Hi. Here is my problem. I dont know much about Ansible. I need to write a simple playbook that will perform the following:
Go to ServiceNow ticketing system, get a Change Request meeting specific parameters, pass its SYS_ID to the next task which will download the file that was uploaded to the Request by the user during opening.
This is only a P.O.C., so a lot of assumption are made here. For example, that there will be only one such Request (could have been many!) , and each such request has only one attachment (again, could be more than one script uploaded to one CR!). But this simplified, impractical solution will suffice for the P.O.C. purposes. I only need to show my management Ansible can handle the simplest form of the application for now.
My problem is that I can ONLY download the single attachment if I hardcode the attachment SYS_ID inside the playbook. But this is supposed to be dynamic.
Please point me in the right direction with corrections to my playbook.
---
- name: Oracle database Data Change Request Process ID 2872.56
# hosts: dbservers
hosts: localhost
gather_facts: true
vars_files:
- vars/main.yml
tasks:
- name: 0. Prepare. Display Ansible date_time fact and register | itsm_dcr
delegate_to: localhost
run_once: true
set_fact:
currenttime: "{{ ansible_date_time.iso8601 }}"
tags: linux
- name: 1. Retrieve new DCR change requests
servicenow.itsm.change_request_info:
instance:
host: "{{ sn_instance}}"
username: "{{ sn_username }}"
password: "{{ sn_password }}"
query:
- state: = new
- short_description: LIKE DCR
register: dcr_new_cr_request_found_out
delegate_to: localhost
- name: 1.1 Debug the ServiceNow Change Request details to get the attachment SYS_ID | itsm_dcr
debug: var=dcr_new_cr_request_found_out
- name: Cache the CR SYS_ID {{ ansible_date_time.iso8601 }} | itsm_dcr
ansible.builtin.set_fact:
sys_id: "{{ dcr_new_cr_request_found_out.records[0].sys_id }}"
- name: 2. Download the Change Request attachment with its hardcoded SYS_ID from Step 1 | itsm_dcr
servicenow.itsm.attachment:
instance:
host: "{{ sn_instance}}"
username: "{{ sn_username }}"
password: "{{ sn_password }}"
dest: /tmp/DCR_{{ currenttime }}_00000001.sql
# sys_id: "{{ dcr_new_cr_request_found_out.records[0].attachments[0].sys_id }}"
sys_id: 003a3ef24ff1120031577d2ca310c74b
register: dcr_new_cr_attachment_out
- name: 2.1 Debug the hardcoded-SYS-ID attachment download details | itsm_dcr
debug: var=dcr_new_cr_attachment_out
Output:
[ansible_admin@ctrl ansible]$ ansible-playbook ./playbooks/dcr_03.yml
PLAY [Oracle database Data Change Request Process ID 2872.56] *************************************************************************************************************************
TASK [Gathering Facts] ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost]
[WARNING]: Using run_once with the free strategy is not currently supported. This task will still be executed for every host in the inventory list.
TASK [0. Prepare. Display Ansible date_time fact and register | itsm_dcr] *************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost]
TASK [1. Retrieve new DCR change requests] ********************************************************************************************************************************************
[WARNING]: Encountered unknown value while mapping field risk.
[WARNING]: Encountered unknown value Software while mapping field category.
