ServiceNow Records and Fields

Records and fields form the foundation of every piece of information stored in ServiceNow. Every incident, every user account, every asset in inventory — each is a record made up of individual fields. Knowing how to read, create, and manage records and fields is an essential skill for anyone working on the platform.

What Is a Record?

A record is a single item stored in a table. When a user submits a password reset request, ServiceNow creates one record in the Incident table. That record captures everything about the request — who submitted it, when, what the problem is, and what happened to it over time.

Think of a record like a physical file folder in a filing cabinet. The cabinet is the table. Each folder inside is one record. The papers and labels inside each folder are the fields.

What Is a Field?

A field is one individual piece of data within a record. The "Short Description" field holds a brief summary. The "Priority" field holds a number indicating urgency. The "State" field shows where the record is in its lifecycle.

Single Incident Record
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Field Name        │ Field Value
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Number            │ INC0001234
Short Description │ Cannot log into email
State             │ In Progress
Priority          │ 2 - High
Assigned To       │ John Smith
Assignment Group  │ IT Support
Opened At         │ 2024-03-15 09:22:00
Description       │ User cannot access Outlook.
                  │ Error appears on login screen.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

Types of Fields in ServiceNow

String Field

A string field holds plain text. The "Short Description" and "Description" fields are string fields. Short Description holds up to 255 characters. Multi-line text fields like Description hold much longer text with no practical limit for daily use.

Integer Field

An integer field stores a whole number. The "Priority" field stores 1, 2, 3, or 4 — not text words. Scripts and reports work with the number directly, making sorting and comparison precise.

Date and Date/Time Fields

Date/Time fields store exact timestamps. The "Opened At" field records the second a ticket was created. The "Resolved At" field records when it was closed. ServiceNow uses these two timestamps to calculate resolution time automatically.

Boolean Field (True/False)

A boolean field displays as a checkbox. It stores either true or false. "Active" on a user record is a boolean — checked means the user can log in, unchecked means their access is disabled.

Choice Field (Dropdown)

A choice field presents a fixed list of options in a dropdown. The "State" field on an incident is a choice field with options like New, In Progress, On Hold, Resolved, and Closed. Administrators manage the list of available choices without writing code.

Reference Field

A reference field links one record to a record in another table. The "Assigned To" field on an incident is a reference field that links to the User table. Clicking the value opens the referenced record. Reference fields are how ServiceNow connects data across tables.

Reference Field Example:
Incident Record [incident]
  └─ "Assigned To" = ref → User Record [sys_user]
                                └─ "John Smith" record
                                     └─ email, phone, department...

Journal Field (Activity Log)

Journal fields record an ongoing history of notes. The "Work Notes" field on an incident lets agents log updates. Each entry appends to the field with a timestamp and the agent's name. End users see "Additional Comments" — another journal field — but not Work Notes, which are internal-only.

Mandatory Fields

Administrators mark certain fields as mandatory. A mandatory field displays a red asterisk (*) on the form. ServiceNow prevents saving the record until all mandatory fields contain a value. The "Short Description" field on an incident is mandatory by default.

Read-Only Fields

Some fields display data that users cannot edit. The "Number" field (INC0001234) is read-only — ServiceNow generates it automatically when the record is created. The "Sys ID" field is also read-only. Administrators can make any field read-only through form configuration.

Creating a New Record

Users create new records in three ways:

• Click "New" from a list view to open a blank form for that table.
• Use the Service Portal to submit a request through a self-service form.
• Use a script or API to create records programmatically (covered in advanced topics).

The Activity Section

Every record includes an Activity section at the bottom of the form. This section shows a timestamped log of every change made to the record — field changes, comments, work notes, and status updates. The Activity section provides a complete audit trail of what happened, who did it, and when.

Activity Section:
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Mar 15 09:22 - Sarah Lee created this record
Mar 15 09:35 - John Smith changed State: New → In Progress
Mar 15 10:10 - John Smith added Work Note: "Checked email server"
Mar 15 11:00 - John Smith changed State: In Progress → Resolved
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Saving a Record

To save a record in ServiceNow, users click the Save button, the Submit button, or press Ctrl + S. "Save" keeps the record open after saving. "Submit" saves and returns the user to the previous list view. Unsaved changes show a warning if you try to navigate away.