kb_knowledge Table — ServiceNow Reference

Table Reference/kb_knowledge

The kb_knowledge table stores published knowledge articles in ServiceNow's Knowledge Management module. The critical gotcha: this table only contains published articles — drafts live elsewhere, and you'll need to understand the workflow_state field to query effectively.

What This Table Is

The kb_knowledge table stores published knowledge articles that have gone through the knowledge workflow process. This is the primary table for knowledge articles that end users can search and view through the Service Portal or platform UI. Each record represents a specific version of a knowledge article that has reached published status.

This table is owned by the Knowledge Management module and supports the entire knowledge lifecycle from authoring through retirement. Articles flow through states like draft, review, published, and retired, with complex approval workflows determining transitions. The table integrates heavily with search functionality, categorization systems, and content management workflows.

The kb_knowledge table extends kb_knowledge_base and has relationships with kb_category for organization and sys_attachment for embedded content. Unlike most ServiceNow tables, knowledge articles maintain version history through related tables, making the data model more complex than typical records.

Large enterprises typically see 10,000-100,000+ knowledge articles with heavy read activity but relatively light write volume. The table performs well for searches when properly indexed, but complex queries across workflow states or deep category hierarchies can be expensive. Search performance often depends more on the search engine configuration than direct table queries.

When You'll Script Against This Table

You'll script against kb_knowledge primarily in Business Rules that react to knowledge workflow changes, Script Includes that power custom search functionality, and Scheduled Jobs that handle bulk operations like retirement or content updates. Portal widgets and Service Portal pages frequently query this table to display relevant articles to users based on their requests or browsing context.

Access is controlled by knowledge role for basic read access and knowledge_admin for administrative functions. The table has complex ACLs that consider both role-based and attribute-based access, including user criteria fields that can restrict visibility to specific user groups or departments.

Common scripting patterns:

Workflow automation that updates article states based on approval outcomes or scheduled retirement dates
Custom search implementations that filter by category, user criteria, or content relevance
Integration scripts that sync knowledge content with external systems or export for reporting
Analytics and reporting on knowledge usage patterns, article effectiveness, and content gaps
Automated content management like bulk categorization, metadata updates, or quality scoring
Portal customizations that surface contextual knowledge based on incident types or user roles
Maintenance routines that handle article lifecycle events like scheduled reviews or retirement

Table Gotchas

⚠️

The kb_knowledge table only contains published articles. Draft articles exist in workflow tables or as unpublished versions — don't assume all knowledge content lives here.

⚠️

The workflow_state field uses specific values like 'published', 'retired', 'review' — never assume simple active/inactive boolean logic. Always check valid states before querying.

The valid_to field can be empty but still represent an active article — check both workflow_state and dates for accurate filtering
Category references use kb_category which can be hierarchical — simple category queries may miss articles in subcategories

⚠️

User criteria fields restrict article visibility beyond role-based ACLs. Your script may have admin access but still not see all articles if user criteria don't match.

The text field contains HTML and can be large — avoid loading it in list queries or aggregations for performance
Version management is complex — multiple articles can have the same number but different versions, making unique identification tricky

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The kb_knowledge table extends kb_knowledge_base, which provides the foundational knowledge base structure and configuration. This parent relationship means each article belongs to a specific knowledge base that defines its workflow, approval processes, and visibility rules.

The most commonly joined tables are kb_category for organizational hierarchy, sys_user for author and ownership information, sys_attachment for embedded media and files, and kb_use for usage tracking and analytics.

Developers frequently query across these relationships to build comprehensive knowledge management features — filtering articles by category hierarchy, checking author permissions, including attachment metadata in search results, or analyzing usage patterns. The m2m_kb_category_knowledge many-to-many table enables articles to belong to multiple categories, which is essential for cross-functional knowledge organization.

