What is the difference between users and contacts
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08-14-2019 09:01 AM
What is the difference between users and contacts? I have a list of contacts which i thought where part of the user list, when I try to create new users it's creating duplicates.

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08-19-2019 03:51 PM
If you are creating a contact, it has actually fields from sys_user table, but with a different view [Case View]. So you are actually creating a record in user table when inserting a record in contact table [customer_contact].
Please mark this response as correct or helpful if it assisted you with your question.

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08-19-2019 11:15 PM
Hi
This was also a question, I got confused with. Let me try to explain:
First, the Contact table is just available, if you installed "Custumer Service Management (CSM).
Contacts are used to be persons of any company, that takes part in your CSM Portal.
As Contacts are stored in a table which is EXTENDED by the sys_user table, you will find all contacts also in sys_user.
You can have a look at the "class" column (see screenshot below), to find out, if a record is a "Contact" or a "User".
Normally, now every Contact will be able to LogIn. You need to fill in the "UserID" field of the Contact record, to allow that user to login.
On the other side, Users are the basic objects and intended to log on to the system, whereas a Contact primarily MAY be a user to log in.
If you want to "CONVERT" a user to a Contact, you just need to UPDATE the "CLASS" column of that particular User Record to a "Contact".
Thats all. Otherwise, like you wrote, you will get duplicates (caused on the table inheritance).
Let me know, if that answered your questions, and mark my answer as correct and helpful, please.
BR
Dirk

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11-20-2019 09:29 AM
Hi
Thanks for marking as helpful.
Let me know, if you need further assistance, or just mark as correct, to close this thread.
Thanks and
BR Dirk
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05-19-2020 10:40 AM
Hi Dirk,
Any idea how to prevent ServiceNow from creating a user everytime a contact as added?