Duplicate KB Numbers – Retired Article Still Appearing in Search

[Pragna9]

Hi Team,

I'm observing an issue with Knowledge Articles in our instance.

We have two KB articles showing the same KB number. One of the articles has been retired, but it is still appearing in search results and users are able to see it alongside the active article.

I would like to understand:

1. Is it expected behavior for multiple records to have the same KB number (for example, due to versioning)?

2. Why is the retired KB article still appearing in search results?

3. Are there any indexing, knowledge search, or cache-related steps that should be checked after retiring an article?

4. How can I ensure that only the latest active version of the article is displayed to users?

What I've checked:

- Confirmed that one article is in Retired state.

- Verified both records have the same KB number.

- Observed that the retired article is still returned in search results but not the published one

Could anyone provide guidance on the expected behavior and troubleshooting steps?

Thanks.

[sandeepdutt]

Hi @Pragna9 ,

If Knowledge Versioning is enabled, multiple records can share the same KB number.Each version is a separate record in the kb_knowledge table with its own sys_id, but they represent different versions of the same article, So having same KB number could be normal.

Now, for your oher question "One of the articles has been retired, but it is still appearing in search results and users are able to see it alongside the active article." :

This could be because of Re-indexing is not done properly , whether you're using AI Search or Zing.

[Pragna9]

Hi @sandeepdutt ,

We have two completely separate Knowledge Articles in different domains that happen to share the same KB number. They are not different versions of the same article. One of the articles has been retired; however, it still appears in search results when searching for the other active article. We would like to understand whether this is expected behavior in a domain-separated environment and what might be causing the retired article to continue appearing in search results.

[sandeepdutt]

Hi @Pragna9 ,

That's not expected for domain separtion unless you have access to both teh domains.

Can you check by logging in as different user and check if you see both the domains?

[Tanushree Maiti]

Hi @Pragna9 

1. Is it expected behavior for multiple records to have the same KB number?

Yes. This is expected out-of-the-box behavior when the Article Versioning feature is enabled. When an active knowledge article is revised, ServiceNow creates a new version while retaining the original KB number. The previous version is marked as Outdated, and only the most recent version is flagged as the Latest version.

Duplicate KB numbers may also occur if:

• Articles were imported from another instance.
• Customizations or data imports bypassed unique numbering controls.
• Unique numbering is not strictly enforced for non-versioned articles.

1. Why is a retired KB article still appearing in search results?

A retired article may continue to appear in search results for several reasons:

• Exact KB Number Searches: When users search using the exact KB number, ServiceNow performs an exact match search rather than a standard text search. By design, this can return retired or outdated article versions.
• Search Indexing Delays: If you are using AI Search or Zing Search, the search index may not yet reflect the article's updated status. Cached or outdated indexes can continue to return retired records until they are refreshed.
• Custom Portal Configuration: Custom portals or search widgets may bypass the default Knowledge Search Profile filters. If the search widget does not exclude retired or outdated workflow states, those articles may still be displayed.

1. Recommended steps after retiring an article

After retiring a knowledge article, perform the following maintenance tasks to ensure search results are updated:

• Refresh Search Indexes: Re-index the Knowledge Base tables used by AI Search or Zing Search so the search index reflects the article's retired status.
• Clear Caches: Clear the instance cache and, if necessary, the browser cache to remove stale search results from previews, typeahead suggestions, and cached pages.
• Review Direct URL Access: By default, users with a direct link may still be able to access retired articles, depending on your Knowledge Base configuration and access controls. Review your access policies and redirect strategy if retired articles should no longer be accessible.

1. How to ensure only the latest active version is displayed

To ensure users see only the latest active version of a knowledge article, consider implementing the following controls:

• Filter Search Results: Create a Before Query Business Rule on the kb_knowledge table (or apply equivalent search filters) to exclude records with workflow states such as Retired and Outdated for non-administrative users.
• Enforce Number Uniqueness: For knowledge articles that do not use versioning, configure the platform's Number Maintenance settings or implement appropriate validation to prevent duplicate KB numbers from being created.
• Review Search Profiles: Verify that AI Search, Zing Search, and any custom portal search configurations are filtering results to display only the latest published version of each knowledge article.

Refer:

1)  KB0743899 Retired Article Appears as Published in Global Search Results by Non-Admin Users Using KB ... 

2) 

Refer: KB1220880 Two Different Knowledge Articles have the same KB Number 

Resolution

Although it's rare, this issue can happen when the Knowledge Articles are in different Knowledge Bases.

Unique numbering is not enforced on the platform by default.

To fix this, you can create a Before Insert Business Rule on the Knowledge Table (kb_knowledge) to ensure the new number is not already in use.

Please find the documentation with more details about this behaviour:

https://docs.servicenow.com/csh?topicname=knowledge-article-duplicate-numbers.html&version=latest

To enforce unique numbering, please find the guidance in the following documentation:

https://docs.servicenow.com/csh?topicname=c_EnforcingUniqueNumbering.html&version=latest