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Key Fields

Column	Type	Label	Notes
number	string	Number	Auto-generated unique identifier for the article. Not the same as sys_id and can have multiple versions with the same number.
short_description	string	Title	The article title displayed in search results and lists. This is the primary field users see when browsing knowledge.
text	html	Text	The main article content as HTML. Can be very large and includes embedded images, formatting, and links. Avoid loading in list queries.
workflow_state	choice	Workflow State	Current state in the knowledge workflow (published, draft, review, retired, etc.). Critical for filtering - only 'published' articles are visible to end users.
kb_knowledge_base	reference	Knowledge Base	Reference to the knowledge base this article belongs to. Determines workflow rules, permissions, and organizational structure.
kb_category	reference	Category	Primary category reference to kb_category table. Articles can belong to multiple categories via m2m relationships.
author	reference	Author	Reference to sys_user who created the article. Different from sys_created_by as this can be updated through workflow processes.
valid_to	glide_date_time	Valid To	Expiration date for the article. Can be empty for articles without expiration. Check both this and workflow_state for active articles.
published	glide_date_time	Published	Date and time when the article was first published. Remains static even if article is republished after updates.
retired	glide_date_time	Retired	Date when article was retired. Only populated when workflow_state changes to 'retired'.
can_read_user_criteria	string	User Criteria	Advanced filter that restricts article visibility beyond role-based ACLs. Uses encoded query format to limit access by user attributes.
roles	string	Roles	Comma-separated list of roles required to view this article. Works in addition to standard knowledge ACLs.
version	integer	Version	Version number for this article iteration. Multiple versions can exist with the same article number but different content.
active	boolean	Active	Boolean flag but don't rely on this alone - check workflow_state instead. An article can be active=true but workflow_state='review'.
rating	decimal	Rating	Average user rating calculated from feedback. Automatically updated when users rate articles through the portal.
view_count	integer	View Count	Number of times the article has been viewed. Incremented automatically when users access the full article content.
useful_count	integer	Useful Count	Number of 'useful' votes from users. Part of the knowledge feedback system for measuring article effectiveness.
meta	string	Meta	Additional metadata in JSON format. Used by search engines and custom implementations for extended article attributes.
wiki	html	Wiki	Wiki-style content field that supports collaborative editing. Less commonly used than the main text field.

Common Queries

Get all published articles visible to users

// Most basic query - only published articles are user-visible
var gr = new GlideRecord('kb_knowledge');
gr.addQuery('workflow_state', 'published');
gr.addQuery('active', true);
// Also check expiration date
gr.addNullQuery('valid_to');
gr.addOrCondition('valid_to', '>', gs.nowDateTime());
gr.orderByDesc('published');
gr.query();

while (gr.next()) {
    gs.info('Article: ' + gr.getValue('short_description'));
}

Find published articles by category and author

// Filter by category and author - common for content management
var gr = new GlideRecord('kb_knowledge');
gr.addQuery('workflow_state', 'published');
gr.addQuery('kb_category', categoryId); // specific category sys_id
gr.addQuery('author', authorId); // specific user sys_id
gr.addQuery('active', true);
gr.orderBy('short_description');
gr.query();

while (gr.next()) {
    gs.info('Found: ' + gr.getDisplayValue('short_description') + 
           ' by ' + gr.getDisplayValue('author'));
}

Get articles due for review in next 30 days

// Business scenario: content maintenance workflow
var reviewDate = new GlideDateTime();
reviewDate.addDaysLocalTime(30);

var gr = new GlideRecord('kb_knowledge');
gr.addQuery('workflow_state', 'published');
gr.addQuery('valid_to', '<=', reviewDate.getDisplayValue());
gr.addQuery('valid_to', '!=', '');
gr.orderBy('valid_to');
gr.query();

while (gr.next()) {
    gs.info('Review needed: ' + gr.getValue('number') + 
           ' expires ' + gr.getDisplayValue('valid_to'));
}

Count articles by workflow state

// Aggregate count for reporting dashboard
var ga = new GlideAggregate('kb_knowledge');
ga.addAggregate('COUNT');
ga.groupBy('workflow_state');
ga.query();

while (ga.next()) {
    var state = ga.getValue('workflow_state');
    var count = ga.getAggregate('COUNT');
    gs.info('State: ' + state + ' has ' + count + ' articles');
}

Wrong vs right way to check active articles

// WRONG: Don't just check active field
// var gr = new GlideRecord('kb_knowledge');
// gr.addQuery('active', true); // Includes draft, review, etc.

// RIGHT: Check workflow_state and expiration
var gr = new GlideRecord('kb_knowledge');
gr.addQuery('workflow_state', 'published');
gr.addQuery('active', true);
// Handle articles with no expiration OR future expiration
gr.addCondition('valid_to', '', 'OR')
  .addOrCondition('valid_to', '>', gs.nowDateTime());
gr.query();
// Only these are truly visible to end users

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