Integrate PDQ Connect with ServiceNow

Install the free PDQ Connect app for ServiceNow to view linked devices, deploy packages, and start remote desktop sessions without leaving an incident. The integration surfaces the devices that belong to the incident's caller, so your technicians have instant context about the end user's machine.

Public Beta: PDQ Connect for ServiceNow is currently available in Public Beta for all customers. If you'd like to sign up, please let us know by opening up a helpdesk ticket and requesting access to this app. It's free of charge and included with your PDQ Connect Premium tier.

How it works

When you open an incident in Service Operations Workspace, the PDQ Connect panel reads the caller's email address and looks it up across every PDQ Connect organization you have configured. Any matching device is shown right in the incident's sidebar, so your team can act on it immediately.

The matching flow works like this:

1. A technician opens an incident.
2. The app reads the incident caller's email address (the Caller field, resolved to that user's sys_user email). If the incident has no caller, no devices are matched.
3. The app queries every configured PDQ Connect organization for devices that match that address. The comparison is case-insensitive.
4. All matching devices appear in the PDQ Connect panel in the incident sidebar.

Once devices are matched, you can act on them from the panel:

• View device details - hostname, OS, online/offline status, IP address, and the date the device was last seen.
• Deploy a package - pick any package from your PDQ Connect library and deploy it to the device.
• Open the device in PDQ Connect - jump to the full device page in one click.
• Launch a remote desktop session - start a Remote Desktop connection to the device through PDQ Connect.

The app appears as a PDQ Connect contextual tab in the Service Operations Workspace sidebar on the incident. Configuration lives on a separate Settings page under the PDQ Connect application menu. Only users with the PDQ Connect admin role can open Settings - see Admin settings below.

The integration supports up to 20 PDQ Connect organizations, so teams managing several environments can surface devices from all of them in a single ServiceNow instance.

Quick start

If you already have a PDQ Connect API key, you can get a caller's devices showing on an incident in about five minutes. Each step links to the full instructions further down.

1. Get a PDQ Connect API key - see Step 2. Use a dedicated key rather than a personal one, so it survives staff changes and can be revoked on its own.
2. Install the app from the ServiceNow Store, then open the PDQ Connect Settings page - see Step 3.
3. Add one organization: paste its Organization URL and API key, choose how devices are matched, and click Test Connection - see Step 4. Start with a single organization; you can add up to 20 later.
4. Open an incident whose caller you know owns a device and check that the panel lists it - see Step 5.

Two things that make the rollout go smoother:

• Match on the field your data actually fills. If your PDQ devices record the logged-on user, the "Logged-on user" strategy needs no extra setup. If you instead tag devices with an owner's email in a custom field, use "Custom field" and point it at that field.
• Test against a device you can predict. Pick an incident whose caller you know owns a machine, so an empty panel means something is misconfigured rather than just an unlucky test incident.

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following before starting:

You will also need a PDQ Connect API key, and - if you plan to match on a custom field rather than the logged-on user - a custom field on your devices populated with user email addresses. We walk you through both in Steps 1 and 2.

Step 1 - Create a custom field in PDQ Connect (optional)

Where you are: PDQ Connect

This step is only needed if you intend to use the Custom Field match strategy. If you plan to match on the logged-on user instead (the default), you can skip ahead to Step 2.

The Custom Field strategy uses a field on each device to determine which user the device belongs to. If you already have a custom field populated with user email addresses, skip to Step 2.

1. In PDQ Connect, go to More → Custom Fields in the left navigation.
2. Click Add Custom Field.
3. Name the field something recognizable, such as emailAddress or Email.
4. For each device, populate this field with the email address of the device's primary user.
   • You can do this manually per device, or use the Import Values feature to bulk-update many devices at once from a CSV file.

Tip: Field name matching is case-insensitive (emailAddress and EmailAddress both work), but note the exact name you chose - you will enter it when you configure the integration in Step 4.

For more details, see Working with Custom Fields.

Step 2 - Generate a PDQ Connect API key

Where you are: PDQ Connect

1. In PDQ Connect, click the gear icon in the lower-left corner to open Settings.
2. Go to the API Keys section.

3. Click Create API Key and give it a descriptive name (for example, "ServiceNow Integration").
   

   PDQ Connect Settings → API Keys → Create API Key dialog with a name entered

4. Copy the API key and store it somewhere safe. You will not be able to view it again after you leave this page.
   

   The generated API key shown once, with the copy button

Don't see the API Keys section? Your PDQ Connect role may not have API key management permissions. Ask your PDQ Connect admin to enable this in your role's RBAC settings.

