I accidently published an KB article. How to recall the published KB Article

[Rory6]

I accidently published an KB article. I need to retain version 1 and not check it out  which would result in a version 2.  How to recall an article accidently published

[Michael QCKM · Accepted solution]

Rory,

There's no "easy" way to do this, and it's mostly because the system is not designed to detect whether anything was changed, etc. in the original.

One thing to remember is that ServiceNow is NOT a Knowledge Base, but a software Platform which supports ITIL functionality, and has a Knowledge component. It is not as robust as a standalone Knowledge Base would be for handling Knowledge Management specifically, but it is an excellent tool for aligning IT services with the needs of business. 

Below is the process we use... not the most elegant, but it works. It does increment the Version counts, but in the end, you end up with your desired result... just creates extra records (which sometimes are helpful)

Resolution

Note: Special permissions are required for this task.

1. To roll back to a previous version, the article must be in a Published state.
   • Any current drafts should be deleted.
     
     
2. Open the most recent version of the article and click the Latest Version link.
   • This is located at the top left corner of the article.
     
     
     
     
   • A list of previous versions will appear.
     
     
     
     
3. Click on the version number you wish to roll back to.
   • The version number will be a link.
     
     
     
     
   • The previous version of the article will open with a message at the top letting you know there is a newer version available.
     
     
     
     
4. Click the Edit button to open this previous version for editing.
   
   
   
   
5. Click the Make this Current button located at the top-right corner of the editing window.
   
   
   
   
   • Your article will roll back and become a new version. You will see the following message: 
     
     
     
     
6. Edit the article as needed.
   • This new version will be a draft version and be opened in an editing window.
     
     
7. Click the Publish button to move it to the Review queue when it is ready.

[Bob17]

Thanks, Michael.  Best write-up I've seen for this procedure.

[Michael QCKM]

Rory, I just found something else out that is somewhat related:
There is now a method to "Instantly republish a retired article." (never saw this before)

So it seems this will do essentially what I'd previously described, but it's built-in now and not some customization on our part.

https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/newyork-servicenow-platform/page/product/knowledge-management/tas...

Role required: admin or knowledge admin

About this task

• There may be cases where you'll need to republish a retired article. For example, an admin may want to temporarily retire an article when its information doesn't currently apply, but will at a later date. An administrator or knowledge administrator who can view retired articles can instantly republish these without having to go through an approval workflow.

Procedure

1. Navigate to Knowledge > Articles > Retired.
2. Select a retired article and click Republish.

Result

The article is instantly published as the previous last published version.