Difference between Roles and User Criteria in Knowledge

[Community Alums]

I would like to assign the “Can Create” user criterion in Knowledge Base B to User A.
At this time, I do not know the difference between assigning both the “Knowledge” role and the user criteria, and assigning only the user criteria. Please tell me the difference.
Which is the best practice?

[Satishkumar B]

Hi @Community Alums 

In ServiceNow, roles and user criteria serve different purposes and can be used to control access and permissions in various ways within the Knowledge Management module.

Roles vs. User Criteria

Roles:

• Roles are used to grant users specific permissions and access within the ServiceNow platform.
• Knowledge roles include roles like knowledge_admin, knowledge_manager, and knowledge_contributor, each providing different levels of access and capabilities.
• When you assign a role to a user, you give them permissions to perform specific actions across the entire platform or specific applications.

User Criteria:

• User Criteria are used specifically within the Knowledge Management module to control access to individual knowledge bases and articles.
• User criteria can be used to define who can read, contribute to, or manage a knowledge base.
• User criteria can be based on various conditions, such as user roles, groups, departments, locations, or custom fields.

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[Community Alums]

Thank you for your reply.
So which is the best practice?
Best Regards,.

[Satishkumar B · Accepted solution]

Hi @Community Alums 

The best practice is to use user criteria for managing access to knowledge bases in ServiceNow when you need granular control over who can read, contribute, or manage content within specific knowledge bases.

• For specific access control within knowledge bases, user criteria is the preferred and best practice method.
• Use roles to grant broader permissions when necessary but rely on user criteria to manage specific access and actions at the knowledge base level.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

HAPPY LEARNING

Please Mark it helpful 👍 and Accept Solution ✔️ !! If this helps you!!