Knowledge Management for ServiceNow

Knowledge Management enables creating, organizing, and sharing knowledge articles.

Knowledge Architecture

Knowledge Base (kb_knowledge_base)
    ├── Category (kb_category)
    │   ├── Article (kb_knowledge)
    │   │   ├── Feedback (kb_feedback)
    │   │   └── Use (kb_use)
    │   └── Article
    └── Category
        └── Article

Key Tables

Table	Purpose
kb_knowledge_base	Knowledge base definitions
kb_knowledge	Knowledge articles
kb_category	Article categories
kb_feedback	User feedback on articles
kb_use	Article usage tracking

Creating Articles (ES5)

Create Knowledge Article

// Create KB article (ES5 ONLY!)
var article = new GlideRecord("kb_knowledge")
article.initialize()

// Basic info
article.setValue("short_description", "How to Reset Your Password")
article.setValue("kb_knowledge_base", getKnowledgeBaseSysId("IT Knowledge"))
article.setValue("kb_category", getCategorySysId("Self-Service"))

// Content
article.setValue(
  "text",
  "<h2>Password Reset Instructions</h2>" +
    "<p>Follow these steps to reset your password:</p>" +
    "<ol>" +
    "<li>Go to the Self-Service Portal</li>" +
    '<li>Click "Forgot Password"</li>' +
    "<li>Enter your email address</li>" +
    "<li>Check your email for reset link</li>" +
    "<li>Create a new password</li>" +
    "</ol>" +
    "<h3>Password Requirements</h3>" +
    "<ul>" +
    "<li>Minimum 12 characters</li>" +
    "<li>At least one uppercase letter</li>" +
    "<li>At least one number</li>" +
    "<li>At least one special character</li>" +
    "</ul>",
)

// Metadata
article.setValue("author", gs.getUserID())
article.setValue("article_type", "text") // text, wiki, html

// Workflow state
article.setValue("workflow_state", "draft")

article.insert()

Article with Attachments

// Create article and add attachment (ES5 ONLY!)
var article = new GlideRecord("kb_knowledge")
article.initialize()
article.setValue("short_description", "VPN Setup Guide")
article.setValue("kb_knowledge_base", kbSysId)
article.setValue("text", "<p>See attached PDF for detailed instructions.</p>")
var articleSysId = article.insert()

// Add attachment
var attachment = new GlideSysAttachment()
attachment.copy("kb_knowledge", templateArticleSysId, "kb_knowledge", articleSysId)

Article Workflow

Workflow States

State	Description	Next States
draft	Initial creation	review
review	Awaiting approval	published, draft
published	Visible to users	retired
retired	No longer visible	published
outdated	Needs update	draft

Submit for Review (ES5)

// Submit article for review (ES5 ONLY!)
function submitForReview(articleSysId) {
  var article = new GlideRecord("kb_knowledge")
  if (article.get(articleSysId)) {
    // Validate required fields
    if (!article.getValue("short_description")) {
      gs.addErrorMessage("Short description is required")
      return false
    }
    if (!article.getValue("text")) {
      gs.addErrorMessage("Article content is required")
      return false
    }

    // Change state
    article.setValue("workflow_state", "review")
    article.update()

    // Notify reviewers
    gs.eventQueue("kb.article.review", article, "", "")

    return true
  }
  return false
}

Publish Article (ES5)

// Publish approved article (ES5 ONLY!)
function publishArticle(articleSysId) {
  var article = new GlideRecord("kb_knowledge")
  if (article.get(articleSysId)) {
    // Only publish from review state
    if (article.getValue("workflow_state") !== "review") {
      gs.addErrorMessage("Article must be in review state")
      return false
    }

    // Set publish date
    article.setValue("workflow_state", "published")
    article.setValue("published", new GlideDateTime())

    // Set expiration if configured
    var kb = article.kb_knowledge_base.getRefRecord()
    var expirationDays = parseInt(kb.getValue("article_expiration_days"), 10)
    if (expirationDays > 0) {
      var expDate = new GlideDateTime()
      expDate.addDaysLocalTime(expirationDays)
      article.setValue("valid_to", expDate)
    }

    article.update()

    return true
  }
  return false
}

Knowledge Search (ES5)

Search Articles

// Search knowledge articles (ES5 ONLY!)
var KnowledgeSearch = Class.create()
KnowledgeSearch.prototype = {
  initialize: function () {},

  /**
   * Search knowledge articles
   * @param {string} query - Search query
   * @param {object} options - Search options
   */
  search: function (query, options) {
    options = options || {}
    var results = []

    var gr = new GlideRecord("kb_knowledge")

    // Only published articles
    gr.addQuery("workflow_state", "published")
    gr.addQuery("active", true)

    // Valid date range
    var now = new GlideDateTime()
    gr.addNullQuery("valid_to").addOrCondition("valid_to", ">", now)

    // Search in title and body
    var qc = gr.addQuery("short_description", "CONTAINS", query)
    qc.addOrCondition("text", "CONTAINS", query)

    // Filter by knowledge base
    if (options.knowledgeBase) {
      gr.addQuery("kb_knowledge_base", options.knowledgeBase)
    }

    // Filter by category
    if (options.category) {
      gr.addQuery("kb_category", options.category)
    }

