Will large datasets impact the instance performance ?

hacktd
Mega Guru

In my current instance, there are many custom tables of mine which have a lot of records, more than 300k records, I wonder if this number keeps expanding will there be any problem to the instance performance or just the table query it's self ?

1 REPLY 1

Tanushree Maiti
Giga Patron

Hi @hacktd 

 

As a Platform Architect , I have seen when table records having large data set ( including custom table), ServiceNow instances can experience both database degradation and platform-wide performance issues.

 

Key Potential impact:

  • Queries without indexed fields will trigger full table scans. In a massive table, this takes significantly longer and exhausts database resources.
  • If long-running queries lock the database, it can deplete available semaphores. This causes system-wide sluggishness, where other users experience extreme delays or "system is busy" errors.
  • Larger tables increase the time required for platform upgrades, clones, and instance backups. 
  • Opening a list view with many rows or a form with related lists pointing to these large tables will slow down UI rendering. 

Actionable Optimization Recommendation

  • Ensure you create ServiceNow Database Indexes for any fields frequently used in queries
  • Implement Data Archiving to automatically move older, inactive records out of the primary table into an archive table. This keeps the primary active table lean. 
  • Regularly delete obsolete or temporary records using scripts or Scheduled Jobs.   ETC.
Please Accept the solution if it assisted you with your question & Mark this response as Helpful.
Regards
Tanushree Maiti
ServiceNow Technical Architect
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanushreemaiti