xtype has unveiled its latest product to assist ServiceNow customers. xtype Clone View is now available on the ServiceNow marketplace. The new product is also included within xtype Enterprise. The platform engineering solution that helps enterprises to deliver new ServiceNow features and applications. By automating software deployment and release management, increasing productivity, security, and compliance.
xtype Clone View helps organisations to overcome the significant cloning productivity challenges. It automatically identifies discrepancies between source and target instances. It also offers tailored suggestions for pre-clone backups and addresses the common pain points of cloning, including:
- lost work
- prolonged developer downtime (or freeze periods)
- the labour-intensive manual tracking of changes
Developers working on the ServiceNow platform are able to use a system clone to copy everything in a database from one instance to another. The ability is typically used to copy a production instance to a pre-production/sandbox instance. This enables the developers to test changes they have done.
However, there is a downside: the copy can take 20 hours or more to complete. This excludes the impact of backup or restorations. If the production system subsequently changes following the clone, the administrators need to manually record the changes. They can then be applied to other instances. Otherwise, the testing may fail to deliver the correct results. With organisations often needing to create multiple clones for various purposes, the efforts are time-consuming and bring inherent risks to the DevOps practice.
xtype Clone View solves the challenges
xtype Clone View aims to eliminate these issues by providing information about the differences between issues. Key features include:
- Automated Inconsistency Identification: xtype Clone View uses advanced algorithms to identify discrepancies between source and target instances. Pinpointing differences or Work in Progress (WIP) to minimize errors and prevent loss of work.
- Runbook Suggestions: Leveraging the identified WIP, xtype Clone View generates a detailed runbook. Providing users with a plan for efficient pre-clone backups and ensuring no critical elements like update sets, apps, or plugins are missing.
- Streamlined Communication: All developers have a live shared view of the clone plan. This provides real-time visibility of their WIP and tailored suggestions for exports and exclusions, fostering collaboration and efficiency.
In a future release xtype Clone View will also provide sharable backup and restore plans. With xtype Clone View, ServiceNow professionals working with the Clone ability will be more productive and improve the quality of their work. Thus removing many of the manual tasks they previously had to undertake. It also gives them better visibility of different clones across the platform, ensuring that all instances are kept up to date.
Ron Gidron, Co-Founder and CEO of xtype, said, “With xtype Clone View, we’re directly addressing one of our customers’ most significant challenges. This tool doesn’t just streamline the cloning process; it provides peace of mind by eliminating over 90% of the laborious pre- and post-clone work that often forces organizations to a standstill. At xtype, we’re not just reducing clone-related downtime; we’re ensuring no work items are lost in the process, ensuring that innovation and development never have to pause.”
Pricing and availability
While some features are not yet available, customers can download the application from the ServiceNow Store . According to the marketplace, xtype Clone View is priced at $950 per month. It is also available on trial by request.
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
xtype Clone View is a tool that many ServiceNow customers will see benefit from. One healthcare customer commented, “We’ve had some challenging experiences with cloning disrupting our productivity. With xtype Clone View, that’s no longer an issue. Its pre- and post-clone visibility is a game changer and allows us to do more, with greater accuracy, freeing up our ServiceNow teams to focus on other areas.”
xtype Clone View is the latest product to come out of xtype. It aims to solve the challenges faced by ServiceNow professionals. And simplify the way customers develop and deliver on the ServiceNow platform.