Important: If you suspect an API key has been compromised, revoke it immediately from the same Settings page and generate a new one.

For more information, see PDQ Connect API.

Step 3 - Install the app on your ServiceNow instance

Where you are: ServiceNow

1. Log into your ServiceNow instance as an administrator.
2. Open the ServiceNow Store, search for PDQ Connect, and request the app for your instance.

3. On your instance, go to All → System Applications → All Available Applications → All, locate PDQ Connect, and click Install.
    

   PDQ Connect in All Available Applications with the Install button

4. Assign the integration roles: x_pdqmc_connect.user to technicians (alongside a role that already reads incident and sys_user, typically itil), and x_pdqmc_connect.admin to administrators who will configure the app.

Once the app is installed, the PDQ Connect menu appears under All → PDQ Connect, and the PDQ Connect panel becomes available on the incident in Service Operations Workspace. There is no configuration on the install screen itself; you set up organizations on the Settings page in Step 4.

Step 4 - Configure the integration

Where you are: ServiceNow - Admin

1. Go to All → PDQ Connect → Settings to open the admin page. Only users with the x_pdqmc_connect.admin role can open it; everyone else is blocked by the page ACL.
   
   

   The PDQ Connect Settings page with the organization list

2. Click an organization card to edit it (or Add Organization to configure a new one), then fill in the following fields:

Note on the Logged-on User strategy. The integration compares the caller's email local-part (the part before @) against the device's currentUser and/or lastUser field. Common username shapes such as DOMAIN\jane.doe and jane.doe@example.com are normalized before comparison. No custom field is required when this strategy is selected.

3. Click Test Connection to verify that ServiceNow can reach your PDQ Connect organization.
   

   Successful Test Connection result

   

   Failed Test Connection result

4. Click Run Test to validate your matching strategy right here and now

   

5. Click Done to save the organization.

Adding multiple organizations

If your team manages more than one PDQ Connect organization, click Add Organization and repeat the configuration (up to 20). The integration queries all configured organizations and displays matching devices from each.

Admin settings

The Settings page also includes these options:

• Device Display Fields - pick which device fields appear on the device card. Fields are grouped (Identity, Networking, Health, and more) so you can enable a set of related fields at once.

  

  Settings page showing the grouped Display Fields

• Show Matched On - when enabled, the panel shows which device field produced each match (current user, last user, or your custom field name). Useful for verifying a freshly configured organization.
• Debug Mode - enables detailed console logging for troubleshooting. When on, diagnostic information appears in the browser console. It never includes personal data such as email addresses. Keep this off during normal use.

Step 5 - Verify the integration

Where you are: ServiceNow

1. Open any incident whose caller has an email address that matches a device in PDQ Connect.
2. Look for the PDQ Connect panel in the incident sidebar in Service Operations Workspace.

3. You should see the matching device(s) listed with hostname, OS, and status.
   

   Incident sidebar showing one or more matched devices

If no devices appear, see the Troubleshooting section below.

Using the integration

Viewing device information

When you open an incident, the PDQ Connect panel looks up the caller's email across all configured organizations and displays any matching devices. Device cards show the key information at a glance: hostname, operating system, and online/offline status.

If the incident has no caller, no devices are matched.

Deploying a package

1. In the PDQ Connect panel, click Deploy on the device you want to target.
2. The deployment view shows a "Deploy to" section with the target device. If you have multiple devices, switch between them using the dropdown.

3. Use the Search packages field to find and select a package from your PDQ Connect library.
   

   Deployment view with the package search dropdown open

4. Click Deploy to start the deployment.

5. A confirmation message appears. You can track the deployment's progress in PDQ Connect. The view closes on its own a few seconds after a successful deployment.
   

   Successful deployment confirmation message

The deployment view also gives you quick access to Details and Remote buttons for the selected device.

Opening a device in PDQ Connect

Click the device name or the Details button to jump straight to the full device page in PDQ Connect.

Starting a remote desktop session

Click Remote to launch a remote desktop session to the device through PDQ Connect's built-in Remote Desktop feature.

Troubleshooting

The PDQ Connect panel does not appear on incidents

• Confirm the app is installed. Go to All → System Applications → All Available Applications → All and check that PDQ Connect is listed and installed.
• Make sure you completed the configuration in Step 4 and saved at least one organization.
• Confirm the agent holds the x_pdqmc_connect.user role.
• If a page shows "Page not found" right after an install or reinstall, the URL cache is stale. As an administrator, open /cache.do and clear the cache, then reload.
• Try refreshing the incident.

