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Assignment Rules & Data Lookup

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In this lesson, you will learn:

  • How assignment rules send tasks to the right team automatically
  • How data lookup rules fill in fields, like Priority
  • How the incident priority matrix works

1 Let ServiceNow do the sorting

In Lesson 1.1, a broken laptop ticket went to the right IT team “by itself”. How? One way is an assignment rule. Another tool, data lookup rules, fills in fields like Priority automatically. 🤖

2 Assignment rules

Key term: Assignment rule

A rule that sets the Assignment group (and sometimes Assigned to) on a task when its conditions match.

Field Example
Table Incident
Conditions Category is Hardware
Group SNWR Hardware
Order 100 (lower runs first)
Active Checked
  • Find them in System Policy > Rules > Assignment.
  • They only assign tasks that don’t already have an assignment.
  • If several rules match, the one with the lowest order wins.

3 Data lookup rules

Key term: Data lookup rule

A table of “if these values, then set this value”. ServiceNow looks up the answer and fills in a field for you.

The most famous one is the incident priority lookup. You set Impact (how many people are affected) and Urgency (how fast it must be fixed). ServiceNow looks up the Priority.

The incident priority matrix. Impact runs down the side from 1 - High to 3 - Low, and Urgency runs across the top from 1 - High to 3 - Low. The cells give Priority: High impact and high urgency is 1 - Critical; high and medium is 2 - High; high and low is 3 - Moderate; medium and high is 2 - High; medium and medium is 3 - Moderate; medium and low is 4 - Low; low and high is 3 - Moderate; low and medium is 4 - Low; low and low is 5 - Planning.
Figure 1. Impact + Urgency = Priority. ServiceNow looks it up for you.

📝 Note: On a standard incident form, you can’t type Priority directly. You set Impact and Urgency, and Priority is calculated. Admins can change the lookup table if the company uses a different matrix.

4 Other ways to assign

  • Flows in Workflow Studio can assign tasks with more complex logic (Chapter 28).
  • AI, like Predictive Intelligence, can suggest a group based on the text (Lesson 1.2).
  • Assignment rules are the simplest, no-code option.

⭐ Remember: Assignment rules = which team. Data lookup = fill in a field from a table, like Priority from Impact and Urgency.

5 Let’s try it: route and prioritize

  1. Go to System Policy > Rules > Assignment. Click New.
  2. Name: SNWR Hardware. Table: Incident. Conditions: Category is Hardware. Group: SNWR Service Desk. Submit.
  3. Create a new incident with Category Hardware and no assignment group. Save it. Was the group filled in?
  4. On the same incident, set Impact 1 – High and Urgency 2 – Medium. What Priority do you get?

6 Quick recap

  • Assignment rules set the Assignment group when conditions match
  • They only work on tasks that aren’t assigned yet. Lowest order wins
  • Data lookup rules fill in fields from a lookup table
  • Incident Priority = Impact + Urgency, using the priority matrix

7 Check yourself

Think of your answer first. Then tap to check.

1 Impact is 1 – High and Urgency is 1 – High. What’s the Priority? Show answer

1 – Critical.

2 An incident already has an Assignment group. Will an assignment rule change it? Show answer

No. Assignment rules only apply to tasks that aren’t assigned yet.

3 Two assignment rules match. Which one wins? Show answer

The one with the lowest order number.

Nice work! You finished this lesson. 🎉

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