Sys_id getting displayed in archive tables

[tarun43]

In my archive tables sys_id's are getting displayed in place of reference records for "assignment group , opened for, opened by and affected user". archive rules are configured and "retain references" is checked true.

in those archive tables, type of these dictionary is set as "String". but I though of changing the type to reference , but some of those have string values and some have sys_id, which is not allowing me to change the type to reference.

Thanks in advance,

[pavani_paluri]

Hi @tarun43  ,

What you’re seeing is expected behavior when records are archived: the archive tables don’t preserve the reference type of the original fields. Even if you check Retain references, the archived copy stores the values as strings (often the sys_id of the referenced record). That’s why you’re seeing raw sys_ids instead of the display values.

Why this happens
Archive tables are separate tables created to hold historical data.
When records are moved, reference fields are flattened into strings.
“Retain references” ensures the sys_id is kept, but the archive table doesn’t maintain the dictionary relationship back to the original table.

Why you can’t just change the dictionary to “Reference”
Some archived rows already contain plain text values (not valid sys_ids).
Reference fields require all values to be valid sys_ids pointing to a target table. Mixed data (strings + sys_ids) blocks the conversion.

Options:
1. Leave archive tables as‑is
They’re meant for compliance/history, not for full relational reporting.
Use the original tables for reporting if you need live reference lookups.

2. Create a reporting view
Build a database view that joins the archive table back to the live reference tables using the sys_id string.
This way, you can display the friendly names in reports without altering the archive schema.

Mark it helpful if this helps you to understand. Accept solution if this give you the answer you're looking for

Kind Regards,

Pavani P