SLA timeline always populates the <span class="ph uicontrol">Business fields for representation</span>.</div> </td></tr><tr class="row" style="vertical-align:top;"><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e106 ">3</td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e109 "><img class="image icon" id="c_SLATimeline__image_e4z_jcs_xy" src="../image/SLAFilter.png" alt="SLA filter icon" /></td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e112 "> Enables filtering of the data displayed by the SLA timeline . You can filter data by selecting the following options:<div class="p"><ul class="ul" id="c_SLATimeline__ul_ump_n2d_gz"><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Show only breached</span>: When selected, displays the task SLAs that are breached. This check box appears only when the SLA engine property <span class="ph uicontrol">Enable compatibility with 2010 ‘breached’ stage for SLAs</span> is set to false.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">SLA Stage</span>: Select to view the task SLA records that match the final stage of a specific task SLA. <div class="note"><span class="notetitle">Note:</span> If the SLA engine property <span class="ph uicontrol">Enable compatibility with 2010 ‘breached’ stage for SLAs</span> is set to true, the <span class="ph uicontrol">Completed</span> stage appears as <span class="ph uicontrol">Achieved</span> and the <span class="ph uicontrol">Breached</span> check box appears under the SLA stage.</div> </li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">SLA Definitions</span>: Select to view the task SLA records for a specific SLA definition.</li></ul> </div> </td></tr><tr class="row" style="vertical-align:top;"><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e106 ">4</td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e109 "><img class="image" id="c_SLATimeline__image_w1n_jt3_3z" src="../image/SLATaskRecordPicker.png" alt="Task Record Picker" /></td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e112 ">Lets you view detailed information about the task when you click the information icon.</td></tr><tr class="row" style="vertical-align:top;"><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e106 ">5</td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e109 "><img class="image" id="c_SLATimeline__image_tl4_4t3_3z" src="../image/SLAZoom.png" alt="Zoom In/Out" /></td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e112 ">Provides several zoom in/out levels to control SLA timeline zoom resolution.<div class="note"><span class="notetitle">Note:</span> If the duration of any task SLA is more than 1 year, then the 5-minutes view is disabled because of performance issues and browser limitations. The condition is applicable for all the browsers.<div class="p">For IE and EDGE:<ul class="ul" id="c_SLATimeline__ul_zgs_ptk_xz"><li class="li">The 5-minutes view is not available for any task SLA that has a duration of more than 35 days.</li><li class="li">The 8-hours view is not available for any task SLA that has a duration of more than 10 months, and the default view is set to 16 hours.</li><li class="li">The 16-hours view is not available for any task SLA that has a duration of more than 21 months, and the default view is set to 24 hours.</li></ul> </div> </div> </td></tr><tr class="row" style="vertical-align:top;"><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e106 ">6</td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e109 "><img class="image" id="c_SLATimeline__image_bg4_trl_hz" src="../image/SLALegendList.png" alt="SLA Legend List" /></td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e112 ">The legend provides the following categories.<div class="p"><ul class="ul" id="c_SLATimeline__ul_bvs_tnr_xy"><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Shapes</span> <ul class="ul" id="c_SLATimeline__ul_erp_wnr_xy"><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Completed</span>: Symbolizes a task update which completed the task SLA.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Canceled</span>: Symbolizes a task update which canceled the task SLA.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Task update</span>: Symbolizes an update of the task.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Task update with stage change</span>: Symbolizes an update of the task which also led to the change in SLA stage.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Breach time (Estimated)</span>: Symbolizes estimated Breach time of an in-progress task SLA that is not yet breached or paused.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Expected start</span>: Symbolizes estimated Start time of a task SLA. This scenario is encountered for a retroactive task SLA starting in the future.</li></ul> </li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Bar color (SLA Duration)</span> <ul class="ul" id="c_SLATimeline__ul_yhf_b4r_xy"><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Below 50%</span>: Green represents a task SLA stage below 50% of the defined SLA duration.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">In-between 50% and 75%</span>: Yellow represents a task SLA stage between 50% and 75% of the defined SLA duration.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">In-between 75% and 100%</span>: Orange represents a task SLA stage between 75% and 100% of the defined SLA duration.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Above 100%</span>: Red represents a task SLA stage after the SLA is breached.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Paused</span>: Gray represents a task SLA stage when it is paused.</li></ul> </li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Modifiers</span> <ul class="ul" id="c_SLATimeline__ul_iwx_34r_xy"><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Retroactive (in lighter shade)</span>: Represents the stages, updates, and out-of-schedules that are in the retroactive time.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Out of schedule (with center stripe)</span>: Represents the time period that the task SLA was outside of the schedule time defined in the SLA definition.</li></ul> </li></ul> </div> </td></tr><tr class="row" style="vertical-align:top;"><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e106 ">7</td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e109 "><img class="image" id="c_SLATimeline__image_srh_y5l_hz" src="../image/SLAConfigurationToggle.png" alt="SLA Configuration Toggle Button" /></td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e112 ">Provides a toggle to show and hide task updates that did not cause an SLA stage. Task updates that are not responsible for an SLA stage change can help debug SLA definition conditions.