Data Too Long Error in sys_history_line0003 for user_id Column

[samuelbingham]

Hi ServiceNow Community,

On my change records, I have a related list that can add features and I'm encountering a database error in our instance when inserting into the sys_history_line0003 table. The error is:
"General Data Exception detected by database ((conn=26433) Data too long for column 'user_id' at row 1)"

The issue occurs during an audit operation related to a change task. The user_id field is being populated with a comma-separated list of email addresses (e.g., john.adams@example.com, andrew.jackson@example.com, ...), which exceeds the column's max_length. This seems to happen when logging assignment changes in the activity stream.

Details:

• Table: sys_history_line0003
• Problematic field: user_id (value length ~114 characters)

Questions:

1. What’s the recommended max_length for sys_history_line.user_id, and is it safe to increase it?
2. Is there a best practice for handling multiple email addresses in audit history instead of storing them in user_id?
3. Could a business rule or notification script be misconfiguring this insert? Any tips on tracking it down?

Any insights or solutions would be appreciated! Thanks.

[JC Moller]

So you haven't modified sys_history_line* and sys_history_set tables or added any BR's that directly writes/updates the sys_history_line table's data?

- Jan

[samuelbingham]

No, I havent

[DrewW]

Then I would log a case with support to have them look into it since its a system table and you don't have access to any of the code or DB side config that would allow you to possibly fix it.

[JC Moller]

Should you change sys_ tables, like sys_history_line* and sys_history_set? No.

Don’t touch their design. Don’t extend them. Don’t add business rules that write to them. Don’t change field types or lengths. These tables belong to the platform and history collector takes care of the data. Updates can break if you change them and your changes can break future updates.

BR, Jan