Access Analyzer overview: evaluate, compare, and simulate access permissions - Support and Troubleshooting

Access Analyzer overview: evaluate, compare, and simulate access permissions .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: ; } } Summary Access Analyzer is a ServiceNow access diagnostic tool that helps you visualize user, role, and group permissions and troubleshoot access control list (ACL) and other access issues. Use it to identify why a user cannot access a resource, compare permissions between two users, and model the impact of role and group changes before you apply them. By using this feature, organizations can dramatically simplify the troubleshooting of ACL and other access-related issues that were traditionally complex and time-consuming to resolve.

Access Analyzer supports security administrators, system administrators, and developers who diagnose access permission issues. It centralizes three functions: Evaluate Access, Compare Access, and Access Simulator.

Key features Evaluate Access What it does: Analyzes the access permissions that a specific user, role, or group has to a resource. Navigation: System Security > Access Analyzer > Evaluate Access Use it to: Identify why a user cannot access specific tables or records. Compare Access What it does: Compares the access permissions of two users. Navigation: System Security > Access Analyzer > Compare Access Use it to: Verifies permission consistency between users who have similar job functions. Access Simulator What it does: Models the impact of adding or removing roles and groups. Navigation: System Security > Access Analyzer > Access Simulator Use it to: Review the scope of a permission change before you apply it.

Common use cases Troubleshoot an ACL issue Scenario: A user cannot update incident records.

Go to System Security > Access Analyzer > Evaluate Access. Specify the user and the incident table. Review the results to confirm whether the user has write access. Identify and assign the roles the user needs.

Set up access for a new employee Scenario: You want to grant a new employee the same access as an existing employee.

Use Compare Access to analyze the existing employee's permissions. Compare those permissions with the new employee's permissions. Identify the missing permissions and assign them.

Support a security audit Scenario: You need to verify that users have permissions appropriate to their roles.

Use Access Simulator to model the intended permission set. Use Compare Access to compare current permissions with the intended set. Document and remediate any discrepancies. Getting started Access Analyzer works best when administrators know it's available and use it consistently. To put it to work:

Document the recurring permission problems in your organization, and start with straightforward cases before moving to more complex ones. Confirm that administrators understand the three functions: Evaluate Access, Compare Access, and Access Simulator. Create standard procedures for using Access Analyzer during troubleshooting, in place of manual permission checks. Use Compare Access monthly to check role consistency, and use Access Simulator to review the impact of a permission change before you apply it. Potential benefits Used consistently, Access Analyzer can:

Replace manual ACL tracing with immediate visibility into permission structures, for faster problem resolution. Reduce human error and keep permissions consistent across similar roles. Create clear audit trails and help identify over-privileged accounts and access anomalies.