Service Now requires 32 length character but NIM-SM only accepts 31 characters

Products

• OPS/MVS Event Management & Automation

Issue/Introduction

The mapping for affectedCIID was updated in ServiceNow (SNow) to have 32 characters but NIM accepts only 31 characters. Is there a way to have affectedCIID parm accept 32 characters instead of 31?

When integrating NIM-SM with ServiceNow, the affectedCIID field appears to be limited or truncated to 31 characters, even though ServiceNow may require 32 characters for certain field mappings (such as cmdb_ci).

Environment

• Product: NIM-SM (Network Integration Manager - Service Management) for OPS/MVS
• Integration: ServiceNow

Cause

Preliminary investigation shows that the standard NIM database schema uses VARCHAR(50) for ServiceNow values, which supports up to 50 characters.  The truncation is likely not enforced at the database level. Potential causes include:

1. ServiceNow Field Configuration: The cmdb_ci field or related fields in ServiceNow may have a max_length attribute set to 31.
2. Validation Rules: Business Rules, UI Policies, or Client Scripts in ServiceNow might be restricting the input length.
3. Application Logic: Potential version-specific limitations within the NIM-SM application logic or logging.

Resolution

 

 

To resolve or identify the source of the truncation, follow these diagnostic steps:

Step 1: Verify ServiceNow Field Length

1. Log in to your ServiceNow instance.
2. Navigate to System Definition > Tables & Columns.
3. Search for the Incident table.
4. Locate the cmdb_ci field and verify the Maximum length value. If it is set to 31, increase it to 32 or higher.

Step 2: Review ServiceNow Validation Rules

Check for any Business Rules or Data Policies on the incident table that might be validating the string length of incoming integration calls.

Step 3: Collect NIM Debug Logs

If the ServiceNow configuration is correct, collect debug information from NIM-SM to see the raw data being sent:

1. Locate the log4j2.xml file in your NIM installation directory.
2. Set the logging level to DEBUG.
3. Reproduce the issue by triggering an event that populates the affectedCIID.
4. Examine the nim.log to confirm if the value is truncated before it leaves the NIM application.

Step 4: Confirm Versions

Verify you are on the latest supported releases for both NIM-SM and ServiceNow. Check the nim-version.xml file to confirm your current NIM version.

Additional Information

A case may need to be opened with the ServiceNow product to further investigate.