How to clean up old or unwanted records fast from a table

Nilesh Pol
Tera Guru

Purpose:

The guide explains how to automatically and efficiently delete old or unwanted data from a table in ServiceNow using a feature called Auto Flush (Table Cleaner).


How It Works:

  • Auto Flush deletes records in batches, so it doesn’t slow down the system.

  • It’s great for regularly or one-time cleaning of outdated data.


Steps to Set It Up:

  1. Go to: All > sys_auto_flush_list.DO (Auto Flushes table).

  2. Click "New" to create a new Auto Flush rule.

  3. Fill these fields:

    • Table Name: Table you want to clean (e.g., sys_user)

    • Match field: Field used to decide which records to delete (e.g., sys_created_on)

    • Age in Seconds: How old the record should be to get deleted

      • e.g., 30 days = 2,592,000 seconds

      • Use 0 to delete all records matching conditions

    • Conditions: Add filters (optional) to narrow down which records to delete

    • Cascade Delete: Also delete related/child records if needed

    • Active: Turn the cleanup rule on or off

    • Clean Attachments & Journals: Option to delete attached files and journal logs

    • Clean Audit: Option to delete audit logs from sys_audit and sys_audit_relation


Example:

To delete users who haven’t logged in for 90 days, set:

  • Table: sys_user

  • Match field: e.g., last_login

  • Age in seconds: 7,776,000 (90 days)


Important Note:

If it’s a one-time cleanup, delete the Auto Flush rule after it runs, to prevent it from running again in the future.

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