Update sets move your configuration changes from one instance to another — dev to test, test to prod, or between development teams. This guide shows you how to complete an update set and export it for transfer.
Why manual change migration breaks down
Before update sets, moving configuration changes between instances meant manually recreating every field, form section, business rule, and UI policy. Developers would print screenshots, take notes, and hope they didn't miss anything. The result was configuration drift between environments and production issues that didn't exist in dev. Platform teams and release managers needed a reliable way to bundle related changes and move them as a unit.
How update set transfer works
An update set captures configuration changes automatically while you work, then packages them into XML for transfer. The key insight: only completed update sets can be exported or transferred. While you're developing, the update set stays in 'In progress' status and keeps capturing changes. When you're ready to move it, you complete it (which stops capturing changes) then either export it as an XML file or push it directly to another instance. The XML contains all the configuration changes as a single deployable unit.
Advanced transfer options and workflows
Most organizations start with XML exports because they're simple and auditable — you get a file you can store, email, or check into source control. Once you have instance-to-instance connections configured, you can push update sets directly without the XML export step. Advanced shops add automated testing, approval workflows, and integration with external CI/CD pipelines. The progression is: manual XML transfer, then direct instance pushing, then automated deployment pipelines.
Before you start
- •admin role or update_set_admin role
- •Update set containing the changes you want to transfer
Sourdough: ServiceNow Monitoring and Analytics
A Chrome extension for ServiceNow Admins and Developers with essential tools, analytics, graphs and monitoring features.
Free to install. Pro $5/month after a 14-day no-card trial.
Pro requires the ServiceNow admin role. Upgrade inside the extension.
Step by step
Navigate to your update set
Go to System Update Sets > Local Update Sets. Find the update set you want to export in the list. The State column shows whether it's 'In progress', 'Complete', or 'Ignore'. Click the update set name to open it.
If you don't see your update set, check that you're looking in Local Update Sets, not Retrieved Update Sets.
Review the captured changes
Scroll down to the Update Set Preview Files related list to see what changes this update set captured. Each row represents a configuration record that will transfer. Verify this matches what you expect — missing items mean they weren't captured, extra items mean you made changes while this update set was current.
Complete the update set
Click the State field dropdown and change it from 'In progress' to 'Complete'. Click Update to save. The system prevents you from making further changes to a completed update set, and only completed update sets can be exported or transferred.
Once completed, you can't capture additional changes — create a new update set if you need to make more modifications.
Export as XML file
Click the 'Export to XML' related link at the bottom of the update set form. ServiceNow generates the XML file and prompts you to download it. The filename follows the pattern: sys_update_set_[sys_id].xml where sys_id is the unique identifier for this update set.
The XML file contains all the configuration changes in a single file that you can transfer to any ServiceNow instance.
Alternative: Push via instance connection
If your instances have a configured connection, click 'Push to Update Set' instead of exporting XML. Select the target instance from the dropdown, choose whether to create a new update set or add to an existing one, then click Push. The update set transfers directly without needing to download and upload an XML file.
Verify the export completed
For XML exports, check that the file downloaded successfully and note its size — empty or very small files indicate export problems. For instance pushes, check the system logs or navigate to the target instance to confirm the update set appeared in Retrieved Update Sets.
Best practices
Always review the Update Set Preview Files before completing to catch unintended changes that got captured while the update set was current.
Name your update sets descriptively before exporting — the XML filename uses the sys_id, but a good name helps during deployment.
Keep related changes in the same update set, but don't let update sets grow too large — they become harder to troubleshoot when deployment issues arise.
Export update sets immediately after completing them — you can't make changes to completed sets, so export while the changes are fresh in your mind.
Store exported XML files in version control or a shared location with deployment notes — future you will thank present you for the documentation.
Test Your Knowledge
Quick 3-question quiz — see how your ServiceNow skills stack up.
A list view on a table with millions of records is slow. Best fix?
Select an answer to continue