kb_knowledge_base Table

Table Reference/kb_knowledge_base

The kb_knowledge_base table defines top-level Knowledge Base containers that control language settings, ownership, and article workflow states. Part of the Knowledge module, each knowledge base acts as a container for kb_knowledge articles. Critical gotcha: querying knowledge articles requires joining through the knowledge base's workflow and language settings.

What This Table Is

The kb_knowledge_base table stores the top-level Knowledge Base definitions that serve as containers for all knowledge articles in ServiceNow. Each record represents a distinct knowledge base with its own language settings, ownership model, approval workflow, and access controls. Knowledge bases segment articles by business unit, geography, product line, or any organizational structure that requires separate content management.

Owned by the Knowledge module, this table controls the entire knowledge management process from article creation to retirement. The knowledge base defines which users can author articles, what approval workflow they follow, and how articles are categorized and searched. Each kb_knowledge article record must reference a knowledge base through its knowledge_base field.

This table does not extend any other table and serves as a parent configuration for the knowledge article ecosystem. The kb_knowledge table extends kb_knowledge_base through its reference relationship, while related tables like kb_category and kb_use_case also reference knowledge bases to establish their scope.

Most enterprises run 5-50 knowledge bases total, making this a low-volume table with excellent query performance. However, the knowledge bases control thousands to millions of knowledge articles, so your scripting against this table often determines the performance characteristics of knowledge searches and workflows across the entire platform.

When You'll Script Against This Table

You'll script against kb_knowledge_base primarily in Business Rules that manage knowledge base lifecycle, Script Includes that build knowledge search functionality, and Scheduled Jobs that synchronize knowledge bases with external content management systems. Knowledge Management admins with the knowledge_admin role can create and modify knowledge bases, while authors need knowledge_author role for read access.

Knowledge base scripting happens most often in Portal Widget Scripts for self-service knowledge searches, Transform Maps for content migration, and UI Actions for bulk knowledge operations. The Service Portal heavily queries this table to determine which knowledge bases are available to different user populations.

Common scripting patterns:

Filter available knowledge bases by user language preference
Check knowledge base active status before creating new articles
Query knowledge base owner to determine article approval workflow
Build dynamic choice lists of knowledge bases for article assignment
Synchronize knowledge base metadata with external content systems
Generate knowledge base usage reports and analytics
Validate user permissions for knowledge base access in portals

Table Gotchas

⚠️

The `disable_commenting` field defaults to false, meaning all knowledge bases allow comments by default. Many enterprises assume commenting is disabled and miss this security consideration.

The owner field references sys_user but can be empty - always null-check before accessing owner properties

⚠️

Knowledge base `language` field stores language codes like 'en' but doesn't validate against sys_language table. Invalid language codes break Portal knowledge searches silently.

Setting active to false doesn't hide existing articles from search - they remain discoverable until manually retired
The title field has no uniqueness constraint - multiple knowledge bases can have identical titles causing user confusion

⚠️

Deleting a knowledge base record doesn't cascade to its articles. The kb_knowledge records become orphaned and cause errors in knowledge workflows.

Query performance degrades significantly when joining knowledge bases to articles without proper indexing on kb_knowledge.knowledge_base

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The primary relationship flows to the kb_knowledge table where every knowledge article references its parent knowledge base. This one-to-many relationship forms the core of knowledge management, with knowledge bases acting as containers that define language, workflow, and access policies for their articles. You'll frequently join these tables to filter articles by knowledge base properties like language or active status.

The sys_user table connects through the owner field to establish knowledge base ownership and approval authority. The kb_category table references knowledge bases to scope categories within specific knowledge domains. For Portal integrations, you'll commonly query sys_language alongside knowledge bases to match user language preferences with available content.

Advanced knowledge implementations often join to the sys_user_group table to implement group-based knowledge base access controls. Search and analytics workflows frequently aggregate across kb_social_qa_question and kb_feedback to measure knowledge base effectiveness and user engagement across different knowledge domains.

