How to re-upload fresh data in an existing KB?

[shrasan]

How to re-upload fresh data in an existing KB? How do I update the data in the existing KB, if I don't wanna retire it.

[Vikram Reddy]

Hi @shrasan ,

You do not need to retire the Knowledge Base just to load fresh content.

First, separate the two things:

Knowledge Base = container
Knowledge Articles = actual content inside the KB

If you want to add new fresh articles into the existing KB, use the standard import option:

Knowledge > Articles > Import Articles

Select the existing Knowledge Base, choose the category, upload the Word document(s), and import. This creates new knowledge articles in that same KB. It does not require retiring the KB.

If you want to update existing articles, then the approach depends on how many articles you have.

For a small number of articles:
Open the existing article and update it through the normal Knowledge process.

If article versioning is enabled:
- Open the published article.
- Click Checkout.
- Update the new draft version.
- Submit/Publish it based on your approval workflow.

This keeps the same article history and creates a new version instead of retiring the old article.

If article versioning is not enabled:
- Open the article.
- Edit the content.
- Update/Publish as per your process.

For a bulk refresh:
Do not use the Word Import feature if your goal is to update existing articles. Word import is mainly for creating new articles.

For bulk updates, use an Import Set + Transform Map into the Knowledge table, but make sure you use a unique matching field so ServiceNow updates the existing article instead of creating duplicates.

Common matching options:
- Article Number, if it is stable and unique in your process
- A custom External ID field, if the source system has one
- Another unique source identifier

Avoid matching only on Short description/title because titles can change and may not be unique.

For versioned knowledge, be careful with direct updates to kb_knowledge. Updating published article records directly can bypass the normal checkout/versioning/approval process. In that case, the safer pattern is:

1. Load the new data into a staging/import table.
2. Match each row to the existing article.
3. Checkout/create a new draft version.
4. Apply the new content to the draft version.
5. Route it through review/publish workflow.

That way you preserve article history, approvals, and audit trail.

- To add new content into the same KB: use Import Articles and select the existing KB.
- To update existing articles manually: checkout/edit/publish.
- To update many existing articles: use Import Set/Transform Map with coalesce or a scripted bulk update, but preserve versioning if your KB uses it.
- Do not retire the Knowledge Base unless the whole KB is no longer used.

References:
- Import Word documents to a knowledge base:
https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/servicenow-platform/knowledge-management/import-word-platform.html

- Updating records using coalesce in import sets:
https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/servicenow-platform/import-sets/updating-records-using-coalesce.ht...

- Knowledge article versioning FAQ:
https://www.servicenow.com/community/knowledge-management-articles/knowledge-management-faq/ta-p/232...

Thank you,

Vikram Karety,

ServiceNow Architect,

Octigo Solutions INC