ServiceNow Learning 187 : Difference Between Float and Decimal Field Types in ServiceNow

[Shamma Negi]

Hi All,

I have always wondered why we have 2 types of floating number related field in ServiceNow. I thought to discover and see which should be rightly used in which scenarios.

Let's see:

‌‌1. Float Field

Float Type field in ServiceNow is majorly used to store numbers using floating-point arithmetic (approximate values).

Let's see how it works:

Based on binary floating-point representation

Can introduce rounding errors

Best suited for scientific or approximate calculations

‌Pros

• Faster calculations
• Uses less storage
• Good for non-critical precision values

‌Cons

Precision issues

Not reliable for currency or exact totals

🧪 Example

0.1 + 0.2 = 0.30000000000000004

Common Use Cases

• Performance metrics
• Percentages
• Calculated averages
• Measurements (CPU, memory, response time)

2. Decimal Field

Decimal type field usually used to store the numbers with exact precision.

Pros

• Accurate and predictable
• Ideal for financial and business data

Cons

• Slightly slower than float
• Uses more storage

🧪 Example

0.1 + 0.2 = 0.3

‌Common Use Cases

• Currency amounts
• Prices, costs, budgets
• SLAs and contractual values
• Procurement & billing (Source to Pay, CSM, FSM)

I have seen people using sometimes Decimal or Float which makes the backend calculation difficult. It should be consistent throughout the process you are building.

If you want the exact précised value to be given, then use Decimal else use "Float". It depends on what process you are building and the type of requirement you have.

Simple learning for the day!

Thanks,

Shamma Negi

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