Cloning preparations and best practices Issue <!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } Administrators preparing to clone a ServiceNow instance need clear guidance on pre-clone and post-clone activities, table exclusions, data preservation settings, and general guidelines to ensure the target instance remains stable and correctly configured after cloning. Release<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } All Resolution<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } The following sections cover general guidelines, pre-clone activities, and post-clone activities for ServiceNow instance cloning. Configure data preservation and table exclusions carefully to avoid overwriting critical configurations in the target instance. General guidelines for ServiceNow cloning Communicate clearly. Notify all stakeholders about the cloning schedule, downtime, and purpose of the activity. Use clone exclusions thoughtfully. Exclude tables and data that are environment-specific or sensitive to avoid overwriting critical configurations. Use data preservation settings. Preserve target instance data where necessary to retain unique configurations and records. Document and validate. Maintain a checklist of excluded tables, preserved data, and post-clone actions. Validate these settings before and after cloning. Back up update sets. Export update sets from the target instance before cloning begins. Pre-clone activities 1. Plan and communicate. Confirm the cloning schedule and inform all relevant teams about the impact on the target instance. Share a detailed timeline and any required actions before cloning. 2. Exclude tables. Define tables to exclude during cloning to retain environment-specific configurations. Common exclusions include the following: Integrations: sys_properties, oauth_entity, and API credentials. MID Server configurations: ecc_agent table. Multi-SSO tables. Logs and temporary data: audit logs, event logs, email logs, and system logs. 3. Set data preservation. Identify and configure preserve data rules for tables that must remain unchanged in the target instance. Items to preserve include the following:Custom configurations or local integrations. SAML properties. - SAML certificates. SAML users. Admin and developer accounts — user accounts with admin and development roles must remain intact for post-clone activities. User preferences: user-specific settings and preferences. Email properties and outbound email settings. Instance-specific URLs and integration settings. Custom applications. MID Server configurations. Settings related to external system integrations. 4. Back up target instance data. Export critical records, system properties, and configurations and update sets from the target instance that may need restoration. 5. Test clone settings. Validate all exclude and preserve data rules to confirm they meet the cloning objectives. Post-clone activities : 1. Verify excluded tables and preserved data. Confirm that excluded tables remain untouched and preserved data is intact in the target instance. Confirm that unique workflows or local customisations are unaffected. 2. Reconfigure target-specific settings. Update environment-specific configurations, including integration endpoints and credentials. 3. Validate core functionalities. Test critical processes such as login, incident creation, service catalogue workflows, and integrations. 4. Communicate completion. Notify stakeholders that cloning is complete and provide a summary of actions taken. Related Links<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } ServiceNow system clone overview — ServiceNow product documentationStart a ServiceNow instance clone — ServiceNow product documentationExclude a table from cloning — ServiceNow product documentationData preservation overview for instance cloning — ServiceNow product documentationPost-cloning checklist KB0547597