Clarification on Custom Table Licensing for M2M Tables with Additional Configuration Fields

[Subrahmanyam6]

Hi Community Team,

I was reviewing the ServiceNow Custom Table Guide and came across the following exemption for custom table licensing:

2.2.1 Many-to-Many Tables: Many-to-many tables that are registered in the m2m_table field in the sys_m2m table. These tables are restricted to three (3) custom fields in addition to the standard fields created by the system.

Source: ServiceNow Custom Table Guide

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My Question

I would like to better understand how ServiceNow counts custom fields on an M2M table for licensing purposes.

Example Scenario (Illustrative Only)

Suppose I create an M2M table to manage approval routing for a business process.

The M2M table contains the following fields:

Field Type Purpose

u_product_type	Reference to custom Product Type table	Defines which product type the rule applies to
u_group	Reference to sys_user_group	Approval group
u_order	Integer	Controls sequential vs. parallel approvals
u_category	Choice	Provisioning / Decommission / Both
u_active	Boolean	Enable/disable configuration

Intended Logic

For example:

• Multiple records with the same u_order value would generate parallel group approvals.
• Records with different u_order values would generate sequential approvals.
• u_category allows approval rules to apply only to specific transaction types.
• u_active allows administrators to enable or disable rules without deleting records.

This would typically be driven by Flow Designer or a custom subflow.

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Licensing Interpretation Question

The exemption mentions that M2M tables are allowed up to three custom fields in addition to the standard system-created fields.

My uncertainty is around how ServiceNow treats the relationship fields that are automatically created when an M2M table is generated.

Interpretation A

The following are considered system-generated relationship fields:

• u_product_type
• u_group

In that case, the actual custom fields would be:

• u_order
• u_category
• u_active

Result:

• Only 3 additional custom fields
• Table remains within the M2M exemption

Interpretation B

All fields on the table are counted as custom fields, including:

• u_product_type
• u_group
• u_order
• u_category
• u_active

Result:

• Total of 5 custom fields
• Table may no longer qualify for the exemption

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What I'm Looking For

Has anyone received an official clarification from ServiceNow Licensing, Account Teams, or Legal regarding how these fields are counted?

Specifically:

1. Are the two relationship/reference fields automatically created by the M2M definition considered system-created fields for licensing purposes?
2. Or are they counted as part of the three-field limit?
3. Has anyone implemented a similar configuration-driven approval framework and received guidance from ServiceNow on licensing compliance?

I would especially appreciate input from ServiceNow employees, licensing specialists, or customers who have obtained an official answer from ServiceNow.

Thanks in advance for any clarification.

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

Thumb rule: consult with your SN account representative.