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Tables, Records & Fields

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In this lesson, you will learn:

  • How tables, records, and fields fit together (a deeper look)
  • The difference between a table’s label and its name
  • What the sys_id and other system fields are

1 Welcome to the Advanced track

In the Basic track, you learned that everything in ServiceNow is saved in tables. Now we’ll look under the hood: how tables are built, how they connect, and how admins control them. 🔧

⭐ Quick refresher: Table = the whole list. Record = one row. Field = one column. (Lesson 1.1)

2 Labels and names

Every table and field has two names:

Label (for people) Name (for the system)
Table Incident incident
Table User sys_user
Field Short description short_description
Field Assigned to assigned_to
  • The label is what users see on forms and lists. It can be changed.
  • The name is used in URLs, filters, and scripts. It never changes after creation.
  • Custom tables and fields you create start with u_ (in the global scope), like u_floor_number.

3 System fields

Every record gets some fields automatically. They start with sys_:

One incident record with its fields split into two groups. Business fields you see on the form: Number, Short description, Caller, State. System fields every record gets automatically: sys_id, a unique 32-character ID like 46d44a23a9fe19810012d100cca80666; sys_created_on and sys_created_by, when and who created it; sys_updated_on and sys_updated_by, when and who last changed it; and sys_mod_count, how many times it has been updated.
Figure 1. Every record has the fields you see, plus system fields ServiceNow fills in.
Field What it holds
sys_id A unique 32-character ID for the record
sys_created_on / sys_created_by When, and by whom, the record was created
sys_updated_on / sys_updated_by When, and by whom, it was last changed
sys_mod_count How many times it has been updated

💡 Good to know: The Number (like INC0010001) is for people. The sys_id is for the system. Two records can never share a sys_id, even in different tables.

4 Let’s try it: peek at system fields

  1. Open any incident list. Personalize the list to add Created, Updated by, and Updates.
  2. Open an incident, right-click the header, and choose Copy sys_id.
  3. Right-click a field label on the form, like Short description. Choose Show – ‘short_description’ (or Configure Dictionary) to see its system name.

5 Quick recap

  • Tables and fields have a label (for people) and a name (for the system)
  • Custom names start with u_ in global scope
  • Every record has system fields starting with sys_
  • The sys_id is a unique 32-character ID

6 Check yourself

Think of your answer first. Then tap to check.

1 What’s the system name of the User table? Show answer

sys_user.

2 Which field tells you who last changed a record? Show answer

sys_updated_by.

3 You create a field called “Floor number” in global scope. What will its name likely start with? Show answer

u_, like u_floor_number.

Nice work! You finished this lesson. 🎉

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