</td></tr><tr class="row" style="vertical-align:top;"><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e106 ">8</td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e109 "><img class="image" id="c_SLATimeline__image_jsg_t53_3z" src="../image/SLARefresh.png" alt="Refresh" /></td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e112 ">Refreshes the information on the SLA timeline.</td></tr><tr class="row" style="vertical-align:top;"><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e106 ">9</td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e109 ">Task SLA Details</td><td class="entry cellrowborder" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" headers="d278865e112 ">Displays the details of a task SLA, depending on where you click the timeline. <div class="p"><span class="ph uicontrol">Stage details</span>: When you click the update on the task SLA timeline, the stage details section appears with the following information: <ul class="ul" id="c_SLATimeline__ul_vd1_v4r_xy"><li class="li">Summary of the changes or useful information relevant to the selected stage.</li><li class="li">Information on stage start and stage end such as the start and the end time, actual elapsed time and percentage, actual time left, pause duration. The stage information also displays any breach of the SLA. <div class="note"><span class="notetitle">Note:</span> If no schedule is attached to the SLA definition, then business values are hidden and actual values are displayed. If any schedule is attached to the SLA definition, both the business and the actual values are displayed.</div> </li></ul> </div> <div class="p"><span class="ph uicontrol">Task update details</span>: When you click the task update, the <span class="ph uicontrol">Task update details</span> section appears with the following information:<ul class="ul" id="c_SLATimeline__ul_ezv_z4r_xy"><li class="li"> <span class="ph uicontrol">SLA definition conditions</span>: Displays the respective conditions of the task SLA and the values for the related columns at that point for the task. A blue check mark appears for the conditions that affect the SLA stage change.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Time</span>: Displays the date and the time when an update takes place in the task SLA. It also displays the delta changes that occurred in the task for that update.</li></ul> </div> <span class="ph uicontrol">Out of schedule details</span>: When you click the out of business schedule on the task SLA timeline, the outside business period details section appears with the following information:<ul class="ul" id="c_SLATimeline__ul_bnc_1pr_xy"><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Start date</span>: Displays the start date of the selected task SLA.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">End date</span>: Displays the end date of the selected task SLA.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Duration</span>: Displays the duration of the current out of schedule selection.</li><li class="li"><span class="ph uicontrol">Total out of schedule duration</span>: Displays the total out-ofschedule hours until the end of the current selection.</li></ul> <div class="note"><span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Click <img class="image icon" id="c_SLATimeline__image_olx_mj4_3z" src="../image/SLALeftCarousel.png" alt="Left Carousel in SLA Timeline" /> and <img class="image icon" id="c_SLATimeline__image_b4d_pj4_3z" src="../image/SLARightCarousel.png" alt="Right Carousel in SLA Timeline" /> to navigate to the left and right task update in the details section.</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> </div> </div> <div class="note"><span class="notetitle">Note:</span> <p class="p">The SLA timeline receives information about the task from the audit history and refers to the current SLA definition to pull data for the SLA timeline. The SLA timeline displays task SLA information as though the SLA repair is already executed, irrespective of whether it is executed or not.</p> </div> </div> <div class="related-links"> <ul class="ullinks"><li class="link ulchildlink"><strong><a href="../../../product/service-level-management/concept/why-sla-did-not-trigger.html">Understand why an SLA did not trigger as expected</a></strong><br /> Describes the conditions when an SLA might not trigger as expected.</li><li class="link ulchildlink"><strong><a href="../../../product/service-level-management/concept/sla-timeline-determines-bus-schedule.html">Use SLA timeline to determine business schedule</a></strong><br /> This example demonstrates how to use the SLA timeline to determine the business schedules and business percentage time related to a task SLA.</li><li class="link ulchildlink"><strong><a href="../../../product/service-level-management/concept/understand-sla-stage-change.html">Use SLA timeline to understand SLA stage change</a></strong><br /> Describes how you can understand SLA stage changes using SLA timeline.</li><li class="link ulchildlink"><strong><a href="../../../product/service-level-management/concept/validate-new-sla-definition.html">Use SLA Timeline to validate a new SLA definition</a></strong><br /> When a new SLA Definition is created the SLA Timeline can be used to see how the SLA will behave against existing task records.</li></ul> <div class="familylinks"> <div class="parentlink"><strong>Parent Topic:</strong> <a class="link" href="../../../product/service-level-management/concept/service-level-management-reference.html" title="Reference sections provide additional information about components installed with Service Level Management.">Service Level Management reference</a></div> </div> <div class="linklist relinfo relconcepts"><strong>Related concepts</strong><br /> <ul class="linklist"><li class="linklist"><a class="link" href="sla-timeline-determines-bus-schedule.html" title="This example demonstrates how to use the SLA timeline to determine the business schedules and business percentage time related to a task SLA.">Use SLA timeline to determine business schedule</a></li><li class="linklist"><a class="link" href="understand-sla-stage-change.html" title="Describes how you can understand SLA stage changes using SLA timeline.">Use SLA timeline to understand SLA stage change</a></li><li class="linklist"><a class="link" href="validate-new-sla-definition.html" title="When a new SLA Definition is created the SLA Timeline can be used to see how the SLA will behave against existing task records.">Use SLA Timeline to validate a new SLA definition</a></li><li class="linklist"><a class="link" href="why-sla-did-not-trigger.html" title="Describes the conditions when an SLA might not trigger as expected.">Understand why an SLA did not trigger as expected</a></li></ul></div> </div> </body></html></div>