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Migrating Open Tickets at Cutover

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In this lesson, you will learn:

  • Which tickets to move
  • How the import works
  • How old numbers are kept
  • How to stop emails during the load

🔁 Quick look back: Last time: Moving ITSM Configuration Between Instances. You learned how update sets move configuration, and why data like groups and schedules moves another way.

1 “What about the 300 open tickets?”

On go-live day, the old tool has 300 open tickets.

  • Closed tickets can stay in the old tool.
  • But open ones need to keep being worked.
  • Callers only know their old ticket numbers.

🎯 The problem: If open tickets don’t move, or can’t be found by old number, callers get lost.

👉 The fix: load them as incidents, keep the old number in its own field, and build a mapping.

2 How the load works

Key term: Import set

A holding table where a file is loaded before it goes into ServiceNow records.

Key term: Transform map

The rules that copy each column into the right field.

Key term: Coalesce

Match on a field, so a second load updates records instead of making duplicates.

Migrating legacy_tickets.csv. 1 Load the file, 300 rows, into an import set. 2 The transform map copies each column: old number to Legacy ticket number, title to Short description, caller email to Caller. Coalesce on Legacy ticket number. 3 ServiceNow gives each one its own INC number. 4 Export a mapping file: old number to new INC number.
Figure 1. Old number kept. New INC number given.

3 SNWR’s rules

Rule Why
Never overwrite the INC number ServiceNow’s numbering must stay clean
Old number in Legacy ticket number Agents and callers can search by it
Coalesce on Legacy ticket number A second run won’t make duplicates
Stop emails during the load 300 callers shouldn’t get surprise emails

⚠️ Heads up: Test the load on snwrtest first. Check a sample of 20 tickets by hand.

💡 Good to know: Need a refresher? See Fundamentals › Data Import.

4 Let’s try it: load a sample of tickets

  1. Add a string field Legacy ticket number to the Incident table.
  2. Make a small CSV with 5 rows: old number, title, caller email, category.
  3. Load it with Load Data into a new import set. Create a transform map to Incident. Coalesce on Legacy ticket number.
  4. Before running, stop emails. For example, turn off the incident emails for the load, and turn them back on after.
  5. Run the transform twice. Check you have 5 incidents, not 10, each with a new INC number and its old number.

5 Quick recap

  • Move only open tickets
  • Load with an import set and transform map
  • Keep the old number in Legacy ticket number
  • Coalesce on it, so reruns don’t duplicate
  • Export an old-to-new mapping file

6 Check yourself

Think of your answer first. Then tap to check.

1 Should you copy the old number into the INC number field? Show answer

No. Keep it in Legacy ticket number.

2 You run the load twice. Why no duplicates? Show answer

It coalesces on Legacy ticket number.

3 A caller gives his old number. How does Abel find the incident? Show answer

Search by Legacy ticket number.

4 Why stop emails during the load? Show answer

So 300 callers don’t get surprise emails.

Nice work! SNWR’s open tickets are ready to move. 🎉
Next up: Operational Readiness

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