What is the 'Category' field used for in Citations?

[StormR]

Hi there, 

I’m trying to understand the intended purpose of the Category field on Citations in ServiceNow IRM, and whether it is expected to be actively used by business or Compliance users.

When creating a new Citation, the Category field is visible but the dropdown contains no values. From what I can see, it references the GRC Choice table (sn_grc_choice_list) and appears to be filtered in a way that returns no records (for example, based on an empty Sys ID).

I wasn’t able to find any documentation that explains:

• what Category is intended to be used for on a Citation
• whether it is meant to be customer‑configured
• or whether it is no longer actively used

I tested creating a new GRC Choice record under the Citation set and Category choice category. The record can be created, but it does not appear in the Category dropdown unless the filter logic is changed, which makes me hesitant to assume this is expected behaviour.

I also impersonated a business user and confirmed that business users cannot create or manage Category values. I’m part of the business process team rather than a developer, so I’m trying to understand the design intent and governance model, not how to technically work around it.

Any guidance on intended use or recommended approach would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Matthias Ferstl · Accepted solution]

Hi @StormR 

By default, this field is not visible on citations, seems like someone made it visible for you.

The citation table is an table extension of the "content" table. The field category lies there and is hidden on citations. In other extendendig tables (Control Objectives and Risk Statements for an instance), this field is shown.

Also: ServiceNow in some cases provides additional fields that may be useful to customers on tables, but hides them to avoid "overload". If needed, you are welcome to make them visible use them.

Typically, categories are used for filtering or categorizing items in lists. For example, you might want to add a dashboard that displays all citation compliance values categorized as "very, very important."

This means you dont need to use it, if you do not have "categories" for citations.

IF you want to use it you can change filters and add choices to your liking.

Hope this helps you to understand it a little more.