We're reclaiming inactive PDIs to keep them available for active builders. Learn what's changing, who's affected, and how to protect your work. Read More

serviceNow XML

maheshrocks
Tera Contributor

Hi Team, when I try to export the XML file prod I am not able to perform that activity with out admin role and please guide me what is the reason behind it

 

Regards

Mahesh 

4 REPLIES 4

lpruit2
Mega Sage

Greetings @maheshrocks. I will include some ServiceNow documentation that provides additional information about your question.

 

KB2535893 - Export xml option is only available for admins. 

 

Export data to XML. 

 

Within your instance, to view this configuration go to All > System UI > UI Context Menus

 

lpruit2_0-1770449586665.png

 

From this table, find the record Export

 

lpruit2_1-1770449703416.png

Once you are in this record, you can further see the Condition statement that is being used to show/hide this Context Menu. Please note, this file has the High Risk banner message strongly urging people NOT to make any changes to this file. I hope this information is helpful! 

Tanushree Maiti
Tera Patron

The restriction preventing non-admin users from exporting XML is a deliberate security and platform stability measure, not a technical oversight. By default, the "Export to XML" functionality is reserved for users with the admin role because it is a powerful feature that can bypass standard data access controls. 

 

KB2535893 Export xml option is only available for admins. Can this export xml functionality be given... 

 

Here is why non-admins cannot (and often should not) export XML, based on ServiceNow best practices:
  • Security and Data Sensitivity: XML exports can include sensitive, system-level metadata, such as Business Rules, Script Includes, ACLs, and Update Sets, which non-admin users should not have access to.
  • Bypassing Access Controls (ACLs): Unlike exporting to Excel or CSV, exporting via XML can bypass table-level and field-level security restrictions. This allows users to extract data they wouldn't normally see in the UI.
  • Performance and Stability Risks: XML exports do not follow the same record limits as CSV/Excel exports. Allowing non-admins to export large amounts of data (e.g., >10,000 records or attachments) can cause memory issues or node crashes.
  • Hardcoded Security: The functionality is often hard-coded into the ExportUpdateSet processor, restricting it specifically to the admin role.
  • Data Integrity (System ID preservation): XML exports are designed to move data between identical instances while preserving System IDs (sys_ids). This is a developer-level action that, if misused, can cause inconsistencies in production environments. 
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

Ankur Bawiskar
Tera Patron

@maheshrocks 

what's your requirement? what you want to export?

To export you will require admin role

Regards,
Ankur
Certified Technical Architect  ||  10x ServiceNow MVP  ||  ServiceNow Community Leader

Anand Kumar P
Tera Patron

Hi @maheshrocks ,

 

Try adding &XML at the end of your record URL which record you wan to export xml , like below 

 

https://yourinstance.service-now.com/incident_list.do?sysparm_query=active=true&XML

 

If my response helped, please mark it as the accepted solution and give a thumbs up👍.
Thanks,
Anand