What it is (plain English)
Lets ServiceNow workflows use data that lives in other systems without copying it all in — connecting to external data sources (including real-time streams) so automation can act on a complete, current picture. The data backbone under hyperautomation.
Problems it solves
- Automation making decisions on stale or partial data.
- Endless data-replication integrations just to make external data usable.
- Real-time signals (event streams) that workflows can't tap.
What must exist first
Platform Core Setup and Integration Foundation — Data Fabric federates and integrates external data sources.
What the customer needs to provide
- The external data sources workflows need and their access details.
- Which data must be real-time vs. periodically synced.
- Data ownership and governance for federated sources.
- The workflows that will consume the unified data.
Where it can go next
Feeds richer Flow Designer automation and AI; combines with RPA, Document Intelligence, and Integration Hub as the full hyperautomation suite; Stream Connect (Kafka) supports real-time use cases.