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A PDI (Personal Developers Instance) is a resource provided by ServiceNow which gives developers their own personal sandbox instance of ServiceNow. Basically, it lets you develop inside of ServiceNow without having to pay or worry about affecting a ‘real’ instance.
PDI’s are something that every ServiceNow developer should be using, and the best part about them is that they’re free.
ServiceNow PDI’s are a great way to explore the platform and check out new ServiceNow applications and features. When requesting a PDI, you can choose which version of ServiceNow you would like the instance to be on, and the PDI can be upgraded later to stay current with new releases.
On a PDI you basically have free reign to do whatever you want. This article will explain how to obtain your own PDI as well as other useful information relating to ServiceNow Personal Developers Instances.
One thing to note: a PDI will be reclaimed if inactive for too long. ServiceNow states that an instance will expire if it has not been used for 10 days. Because of this expiration, it's a good idea to log in once a week to make sure your instance stays active. As long as you have regular activity on your PDI, you can keep it as long as you want.
Let’s discuss how to acquire your own Personal Developers Instance of ServiceNow.
The first step is to go to the ServiceNow Developers site and create an account (if don’t have one already).
Once you’re logged in, click on the “Request Instance” button at the top-right of the menu, as shown below.
Next, select the release that you would like for your PDI. ServiceNow allows you to choose from several of the most recent versions as shown below. Select the desired release and click “Request”.
Sometimes, if there is a high demand for PDI’s, the “Request” button will be replaced with “Join Waitlist.” This will put you on a waitlist for a PDI in that specific release. This typically happens around the time a new release is made available to the public. If you need a PDI right away and don’t want to wait, try requesting a different version.
Once you have requested your instance it will take a few minutes for the PDI to be accessible. When the PDI is ready you will see the below pop-up stating “Your instance is ready!” Just like a commercial instance of ServiceNow, each PDI gets its own unique URL. You will also be provided with a username (which will be 'admin') and a password.
Launch the PDI by clicking “Open Instance” as shown below.
Once you have a PDI, you can return to it at any time by logging into the Developers Site and clicking on “Start Building”. If you have not logged in for a few days your instance may have gone to sleep (PDI’s need rest too). When this is the case, you will need to wait for the PDI to “wake up”. Once the “Start Building” button is clickable you will be able to open the instance. Remember, if you don’t log in and open you PDI within 10 days, ServiceNow will reclaim your instance and all your work will be lost.
Now that there is a PDI associated with you developers account, there are several options available for the instance. These can be found by clicking your initials at the top-right of the Developers Site homepage, which will then show the My Instance information. Here is where you’ll find everything related to your PDI.
That should sum it all up!
You can take advantage of PDI's in ServiceNow to do things that you wouldn't want to try in a customer instance, build demos, test stories before developing inside of a real instance, and more.
Now that you know everything you need to know about PDI’s, you’re ready to start building.
