Defining Service Catalog variable question choices

[suzanne_smith]

A service catalog is often a critical way that you interact with your users. Providing a structured, easy to navigate, and intuitive listing of available products and services enables users to get what they need efficiently. When designing your service catalog, you can use variables. A service catalog variable records and passes on information about user choices when users order catalog items. You can define variable to affect the price of an item. For example, when a user orders a new laptop, the laptop catalog item can have a variable named Hard Drive Size so the user can specify the hard drive size they want, with larger sizes having an additional cost.

Creating a catalog item variable

Here is the basic process that administrators and users with the catalog_admin role can follow to create a service catalog item variable.

1. Navigate to Service Catalog > Maintain Items.
2. Select a catalog item.
3. In the Variables related list, click New.
4. Select a variable type. (Depending on your selection, additional fields may appear.)
5. Fill in the fields.
   There are quite a few variable options so you can create exactly the variable you need. You can view detailed information about all the fields.
6. Click Submit.

Defining question choices for a variable

ServiceNow offers over 20 different types of service catalog item variables. The Multiple Choice and Select Box variables give the user a list of choices. Continuing the example used above, if you have a variable that asks users the hard drive size they want when they order a new laptop, you need to define the choices, such as 60 GB, 80 GB, or 100 GB (with 80 GB and 100 GB costing more).

1. Navigate to Service Catalog > Maintain Items.
2. Select a catalog item.
3. In the Variables related list, click New.
4. In Type, select Multiple Choice or Select Box.
5. In Question, type the question. For example, What size hard drive do you want?
6. In Name, type a unique name. For example, hard_drive.
7. Click Submit.
8. Open the variable again.
9. In the Question Choices related list, click New.
10. In Text, type the choice available to the user. For example, 80 GB.
11. In Value, type a corresponding value stored in the database. For example, 80.
12. [Optional] If there is a cost involved with the choice, add information to the Price and/or Recurring price fields.
13. [Optional] In Order, add a number to define the order in which this choice appears when displayed.
    
    
    
14. Click Submit.
15. Repeat the steps to define all the choices available for the variable. For example, 60 GB, 80 GB, and 100 GB.

Tips and tricks for defining question choices for a variable:

• Creating Multiple Choice and Select Box variables with choices enable you to guide users to the available options and make it clear to them what they are ordering. It is inefficient to have users order a laptop, receive it, be disappointed or mad at the hard drive size, and then send it back for a different sized hard drive.
• After you have created variable question choices for a catalog item and the catalog item is actively being ordered, make changes to the choices carefully. The changes will apply to any outstanding orders for that catalog item. This could delay item fulfillment and affect auditing of closed items.
• Variables can be shown on the Requested Item and Catalog Task forms after an item is ordered. This helps users remember what the choices were and what choice they made.
  
• Variables can be passed through all steps in the fulfillment process and processed by any workflow or execution plan associated with the item. To enable this behavior, select the Global option when you create the variable.

For more information about service catalog variables and question choices on variables, see the following:

Service Catalog Variables

Variable Types

Using Service Catalog Variables

Scriptable Service Catalog Variables