Issue adding new field to table

[Jamie Wildish]

Hi all,

While I was adding a new field to the pm_project table via the form / Configure form layout route, our DEV instance hung with the following message when I clicked to Save:

Running child progress: Adding Field(s)
Message from child progress: Waiting for table metadata lock (retry #1): CREATE TRIGGER sn...

In the end I closed the browser in order to move forward with my life. Hours later, system performance is very poor and I can see an active transaction, related to me adding the new field. I am reluctant to click 'Force Kill' without some guidance first. 

I can see that the dictionary entry has been created for the new field, though mysteriously the label field is empty (although it does have a related label record). And the form section I added the field to, is now devoid of all fields. I would guess there's some metashizzle that's got stuck in the background. 

My instinct is to kill the transaction, delete the dictionary entry and recreate the new field and add the missing fields back on to the form section. But dictionary entries are not to be taken lightly, so I'm after some thoughts on best action to take. I've raised a case with ServiceNow support, and left a voice message, but the community knowledge may get back to me more quickly 🙂

[Bert_c1]

That is typical behavior when an alter needs to occur on the task table (pm_project is a grandchild of task) and there is a very large number of records. that can take hours.  At this point in time, if the alter has failed, then you will need a Support Case to repair the field before trying to recreate it. You may need a Support Case to assess the progress.

[Bert_c1]

look for sys_dictionary, sys_documentation, and sys_storage_alias record for your field. The corresponding database column may not exist, due to some database limit being reached. such as max row size or something else. there are ways to get around those, but an analysis is needed that required database access, and only the case assigned TSE can do that, and provide solutions.

[Jamie Wildish]

@Bert_c1 Thank you for this advice. It's much appreciated.

[Andy Dubey]

Did you get feedback from ServiceNow support about this issue?