Article

Displaying Planned Asset List for Asset Disposal Approval in ServiceNow

Author: Agus Budi Harto, 2025-12-11 10:27:52

ServiceNow has long been recognized as a mature platform when it comes to documenting and managing IT asset processes. Among its many features, Asset Disposal is a critical workflow that ensures unused or obsolete hardware is properly retired. By default, ServiceNow provides a structured way to handle disposal requests, but sometimes real-world scenarios reveal gaps that need to be addressed.

Recently, an Asset Admin reported an issue: when an Asset Disposal Approval request was submitted, the approver could not see which assets were slated for disposal. This lack of visibility created confusion and delayed the approval process, since approvers had no context about the specific hardware being retired.

Identifying the Root Cause

The problem stemmed from the fact that the approval form did not display the related assets. While the disposal request itself was logged correctly, the linkage between the approval record and the planned assets was missing. Without this relationship, the approval page remained incomplete, leaving approvers unable to make informed decisions.

Implementing the Solution

The fix involved creating a relationship between the approval table and the planned asset records. This was achieved through the sys_relationship table in ServiceNow.

Here’s how the configuration works:

  • Add a new relationship entry, for example named “Planned Asset”.

  • Set Applies to Table as sysapprover_approval.

  • Set Queries from Table as sn_hamp_m2m_hw_asset_disposal.

To ensure only the relevant assets tied to the disposal request appear, a script was added to refine the query:

(function refineQuery(current, parent) {
    current.addQuery('hardware_disposal', parent.document_id);
})(current, parent);

This script ensures that only assets linked to the specific disposal request are displayed in the approval form.

Enhancing the Approval Form

Once the relationship is established, the next step is to update the approval form. A Related List named Planned Asset is added to the form, allowing approvers to see the exact hardware items awaiting disposal.

However, this introduces another challenge: the Planned Asset list could appear on all approval forms, even those unrelated to asset disposal. To prevent clutter and confusion, UI Policies are applied. These policies ensure that the Planned Asset list only appears when the approval is specifically for an Asset Disposal request.

Benefits of the Enhancement

With this configuration in place, approvers gain full visibility into the assets tied to disposal requests. This leads to:

  • Faster approvals since approvers have the necessary context.

  • Improved accuracy in asset lifecycle management.

  • Cleaner user experience by showing the Planned Asset list only when relevant.

Ultimately, this small but impactful customization strengthens the reliability of ServiceNow’s asset management workflows and ensures smoother collaboration between Asset Admins and approvers.

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