Why can't a child table inherit notifications from a parent table

[xiyan_li]

I have the following question.

I have a new custom table. This table is inherited from the incident table, and the fields in both tables are all the same. Now we want to trigger notifications in the parent table by updating or inserting data in the child table. When updating or inserting a record in the current child table, the parent table is also updated or inserted. However, it does not trigger notifications on the parent table. (the procedure for updating or inserting both tables is the same.) Question:

(1) Notification of whether the child table can inherit from the parent table？

(2) Why didn't the child table inspire notifications from the parent table?

(3) if I can inherit,  please tell me how the child table inherits the notifications from the parent table, and what Settings and operations I need to do to send them normally.

(4) if I can not inherit, do I need to customize his notification on the child table, so that the parent table's notification will be affected, and how to prevent the parent table notification from being affected when I update the child table data in the future.

[Amitoj Wadhera · Accepted solution]

Hello @xiyan_li ,

Please find below my answers,

(1) Can notifications in the child table inherit from the parent table?

No, notifications in ServiceNow do not automatically inherit from the parent table to the child table. While the child table inherits the fields and business logic (like Business Rules) from the parent table, notifications are configured at the table level and do not automatically apply to child tables.

(2) Why didn't the child table trigger notifications from the parent table?

Notifications are table-specific in ServiceNow. Even though your custom table inherits from the Incident table, notifications set up for the Incident table will not automatically apply to records in the custom child table. This is because notifications are tied to the table on which they are configured.

(3) If I can inherit, how can the child table inherit the notifications from the parent table?

Since notifications do not automatically inherit, you need to configure notifications specifically for the child table. However, you can streamline the process to ensure consistency and minimize duplication of effort.

(4) If I cannot inherit, do I need to customize notifications on the child table?

Yes, you will need to customize notifications on the child table. To prevent notifications on the parent table from being affected when updating the child table, follow these steps:

1. Create Notifications for the Child Table

2. Prevent Duplicate Notifications:

   • Ensure that notifications for the parent table are not inadvertently triggered by updates to the child table. This can be done by carefully managing the conditions under which notifications are sent.
   • For example, you can add conditions to the parent table's notifications to exclude records from the child table, using conditions based on the sys_class_name field.

If you find my response helpful, please consider marking it as the 'Accepted Solution' and giving it a 'Helpful' rating. Your feedback not only supports the community but also encourages me to continue providing valuable assistance.

Thanks,

Amitoj Wadhera

[xiyan_li]

Thank you very much, I think your answer is helpful to me

[Joe Walters]

Late on this conversation, but wanted to add to Amitoj's already good answer.

What Amitoj said is true when a notification's Send When: is Record is Inserted or Updated. But notifications behave differently when their Send When: is Event is fired and I got tripped up when I assumed it behaves the same way.

With event-triggered notifications you actually can configure an Email Notification on a parent table (e.g. Task, HR Core Case, etc.) and have it 'inherit' down to some or all of its child/extended tables.

For example, if you wanted to send an email notification any time the Short Description changes on an HR Case (the parent table), HR Payroll Case (an extended table), or HR Benefits Case (another extended table), but not the other extended tables, you could:

• Create an event (e.g. sn_hr_core.case.sd.changed)
• Create a Business Rule on the sn_hr_core_case (aka the Parent) table to fire the event whenever the short_description changes
• Configure an Email Notification, as follows:
  • Table: HR Case [sn_hr_core_case]
  • Conditions:
    • Task type [sys_class_name] is HR Case [sn_hr_core_case]
      - OR -
    • Task type [sys_class_name] is HR Payroll Case [sn_hr_core_case_payroll]
      - OR -
    • Task type [sys_class_name] is HR Benefits Case [sn_hr_core_case_benefits]

This notification configuration will result in an email being sent when the Short Description changes but only for an HR Case on one of these three tables. Alternatively, if you want the notification to send on the parent and all extended tables, you could just remove the Task type conditions.

Hope this maybe helps someone.