ok: [localhost]
TASK [1.1 Debug the ServiceNow Change Request details to get the attachment SYS_ID | itsm_dcr] ****************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
"dcr_new_cr_request_found_out": {
"changed": false,
"failed": false,
"records": [
{
"active": "true",
"activity_due": "",
"additional_assignee_list": "",
"approval": "approved",
"approval_history": "",
"approval_set": "2026-01-27 19:29:50",
"assigned_to": "3c589a008334f210f28198c6feaad375",
"assignment_group": "db53580b0a0a0a6501aa37c294a2ba6b",
"attachments": [
{
"average_image_color": "",
"chunk_size_bytes": "700000",
"compressed": "true",
"content_type": "text/x-sql",
"download_link": "https://dev276659.service-now.com/api/now/attachment/33c38e4483b6f210f28198c6feaad3c1/file",
"file_name": "DCR_001.sql",
"hash": "be2477f129a827a656c0b76392edbfa4b10568341786837b5f67ba7a25abb359",
"image_height": "",
"image_width": "",
"size_bytes": "141",
"size_compressed": "146",
"state": "available",
"sys_created_by": "admin",
"sys_created_on": "2026-01-27 19:29:41",
"sys_id": "33c38e4483b6f210f28198c6feaad3c1",
"sys_mod_count": "1",
"sys_tags": "",
"sys_updated_by": "system",
"sys_updated_on": "2026-01-27 19:29:43",
"table_name": "change_request",
"table_sys_id": "34a34e0883f6f210f28198c6feaad380"
}
],
"backout_plan": "",
"business_duration": "",
"business_service": "281a4d5fc0a8000b00e4ba489a83eedc",
"cab_date_time": "",
"cab_delegate": "",
"cab_recommendation": "",
"cab_required": "false",
"calendar_duration": "",
"category": "Software",
"change_plan": "",
"chg_model": "007c4001c343101035ae3f52c1d3aeb2",
"close_code": "",
"close_notes": "",
"closed_at": "",
"closed_by": "",
"cmdb_ci": "0c43d5e2c61122750182c132a8b9e2d9",
"comments": "",
"comments_and_work_notes": "",
"company": "",
"conflict_last_run": "",
"conflict_status": "Not Run",
"contact_type": "",
"contract": "",
"copied_from": "",
"correlation_display": "",
"correlation_id": "",
"delivery_plan": "",
"delivery_task": "",
"description": "--- Managed by r-able.com hyperautomation (TurboCharged, V2.2.2). Do not change manually. Do not deviate. ---\r\n--- This Change Request adds a new deployment to an already installed GoldenGate hub binaries ---\r\n--- Enter the required parameters on the right side of the \":\" below ---\r\nRun dcr\r\n",
"due_date": "",
"end_date": "",
"escalation": "0",
"expected_start": "",
"follow_up": "",
"group_list": "",
"impact": "low",
"implementation_plan": "",
"justification": "",
"knowledge": "false",
"location": "",
"made_sla": "true",
"number": "CHG0030971",
"on_hold": false,
"on_hold_reason": "",
"on_hold_task": "",
"opened_at": "2026-01-27 19:28:56",
"opened_by": "6816f79cc0a8016401c5a33be04be441",
"order": "",
"outside_maintenance_schedule": "false",
"parent": "",
"phase": "requested",
"phase_state": "open",
"priority": "low",
"production_system": "false",
"reason": "",
"reassignment_count": "0",
"requested_by": "6816f79cc0a8016401c5a33be04be441",
"requested_by_date": "",
"review_comments": "",
"review_date": "",
"review_status": "",
"risk": "",
"risk_impact_analysis": "",
"route_reason": "",
"scope": "3",
"service_offering": "04b89573835e7210f28198c6feaad3f0",
"short_description": "DCR",
"sla_due": "",
"start_date": "",
"state": "new",
"std_change_producer_version": "",
"sys_class_name": "change_request",
"sys_created_by": "admin",
"sys_created_on": "2026-01-27 19:29:50",
"sys_domain": "global",
"sys_domain_path": "/",
"sys_id": "34a34e0883f6f210f28198c6feaad380",
"sys_mod_count": "3",
"sys_tags": "",
"sys_updated_by": "admin",
"sys_updated_on": "2026-01-27 21:11:45",
"task_effective_number": "CHG0030971",
"test_plan": "",
"time_worked": "",
"type": "normal",
"unauthorized": "false",
"universal_request": "",
"upon_approval": "proceed",
"upon_reject": "cancel",
"urgency": "low",
"user_input": "",
"watch_list": "",
"work_end": "",
"work_notes": "",
"work_notes_list": "",
"work_start": ""
}
],
"warnings": [
"Encountered unknown value while mapping field risk.",
"Encountered unknown value Software while mapping field category."
]
}
}
TASK [Cache the CR SYS_ID 2026-02-01T01:04:45Z | itsm_dcr] ****************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost]
TASK [2. Download the Change Request attachment with its hardcoded SYS_ID from Step 1 | itsm_dcr] *************************************************************************************
changed: [localhost]
TASK [2.1 Debug the hardcoded-SYS-ID attachment download details | itsm_dcr] **********************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
"dcr_new_cr_attachment_out": {
"changed": true,
"failed": false,
"record": {
"elapsed": 0.4,
"msg": "OK",
"size": 106879,
"status_code": 200
}
}
}
PLAY RECAP ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
localhost : ok=7 changed=1 unreachable=0 failed=0 skipped=0 rescued=0 ignored=0
and I can see the hardcoded-attachment-SYS_ID file downloaded to my /tmp:
Please help me make this single (for now) attachment SYS_ID passed as a VAR to the download module.
Thank you.
Nestor Kandinsky-Clerambeau.
Thanks!