Migrate from ServiceNow IT Service Management to Freshdesk

ServiceNow Incidents map directly to Freshdesk Tickets. The incident state (New, Active, On Hold, Resolved, Closed) maps to Freshdesk Ticket status values, and priority maps to Freshdesk priority. We preserve the short_description as Ticket subject, description as Ticket description, assignment_group as Freshdesk group assignment, and active SLA timers as custom fields in HH:MM format. Related CIs attach as tags or a custom field referencing the asset name since Freshdesk has no native CI lookup.

ServiceNow Problems have no Freshdesk native equivalent. We migrate Problem records as Freshdesk Tickets with a problem_ref custom field carrying the original ServiceNow problem number, a problem_statement field carrying the problem description, and a tag of 'problem-record' so the customer's admin can filter and manage them separately. The problem-incident relationship graph is preserved as a text list of linked incident numbers in a custom field for reference.

ServiceNow Change Requests carry risk assessment, approval chains, CAB dates, and implementation tasks that have no Freshdesk equivalent. We migrate Change Request records as Freshdesk Tickets with a type field set to 'Change Request', risk_level carrying the original risk value, and change_task references stored as a linked list in a custom field. CAB approvals and implementation tasks do not migrate as structured data; we document them as a text summary in the ticket description for the admin to act on post-migration.

ServiceNow Users map to Freshdesk Contacts (end users submitting tickets) and Freshdesk Agents (users working tickets). We classify by the user's role: Fulfiller roles become Freshdesk Agents with the matching permission level; Requester roles become Freshdesk Contacts. Department, location, manager, and email transfer to Freshdesk Contact fields. We flag inactive ServiceNow users for the customer to review during scoping before import.

ServiceNow Groups with assignment routing and approval chains map to Freshdesk Groups. We export group membership and group-type classification (fulfillment, approval). Approval chain logic is not transferable; we document the group-to-group escalation chain as text for the admin to rebuild using Freshdesk group-to-group escalation rules.

ServiceNow Knowledge Articles with structured content, categories, and workflow states migrate to Freshdesk Articles. We map article text and metadata (author, date, status) and preserve the active/retired status as a Freshdesk article state. ServiceNow's category hierarchy flattens into Freshdesk's folder-category structure. Approval workflows for article publication do not migrate; we deliver a list of articles pending approval for the admin to review and publish post-migration.

ServiceNow Service Catalog Items with custom variables and variable sets have no native Freshdesk equivalent. We migrate catalog item names and variable definitions as Freshdesk Ticket custom fields, and catalog item descriptions as a Freshdesk Article linked by name. Variable set definitions require manual recreation as Freshdesk ticket fields by the admin after migration.

ServiceNow CIs in the CMDB with parent-child relationships and dependency maps migrate to Freshdesk Assets. The CI record maps to an Asset with host name, IP, and relevant metadata fields. Parent-child CI relationships cannot be represented as a native graph in Freshdesk; we store the parent CI name as a custom field on the child asset and document the full relationship map as a separate reference file for the admin to act on.

ServiceNow SLA records with business hours calendars and breach actions require reconciliation. Freshdesk SLA policies support first-response and resolution timers based on ticket priority but do not have native calendar integration for business hours. We migrate SLA names and breach thresholds as Freshdesk SLA policy entries, flag calendar mismatches during the mapping phase, and recommend the customer configure Freshdesk business hours post-migration to match ServiceNow's calendar.

File attachments associated with Incidents, Problems, and Change Requests export via ServiceNow's table API and import to Freshdesk Tickets as linked attachments. Large attachment volumes require chunked export and storage consideration. We validate file type, size, and integrity during import and flag any attachments that exceed Freshdesk size limits for the admin to handle separately.

ServiceNow instance-specific custom fields on any table require field-level mapping during discovery. We inventory every custom field, identify its data type and valid values, and map to an equivalent Freshdesk custom field. Choice fields map to Freshdesk dropdown or checkbox fields; reference fields require custom logic to resolve at migration time.