Expired articles are visible in global search

[seelamnandh]

Even after the knowledge article’s Valid To date has been passed, the article is still visible to all users in the global search(Native UI). The workflow state of this article is still published, and valid to date is passed

[seelamnandh]

@vaishali231 Thank you, Could you please confirm who all can view this retired articles in global search and who can edit this retired articles ?

[vaishali231]

Hey @seelamnandh 

OOB, retired/outdated Knowledge Articles should not be visible in Global Search for end users or even for knowledge_admin users.

Once the article state changes from Published to Outdated/Retired, ServiceNow removes it from search indexing visibility. These articles are normally accessed only through:

1. Knowledge article lists
2. kb_knowledge table
3. Knowledge administration modules
4. Direct URL access

Regarding edit access, retired articles can still be edited by authorized users depending on:

1. Knowledge roles (knowledge_admin, knowledge_manager, knowledge)
2. Knowledge Base manager permissions
3. Ownership/User Criteria
4. ACL configuration

So typically:

1. Normal users - cannot view or edit retired articles
2. Knowledge admins/managers/authors → can access and edit them from backend Knowledge modules, but not via Global Search

If retired articles are still appearing in Global Search, then it is usually due to stale indexing or custom search configurations.

*******************************************************************

If this response helps, please mark it as Accept as Solution and Helpful.

Doing so helps others in the community and encourages me to keep contributing.

Regards

Vaishali Singh

Servicenow Developer
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaishali-singh-2273361bb

[seelamnandh]

Hello @vaishali231 ,

I have implemented a scheduled job that changes the workflow state of expired knowledge articles to "Outdated".

After testing, I observed the following behavior:

• When the search source is set to Global Search, the outdated article is not visible to users.

• However, when the search source is set to Service Operations Workspace search, users are still able to see the outdated article.

• Retired articles are not visible in Service Operations Workspace search.

Could you please help confirm whether this is expected behavior or if additional search source/filter configuration is required for Service Operations Workspace?

Thank you.

[vaishali231]

Hey @seelamnandh 

This usually happens because SOW search relies on its own search source/AI Search configuration and may not automatically exclude the Outdated workflow state unless explicitly configured.

OOB, many workspace search experiences primarily exclude:

inactive articles

retired articles

but may still include articles marked as Outdated.

You should review the following configurations for Service Operations Workspace:

1. AI Search Source / Search Profile

Check the search sources used by SOW.

Verify conditions applied on kb_knowledge.

  2.   Search Filters
          Add a condition similar to:

     workflow_state=published

       or

       workflow_stateNOT INoutdated,retired

   3. Indexed Source Conditions
       If AI Search indexing is enabled, confirm the indexed source itself excludes outdated articles.

 4.  Reindexing
     After updating filters, perform a reindex to ensure stale results are removed.

  So overall:

1. Global Search behavior = expected
2. SOW showing Outdated articles = typically configuration dependent, not necessarily an issue
3. Retired articles hidden everywhere = expected OOB behavior

************************************************************************

If this response helps, please mark it as Accept as Solution and Helpful.

Doing so helps others in the community and encourages me to keep contributing.

Regards

Vaishali Singh

Servicenow Developer
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaishali-singh-2273361bb

[vaishali231]

hey @seelamnandh 

Hope you are doing well.

Did my previous reply answer your question?

If it was helpful, please mark it as correct ✓ and close the thread . This will help other readers find the solution more easily.

Thankyou & Regards

Vaishali Singh

Servicenow Developer
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaishali-singh-2273361bb