OOB Approval Business Rule Fails for Non-Catalog Approvals Due to Direct cat_item Reference

Roshnee Dash
Kilo Sage
I think there may be an OOB Business Rule defect : SP_SPNT_SN_INT_CreateWorkNoteOnRITM
The Business Rule is configured on the Approval [sysapproval_approver] table, but its condition does not restrict the source table. However, within the script it directly references:
current.document_id.cat_item.toString();

This assumes that the source record always contains the cat_item field, which is not true for every table. As a result, when approvals are generated from tables that do not have a cat_item field, the script fails.

Because of this failure, the expected work notes are not updated for approvals originating from other source tables. Additionally, the logic appears to have been designed specifically around the sc_req_item table, making it dependent on fields that are not universally available across all approval sources.

I believe the Business Rule should either:

  • Restrict execution to tables where cat_item exists (e.g., sc_req_item), or
  • Include proper validation before accessing current.document_id.cat_item to avoid script errors for other source tables.

So what's your view on it?

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Roshnee Dash
3 REPLIES 3

Ankur Bawiskar
Tera Patron

@Roshnee Dash 

I didn't find that BR in my PDI and also not in one of our vendor instances

seems it's custom BR and not OOTB

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

Mark Manders
Giga Patron

Please let us know what plugin/application introduced this BR on your instance, since it's not on any of the instances I have access to. 

Next to that: if there is a defect on something OOB, why not report it to NowSupport so they can fix it?


Please mark any helpful or correct solutions as such. That helps others find their solutions.
Mark

Hi @Mark Manders ,

It was under the SailPoint Identity Security Cloud Service Catalog (x_sap_intidn) scope. However, even when I try to update the approval record from a different scope, I still encounter the same error.

Before raising a HI case, I just wanted to confirm whether this behavior is expected or if it could be an issue with the platform.

Your feedback makes the community stronger! If you found this helpful, marking it as the correct answer helps others.
Stay awesome,
Roshnee Dash