Archival in ServiceNow

[sunilsargam]

Hello Guys,

I wanted to know about ServiceNow data archival Policies. When any table is archived, what would happen to the related records and the attachemnts in the record.

eg. if i apply archival on incident table, what would happen to task_sla records for the incident and the attachments in the incident.

Thank you.

Sunil Sargam

#archival

[Ravi Gaurav]

Hi @sunilsargam 

Below is my personal Writeups

ServiceNow Archival Policies – General Behavior

When you configure data archival in ServiceNow, you define which records from a source table (e.g., incident) should be archived into a corresponding archive table (e.g., incident_archive).

• The system copies the record from the live table into the archive table.

• By default, the original record is deleted from the source table after archiving.

• Archived records are no longer available in the active table but can be queried in the archive tables or through Archive rules.

Related Records (e.g., task_sla)

• Archiving does not automatically cascade to related/child tables unless you explicitly configure it.

• For example:

  • If you archive incident, the related task_sla records (in the task_sla table) will remain in the live system unless you create a separate archive rule for them.

  • They will still reference the incident sys_id, but since the incident is removed from the live table, the reference is now effectively “dangling.”

  • Best practice: create dependent archive rules for related tables like task_sla, incident_activity, sys_journal_field, etc.

Attachments

• Attachments are stored in the sys_attachment and sys_attachment_doc tables.

• By default, archiving a record does not move its attachments.

• The attachments remain in the live system, still linked to the (now archived) record sys_id, but since the record is gone from the active table, they’re not easily accessible.

To handle this, you need to:

1. Create archive rules for sys_attachment and sys_attachment_doc related to your source table.

2. Or use the Attachment Archiving plugin (if available in your instance/version).

 Example: Incident Archival

If you apply archival on the Incident table:

• incident → moved to incident_archive.

• task_sla → stays in task_sla unless you create a rule.

• Attachments → stay in sys_attachment / sys_attachment_doc unless you create a rule.

• Activity/journal (sys_journal_field) → also needs its own archival rule if you want it moved.

Best Practice:

• Define archive rules per related table (incident → task_sla, sys_journal_field, sys_attachment, etc.).

• Ensure you test retrieval of archived data so business users know how to access older SLAs, work notes, or attachments.

• Document a retention and purge policy aligned with compliance requirements (e.g., 7 years for audits).