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Key Fields

Column	Type	Label	Notes
title	string	Title	The display name for this knowledge base. No uniqueness constraint means multiple KBs can have identical titles.
active	boolean	Active	Controls whether new articles can be created in this knowledge base. Existing articles remain searchable even when false.
owner	reference	Owner	References sys_user who owns this knowledge base. Can be empty, so always null-check before accessing owner properties.
language	string	Language	Language code like 'en' or 'es'. Not validated against sys_language table, so invalid codes break Portal searches silently.
description	string	Description	Long text description of the knowledge base purpose and scope. Often displayed in Portal knowledge base selection lists.
disable_commenting	boolean	Disable commenting	Controls whether users can comment on articles in this knowledge base. Defaults to false (commenting enabled).
disable_suggesting	boolean	Disable suggesting	When true, prevents users from suggesting improvements to articles. Important for controlled content workflows.
table_name	string	Table	Always 'kb_knowledge' for standard knowledge bases. Used internally for knowledge base type identification.
kb_managers	string	Knowledge managers	Comma-separated list of user sys_ids who can manage this knowledge base. Not a proper reference field.
kb_authors	string	Knowledge authors	Comma-separated list of user/group sys_ids who can author articles. Requires custom parsing to use effectively.
article_template	reference	Article template	References kb_template for default article structure. Controls field layout and required content sections.
workflow	reference	Workflow	References wf_workflow for article approval process. Determines who approves articles before publication.
enable_versioning	boolean	Enable versioning	Controls whether articles maintain version history. Performance impact when enabled for high-volume knowledge bases.
auto_retire_articles	boolean	Automatically retire articles	When enabled, articles automatically retire based on configured age thresholds. Requires retirement workflow setup.
retirement_cycle	integer	Retirement cycle (days)	Number of days before articles are flagged for retirement review. Only used when auto_retire_articles is true.
can_read_user_criteria	string	Who can read	Encoded user criteria defining read access. Complex format requiring sys_filter parsing to interpret programmatically.
can_contribute_user_criteria	string	Who can contribute	Encoded user criteria for contribution rights. Controls who can create, edit, and comment on articles.
use_approval	boolean	Use approval process	Determines if articles require approval before publication. Links to workflow field for approval configuration.

Common Queries

Get all active knowledge bases

// Most basic query - what every developer tries first
var gr = new GlideRecord('kb_knowledge_base');
gr.addQuery('active', true);
gr.query();
while (gr.next()) {
    gs.info('KB: ' + gr.title + ' (' + gr.language + ')');
}
gs.info('Found ' + gr.getRowCount() + ' active knowledge bases');

Find knowledge bases by language and owner

// Filter by language preference and check ownership
var gr = new GlideRecord('kb_knowledge_base');
gr.addQuery('active', true);
gr.addQuery('language', 'en');
gr.addQuery('owner', gs.getUserID());
gr.query();
if (gr.next()) {
    gs.info('Found my English KB: ' + gr.title);
    gs.info('Commenting disabled: ' + gr.disable_commenting);
} else {
    gs.info('No English knowledge bases owned by current user');
}

Get knowledge bases available for portal users

// Real-world scenario: portal knowledge base selection
var gr = new GlideRecord('kb_knowledge_base');
gr.addQuery('active', true);
gr.addQuery('language', gs.getUser().getLanguage());
gr.orderBy('title');
gr.query();
var kbList = [];
while (gr.next()) {
    // Check if user can read based on criteria
    if (gr.can_read_user_criteria.nil() || GlideSysFilter.checkRecord(gr, gs.getUserID())) {
        kbList.push({id: gr.sys_id.toString(), title: gr.title.toString()});
    }
}
return kbList;

Count articles per knowledge base

// Aggregate count using GlideAggregate
var agg = new GlideAggregate('kb_knowledge');
agg.addQuery('workflow_state', 'published');
agg.groupBy('knowledge_base');
agg.addAggregate('COUNT');
agg.query();
while (agg.next()) {
    var kbGr = new GlideRecord('kb_knowledge_base');
    if (kbGr.get(agg.knowledge_base)) {
        gs.info(kbGr.title + ': ' + agg.getAggregate('COUNT') + ' articles');
    }
}

Wrong vs right way to check knowledge base owner

// WRONG - will error if owner is empty
// if (kbGr.owner.name == 'john.doe') { ... }

// RIGHT - null-check the reference first
var kbGr = new GlideRecord('kb_knowledge_base');
if (kbGr.get('some_sys_id')) {
    if (!kbGr.owner.nil() && kbGr.owner.user_name == 'john.doe') {
        gs.info('Knowledge base owned by john.doe');
    } else {
        gs.info('Different owner or no owner assigned');
    }
}

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kb_knowledge_base