Defining new field choices directly on child table

[kim-lindgren]

One thing I have not seen covered in the community or elsewhere is the fact that if I define a single field choice on a child table, all choices that were inherited from the parent table disappear. 

For example, when I add a choice to the state field on [task] and another to the same field on [sc_task], the [task] state field looks normal with extra option added, the [sc_task] has lost all of its normal options.

A couple of questions about this.

(1) Why is there a '3' appearing now as a default value? I thought it might be because it was the default value inherited from the [task] table, but it is not, the default value is 1, and [sc_task] does not have any dictionary overrides for this field.

(2) Why does it work like this, all parent table choices being removed as soon as I add a new one on the child table? And does this mean that I now have to recreate each and every field directly on the child table, instead of using dictionary overrides?

Regards,

Kim

[Ankur Bawiskar]

@kim-lindgren 

My thoughts

Question	Explanation
(1) Why does a '3' appear as default value?	When choices are added directly on the child table, the system uses the child’s choice list and default, which can differ from the parent’s default. The ‘3’ is the first or only value in the child’s choice list, not inherited from the parent.
(2) Why do parent table choices disappear on child?	Adding any choice to a child table fieldfully overridesthe parent’s inherited choices for that child table. The child no longer inherits parent choices when it has its own choices present.
(3) Do I have to recreate all choices on the child?	Yes. Once the child table has any choices, it must haveall needed choices defined explicitlyon it, as it stops inheriting parent choices entirely. Dictionary overrides do not merge choices across inheritance.

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[kaushal_snow]

@kim-lindgren ,

When you add a choice to a field on a child table in ServiceNow, such as the state field on the [sc_task] table, it can cause the inherited choices from the parent table (e.g., [task]) to disappear. This occurs because the system treats the child table's field as a separate entity once you introduce custom choices, overriding the inheritance mechanism....

To address this, you can manually add the desired choices to the child table's field. This process involves navigating to the field's dictionary entry, accessing the Choices related list, and adding the necessary choices specific to the child table. By doing so, you ensure that the child table's field retains the appropriate choices while maintaining its independence from the parent table's choices....

Regarding the default value of 3 appearing unexpectedly, it's possible that this value is set as the default in the child table's field configuration. To verify and adjust this, check the field's dictionary entry for any default value settings and modify them as needed....

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