ServiceNow Flows for Approvals

Enterprise — Not available in: Essentials, Advanced

ITSM integrations are an Enterprise-only feature.

Overview

HPE Morpheus Software supports two types of ServiceNow automation for approval workflows: Workflows (legacy) and Flows (modern). ServiceNow Flows are the newer automation engine in ServiceNow (Flow Designer) that provides a more modern, visual interface compared to traditional ServiceNow Workflows.

When configuring approval policies in HPE Morpheus Software, you can select either a synced Workflow or a synced Flow as the approval automation to trigger in ServiceNow.

Workflows vs. Flows

Aspect

Workflows (Legacy)

Flows (Modern)

ServiceNow Engine

Workflow Editor

Flow Designer

Recommended For

Existing implementations

New implementations

HPE Morpheus Software Config Key

workflowId

flowId (with workflowType: 'flow')

ServiceNow Direction

Being deprecated by ServiceNow

Actively developed by ServiceNow

Note

ServiceNow is progressively moving customers from Workflows to Flow Designer. New approval integrations should use Flows where possible.

Prerequisites

  • A ServiceNow integration must be configured in HPE Morpheus Software (Administration > Integrations > ServiceNow)

  • Flows must be published and active in ServiceNow’s Flow Designer

  • The ServiceNow service account used by HPE Morpheus Software must have access to read Flow definitions

  • Flows must be designed to handle approval catalog item requests

Configuring Flow-Based Approvals

Step 1: Configure ServiceNow Integration

If not already configured:

  1. Navigate to Administration > Integrations

  2. Click + NEW INTEGRATION

  3. Select ServiceNow from the Type dropdown

  4. Enter the Host URL, User, and Password

  5. Click SAVE CHANGES

HPE Morpheus Software syncs both Workflows and Flows from ServiceNow. This process may take up to 5 minutes depending on the size of your ServiceNow instance.

Step 2: Create an Approval Policy with Flow

  1. Navigate to the Policies tab for the target Group or Cloud

  2. Click + ADD POLICY

  3. Select an approval policy type (e.g., Provision Approval)

  4. Select ServiceNow as the approval type

  5. Select the ServiceNow integration

  6. In the workflow/flow selection dropdown, choose the desired Flow

    Note

    Flows synced from ServiceNow appear alongside Workflows in the selection dropdown. They are distinguished by their naming convention from Flow Designer.

  7. Click SAVE

How Flow Approvals Work

When a user triggers an action covered by a ServiceNow Flow approval policy:

  1. HPE Morpheus Software creates an approval request in ServiceNow, triggering the configured Flow

  2. The Flow executes in ServiceNow’s Flow Designer engine, which may include:

    • Approval steps with designated approvers

    • Conditional logic based on request attributes

    • Notifications and escalations

    • Integration with other ServiceNow modules

  3. The provisioning request in HPE Morpheus Software enters a Pending state

  4. HPE Morpheus Software polls ServiceNow for approval status updates (every 5 minutes)

  5. When the Flow reaches an approved/rejected outcome, HPE Morpheus Software updates the request accordingly

Designing Flows for HPE Morpheus Software Approvals

When designing Flows in ServiceNow’s Flow Designer for use with HPE Morpheus Software approval policies:

  • The Flow should accept a catalog item request as its trigger

  • Include at least one Approval action in the Flow

  • Ensure the Flow sets a clear approved/rejected final state

  • Consider including notification actions for approvers

  • Test the Flow in ServiceNow before connecting it to HPE Morpheus Software

Migrating from Workflows to Flows

To migrate existing approval policies from Workflows to Flows:

  1. Create the equivalent Flow in ServiceNow’s Flow Designer

  2. Test the Flow independently in ServiceNow

  3. Edit the existing approval policy in HPE Morpheus Software

  4. Change the selected automation from the legacy Workflow to the new Flow

  5. Save the policy

Important

Pending approvals created under the old Workflow will continue to be managed by that Workflow. Only new requests after the policy change will use the Flow.

Troubleshooting

Flows not appearing in the selection dropdown

  • Wait up to 5 minutes after saving the ServiceNow integration for sync to complete

  • Verify the Flow is published and active in ServiceNow

  • Confirm the service account has read access to Flow definitions

Flow approvals not syncing back to |morpheus|

  • Check that the Flow sets a definitive approved/rejected status

  • Verify HPE Morpheus Software ServiceNow integration credentials are valid

  • Check the 5-minute polling interval—recent changes may not yet be reflected