    // Limit results
    gr.setLimit(options.limit || 10)

    // Order by views/rating
    gr.orderByDesc("sys_view_count")

    gr.query()

    while (gr.next()) {
      results.push({
        sys_id: gr.getUniqueValue(),
        number: gr.getValue("number"),
        title: gr.getValue("short_description"),
        category: gr.kb_category.getDisplayValue(),
        views: gr.getValue("sys_view_count"),
        rating: gr.getValue("rating"),
        snippet: this._getSnippet(gr.getValue("text"), query),
      })
    }

    return results
  },

  _getSnippet: function (text, query) {
    // Strip HTML
    var plainText = text.replace(/<[^>]*>/g, "")

    // Find query position
    var lowerText = plainText.toLowerCase()
    var lowerQuery = query.toLowerCase()
    var pos = lowerText.indexOf(lowerQuery)

    if (pos === -1) {
      return plainText.substring(0, 200) + "..."
    }

    // Extract context around match
    var start = Math.max(0, pos - 50)
    var end = Math.min(plainText.length, pos + query.length + 150)

    var snippet = ""
    if (start > 0) snippet += "..."
    snippet += plainText.substring(start, end)
    if (end < plainText.length) snippet += "..."

    return snippet
  },

  type: "KnowledgeSearch",
}

Article Templates (ES5)

Create Article from Template

// Create article from template (ES5 ONLY!)
function createFromTemplate(templateName, data) {
  // Get template
  var template = new GlideRecord("kb_template")
  template.addQuery("name", templateName)
  template.query()

  if (!template.next()) {
    gs.error("Template not found: " + templateName)
    return null
  }

  // Create article
  var article = new GlideRecord("kb_knowledge")
  article.initialize()

  // Copy template fields
  article.setValue("kb_knowledge_base", template.getValue("kb_knowledge_base"))
  article.setValue("kb_category", template.getValue("kb_category"))
  article.setValue("article_type", template.getValue("article_type"))

  // Process template text with data
  var text = template.getValue("text")
  for (var key in data) {
    if (data.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
      var pattern = new RegExp("\\{\\{" + key + "\\}\\}", "g")
      text = text.replace(pattern, data[key])
    }
  }

  article.setValue("text", text)
  article.setValue("short_description", data.title || "New Article")
  article.setValue("workflow_state", "draft")

  return article.insert()
}

// Usage
var articleId = createFromTemplate("Troubleshooting Guide", {
  title: "Outlook Not Connecting",
  problem: "Outlook shows disconnected",
  solution: "Check network connection and restart Outlook",
  steps: "<ol><li>Close Outlook</li><li>Check WiFi</li><li>Reopen Outlook</li></ol>",
})

Feedback & Ratings (ES5)

Record Article Feedback

// Record user feedback (ES5 ONLY!)
function recordFeedback(articleSysId, rating, comments) {
  var feedback = new GlideRecord("kb_feedback")
  feedback.initialize()
  feedback.setValue("article", articleSysId)
  feedback.setValue("user", gs.getUserID())
  feedback.setValue("rating", rating) // 1-5
  feedback.setValue("comments", comments)
  feedback.setValue("useful", rating >= 4 ? "yes" : "no")
  feedback.insert()

  // Update article rating
  updateArticleRating(articleSysId)
}

function updateArticleRating(articleSysId) {
  var ga = new GlideAggregate("kb_feedback")
  ga.addQuery("article", articleSysId)
  ga.addAggregate("AVG", "rating")
  ga.addAggregate("COUNT")
  ga.query()

  if (ga.next()) {
    var avgRating = parseFloat(ga.getAggregate("AVG", "rating"))
    var count = parseInt(ga.getAggregate("COUNT"), 10)

    var article = new GlideRecord("kb_knowledge")
    if (article.get(articleSysId)) {
      article.setValue("rating", Math.round(avgRating * 10) / 10)
      article.setValue("u_feedback_count", count)
      article.update()
    }
  }
}

MCP Tool Integration

Available Tools

Tool	Purpose
snow_knowledge_search	Search knowledge base
snow_query_table	Query kb_knowledge
snow_find_artifact	Find articles
snow_execute_script_with_output	Test KB scripts

Example Workflow

// 1. Search for existing articles
await snow_knowledge_search({
  query: "password reset",
  limit: 5,
})

// 2. Create new article
await snow_execute_script_with_output({
  script: `
        var article = new GlideRecord('kb_knowledge');
        article.initialize();
        article.setValue('short_description', 'New Article');
        article.setValue('text', '<p>Content here</p>');
        article.setValue('workflow_state', 'draft');
        gs.info('Created: ' + article.insert());
    `,
})

// 3. Find articles needing review
await snow_query_table({
  table: "kb_knowledge",
  query: "workflow_state=review",
  fields: "number,short_description,author,sys_created_on",
})

Best Practices

1. Clear Titles - Descriptive, searchable titles
2. Structured Content - Use headings and lists
3. Keywords - Add relevant keywords
4. Categories - Proper categorization
5. Review Process - Quality control workflow
6. Expiration - Set article validity dates
7. Feedback - Enable user ratings
8. ES5 Only - No modern JavaScript syntax