No devices found for an incident

Sidebar "no devices found" empty state

• Confirm the incident has a caller with a valid email address.
• Use Run Test on the Settings page to check the configuration against a known email. The preview lists the devices the current strategy would match - a fast way to confirm a fresh setup before opening an incident.
• If your organization uses the Custom Field strategy: check that the Match Field ID is spelled correctly and that devices in PDQ Connect have the field populated with the caller's email.
• If your organization uses the Logged-on User strategy: confirm devices have a populated currentUser or lastUser. The caller's email local-part (before @) is what gets compared - for jane.doe@example.com to match, the device must report jane.doe (after stripping DOMAIN\ prefixes and @upn suffixes).
• Make sure the API key is valid and has not been revoked.
• Turn on Debug Mode on the Settings page and check the browser console for more detailed error information.

"No PDQ Connect organizations configured" message

Open the PDQ Connect Settings page and verify at least one organization has a saved Organization URL and API key.

Package deployment fails

• Verify the API key has permission to create deployments.
• Check that the target device is online in PDQ Connect.
• Review the deployment logs in PDQ Connect for detailed error information.

Test Connection fails during configuration

• Double-check the Organization URL format. It should look like app.pdq.com/your-org-name.
• Confirm the API key is correct and has not expired or been revoked.
• Ensure your instance allows outbound HTTPS connections to app.pdq.com.

Cannot open the PDQ Connect Settings page

The Settings page is restricted to users with the x_pdqmc_connect.admin role. If you are blocked, your account does not hold that role. Ask an administrator to perform the configuration, or have your account granted the admin role.

Security and privacy

The PDQ Connect app requests only the access it needs to function. Here is what it can and cannot do.

What the app can read:

• The incident caller's email address, to identify the end user.
• The signed-in user's role and email, for the admin gate and deploy validation.

What the app cannot do:

• It cannot create, edit, or delete incidents, comments, or other ServiceNow data.
• It cannot access ServiceNow data outside the incident you are viewing. The device list is scoped server-side to the incident's caller.

How your data is stored:

• Your PDQ Connect API key is stored in an encrypted (password2) field. It is never exposed to the browser or written to logs. When the app calls the PDQ Connect API, the key is read server-side, so it never reaches the technician's machine.
• Organization configuration (organization URL, match field name, display field choices) is stored in the app's scoped table. No ServiceNow user data is stored outside your instance.
• The app calls only app.pdq.com (and, for optional telemetry, api.mixpanel.com).

Technical details - how the app reaches PDQ Connect:

Known limitations

• Service Operations Workspace. The device panel appears as a contextual tab in Service Operations Workspace. The same popup is also launchable from the PDQ Connect application menu.
• Up to 20 organizations. The integration supports up to 20 PDQ Connect organizations. Adding or removing organizations is done on the Settings page.
• API rate limits. The integration queries organizations one at a time and paginates through your device list to stay within PDQ Connect's API rate limits. For very large inventories the initial load on an incident may take a few extra seconds. Each organization is paginated up to roughly 1,000 devices; if an organization exceeds that, the panel shows a partial-results banner.
• One user per device (Custom Field strategy). When matching on a custom field, the integration matches on a single email value per device. If a device is shared by multiple users, only the email in the custom field is matched.

FAQ

Is the ServiceNow integration free? Yes. The PDQ Connect app is free to install and use from the ServiceNow Store. You do need a PDQ Connect Premium plan to generate the API key the integration requires.

Can I use this with multiple PDQ Connect organizations? Yes. The integration supports up to 20 PDQ Connect organizations. Click Add Organization on the Settings page to add another. Devices from all organizations appear together on each incident.

How does device matching work? The app reads the incident caller's email address and compares it (case-insensitive) against either the logged-on user or a custom field on every device across all configured organizations, depending on the match strategy you chose. All matching devices are displayed.

What if a caller has multiple devices? All matching devices are displayed. You can pick which device to deploy to or connect to from a dropdown in the panel.

Can I change the custom field used for matching? Yes. Open the PDQ Connect Settings page, edit the relevant organization, and update the Email Match Field ID.

I am blocked from the Settings page. The Settings page is restricted to the PDQ Connect admin role. Ask an administrator to configure the app, or have your account granted the x_pdqmc_connect.admin role.

Changelog

1.0.0

• Initial Release

Related articles

• PDQ Connect API
• Working with Custom Fields