Reference Field Suggesting Deactivated Records from Historical Selections

[nitin gupta1]

Hello Everyone,

I need some help understanding the behavior of reference field suggestions in ServiceNow.

For example, we have an Assignment Group reference field. Previously, I frequently selected the group ServiceDesk_India, so the browser and reference field would automatically suggest this value based on my past selections.

Recently, this group was deactivated in the system. However, when I click on the Assignment Group field, the same deactivated group still appears in the suggestions. In some cases, I am even able to select the suggested value and submit the record successfully.

From my understanding, deactivated records should not be suggested or selectable in a reference field.

Questions- 

Is this behavior expected in ServiceNow?
Where are these historical suggestions stored (browser cache, platform cache, user preferences, etc.)?
What is the recommended way to prevent inactive reference records from appearing in suggestions?
Has anyone faced a similar issue and found a solution?

What I Tried-

Cleared browser cache and cookies.
Retested in a new session.

Unfortunately, the inactive value is still being suggested.

Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Nitin Gupta

[Ankur Bawiskar]

@nitin gupta1 

if it's allowing you to select that inactive group and submit then it's a platform issue and looks like it's a bug

but check my blog on how you can clear that recent selections

Clear out the "Recent Selections" that appears up on the reference fields 

💡 If my response helped, please mark it as correct ✅ and close the thread 🔒— this helps future readers find the solution faster! 🙏

[Ankita Bisht]

Hi @nitin gupta1  have you checked the reference qualified for the assignment group and make the changes to show only the active groups?

[nitin gupta1]

yes, filter is configured, but its showing, but not is actual data in table, its come as suggestion based on previous selection.

[Ankur Bawiskar]

@nitin gupta1 

Did you get a chance to check my above comment?