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CAD Application Developer

Participants learn to design, build, and secure custom ServiceNow applications, covering scoped development, UI customization, scripting, automation, and external data integration, enabling them to deliver enterprise‑grade solutions.

Who Should Take This

It is intended for aspiring ServiceNow developers who have basic platform familiarity and want to achieve the Certified Application Developer credential. These learners typically work as junior administrators, analysts, or consultants, and need hands‑on experience building scoped applications, scripting, security configuration, and integrating external APIs to support business processes.

What's Included in AccelaStudy® AI

Adaptive Knowledge Graph

Practice Questions

Lesson Modules

Console Simulator Labs

Exam Tips & Strategy

20 Activity Formats

Course Outline

60 learning goals

1 Designing & Creating Applications

1 topic

Application Design and Data Model

Describe the ServiceNow application development lifecycle including planning, building, testing, deploying, and maintaining custom applications
Create scoped applications using Application Creator and configure application properties, roles, and module navigation
Design a data model for a custom application by defining tables, fields, relationships, and inheritance hierarchies
Configure application menus, modules, and navigation rules to organize application functionality for different user roles
Analyze application requirements and recommend the appropriate combination of tables, forms, and business logic to implement the solution
Configure application properties and system properties to control application behavior and feature toggles across different environments
Describe the guided application creator and delegated development model for enabling business users to build simple applications within governed frameworks
Apply database best practices including table normalization, index optimization, and reference field design for performant custom applications

2 Application User Interface

1 topic

UI Development and Service Portal

Configure form views including view rules, form sections, related lists, and formatters for different user roles and contexts
Create and configure Service Portal pages using widgets, Angular providers, and server-side scripts for custom user experiences
Develop custom widgets for Service Portal using HTML templates, client scripts, server scripts, and CSS styling
Configure UI pages and UI macros using Jelly templates and server-side scripting for custom interface elements
Implement client-side scripting using client scripts (onChange, onLoad, onSubmit) and GlideAjax for asynchronous server communication
Analyze UI requirements and evaluate trade-offs between Service Portal widgets, UI pages, and workspace configurations for different use cases
Configure mobile-friendly interfaces using mobile layouts, responsive design patterns, and mobile-specific navigation
Implement UI policies with scripting to dynamically show, hide, and make fields mandatory based on complex multi-field conditions
Configure workspace views including configurable lists, record pages, and contextual side panels for agent-focused application interfaces
Describe Angular and Seismic frameworks used in Service Portal and Next Experience and evaluate their suitability for different UI requirements
Apply form annotations and embedded help to provide contextual guidance within custom application interfaces for improved user adoption
Implement URL-based navigation and URL parameters to create deep links into application records and pre-populate form fields from external sources

3 Security & Access Control

1 topic

Security Model and Access Control

Describe the ServiceNow security model including application scope isolation, cross-scope access, and the security implications of global versus scoped applications
Create and configure application-specific roles with granular permissions and manage role inheritance for hierarchical access control
Configure access control rules (ACLs) at table, field, and record levels using conditions, roles, and advanced scripting for fine-grained data protection
Implement data policies and business rules to enforce field-level security, mandatory fields, and read-only conditions based on user context
Configure application cross-scope access to enable controlled data sharing between scoped applications while maintaining security boundaries
Analyze a multi-role security requirement and design an access control strategy that minimizes ACL complexity while meeting all security constraints
Evaluate security vulnerabilities in custom applications including script injection, ACL bypass, and cross-scope data leakage risks
Implement row-level security using before-query business rules and ACL scripts to restrict record visibility based on dynamic organizational context
Configure audit logging and activity logging for custom applications to track data changes and user actions for compliance and troubleshooting
Describe encryption context and column-level encryption for protecting sensitive data fields at rest in custom application tables

4 Application Automation

1 topic

Server-Side Scripting and Automation

Create server-side business rules using GlideRecord, GlideSystem, and script includes to implement complex business logic and data manipulation
Develop script includes and script actions for reusable server-side code including API classes, utility functions, and event handlers
Configure Flow Designer flows with custom actions, subflows, and error handling for automated business process orchestration
Implement scheduled jobs and events using server-side scripting to automate recurring tasks and asynchronous processing
Develop transform maps with advanced scripting for complex data import scenarios including field mapping, coalescing, and error handling
Analyze automation requirements and evaluate whether to use business rules, Flow Designer, scheduled jobs, or event-driven architecture
Describe the ServiceNow REST and SOAP API frameworks and implement scripted REST APIs for custom application endpoints
Implement GlideRecord queries with encoded queries, aggregate functions, and join queries for complex data retrieval and manipulation scenarios
Create custom Flow Designer actions with inputs, outputs, and error handling to extend the platform's automation capabilities for domain-specific processes
Describe the Execution Plan framework and explain how to optimize long-running scripts to avoid transaction timeout and memory limit issues
Implement notification scripts and email templates with Jelly and HTML to create branded, dynamic communications triggered by application events
Implement data lookup and record matching rules for automated data enrichment during record creation and update operations

5 External Data Integration

1 topic

APIs and Integration Patterns

Configure REST message records and REST steps to consume external APIs including authentication, request headers, and response parsing
Implement inbound REST API endpoints using scripted REST APIs with authentication, rate limiting, and versioned resource paths
Configure IntegrationHub actions and spokes for connecting ServiceNow with external systems using pre-built and custom integration flows
Analyze integration requirements and recommend the appropriate pattern (REST, SOAP, IntegrationHub, MID Server) based on security, volume, and latency constraints
Implement SOAP message records and SOAP-based web services for integration with legacy enterprise systems that expose SOAP endpoints
Configure MID Server communication for secure integration with on-premises systems including credential management and firewall traversal patterns
Analyze data synchronization challenges between ServiceNow and external systems and recommend conflict resolution strategies for bidirectional integration
Implement webhook listeners and outbound REST messages for event-driven integration patterns between ServiceNow and third-party cloud services

6 Managing Applications

1 topic

Deployment, Testing, and Maintenance

Describe the application deployment lifecycle including update sets, application repository, source control integration, and deployment best practices
Configure update sets for application versioning and deploy applications between instances using the application repository and update set transfer
Implement application testing using Automated Test Framework (ATF) to create test suites, test steps, and parameterized tests for quality assurance
Configure source control integration with Git repositories for version control, branching, and collaborative application development
Describe application diagnostics and debugging techniques including script debugger, session debugging, log analysis, and performance profiling
Analyze application performance issues and recommend optimization strategies including query optimization, script efficiency, and caching approaches
Configure application installation scripts and fix scripts for automated post-deployment configuration and data seeding in target instances
Implement application logging using GlideSystem logging methods and configure log levels for effective debugging and production monitoring
Describe the ServiceNow application lifecycle management process including versioning, dependency management, and application store publication
Analyze application upgrade considerations and recommend strategies for managing customization conflicts during platform upgrades and patches

Scope

Included Topics

All domains in the ServiceNow Certified Application Developer (CAD) exam: Designing & Creating Applications (15%), Application User Interface (20%), Security & Access Control (20%), Application Automation (20%), External Data Integration (10%), and Managing Applications (15%).
ServiceNow scoped application development, data model design, Service Portal widget development, client and server scripting, access control configuration, REST API development, Flow Designer automation, IntegrationHub, update set management, ATF testing, and source control integration.

Not Covered

Platform administration topics covered exclusively in CSA (ITSM process configuration, basic platform setup)
Mobile application development using native mobile SDKs
Performance Analytics configuration beyond application-level reporting
ITOM Discovery, Orchestration, and event management configuration
HR Service Delivery, GRC, and other product-specific development patterns