How to fix it

  1. Check the clone status and logs by navigating to System Clone > Clone History in the target instance. Look for error messages or scripts showing 'Running' status for over 30 minutes.
  2. If post-clone scripts are stuck, go to System Definition > Tables and open sys_clone_log. Filter by State = Running and manually change stuck records to State = Completed.
  3. Cancel the current clone by going to System Clone > Request Clone and clicking the Cancel Clone button if the option is available.
  4. Configure clone excluders by navigating to System Clone > Clone Excluder in the source instance. Add these high-volume tables: sys_journal_field, sys_audit, sys_email, syslog, sys_attachment.
  5. For each table to exclude, click New, enter the Table name, set Clone type to Data and Structure, and check Exclude data.
⚠️

Don't exclude sys_user, sys_user_group, or cmdb_ci tables as these are required for basic functionality.

  1. Check disk space on the target instance by going to System Diagnostics > Stats > Database. Ensure at least 3x the source database size is available.
  2. Identify problematic post-clone scripts by checking System Definition > Script Includes and searching for scripts with Type = Post Clone. Temporarily deactivate custom post-clone scripts.
  3. Clean up the source instance by running System Maintenance > Database Cleanup to remove old logs, emails, and audit records older than 90 days.
  4. Request a new clone during off-peak hours (typically 6 PM - 6 AM local instance time) when ServiceNow's clone infrastructure has less load.
  5. Monitor the new clone progress in System Clone > Clone History and check for completion within expected timeframe (4-8 hours for large instances).
💡

If the clone still fails, contact ServiceNow Support with the Clone Request ID from the clone history. They can check infrastructure-level issues and manually intervene if needed.