How to Restrict Knowledge Base from Search for Group but Allow Access via Direct Link in ServiceNow

[MuhammadM]

Question:

Hi everyone,

I am working on a Knowledge Base (KB) in ServiceNow and have a specific use case I need help with. I have a Knowledge Base named "Zones" that should not be searchable by a specific group of users from the Knowledge Management Portal. However, I still want these users to be able to access the articles within the "Zones" KB via a direct link.

Currently, I am able to restrict access to the Knowledge Base using roles or by marking it inactive, but this also prevents users from accessing the articles even via direct links. My goal is to make the "Zones" KB unsearchable, but allow certain users (who cannot search the KB) to view articles if they have the direct URL.

Key Requirements:

1. Prevent specific users (or groups) from searching the Knowledge Base via the Knowledge Management Portal.
2. Allow these users to access the articles through a direct link to the KB article.
3. Ensure that admins can still search and view all articles in the "Zones" Knowledge Base.

I've tried implementing access control rules and business rules to handle search restrictions, but I haven't been able to achieve the desired functionality. Any advice or best practices on how to implement this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Mark Manders]

It sounds very weird that you want to make it impossible to find through search, but you do want the information to be accessable. It sounds like this requirement should be challenged, because it doesn't really make sense.

But you can adjust the search sources. You need to check how, depending on what you are using to search on your instance.

[MuhammadM]

Thankyou for your response but I actually do that i remove my knowledge base from Knowledge portal so it will hide the KB from search but accessible through link but problem is that it apply on everyone users but Our requirement is for specific user group

[Mark Manders]

That's not how searches work. You can either find them, or you can't. And since you have not provided any info on the 'why' part (because it is a really weird requirement), please fight this requirement with the people that put it on your plate. It makes no sense to give people access to something, but not if they search for it. It will be a terrible user experience.

[Nishi09]

Hi Muhammad, I believe your scenario will work if you create a user criteria for the group you want to restrict and specify it under 'Cannot Read' in KB and in the article which you want them to access add this user criteria under 'Can Read' within that article. In this way they cannot view the KB in the portal but can access only that article.