Time zones

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Time zones

    ServiceNow stores all times in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and displays them based on the system or user-specific time zones. Users see times in their local time zone as defined in their profile settings, while the system relies on a default time zone configured by administrators to ensure consistency.

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    Time Zone Representation and Configuration

    • Primary time zones use the Country/City format (e.g., America/LosAngeles), while alternate IDs (e.g., US/Pacific) link to these primary zones with identical offsets and daylight saving schedules.
    • If no user or system default is set, the server’s JVM default is used, which may vary. Administrators should set the default time zone using the glide.sys.default.tz property to avoid dependency on server configuration.

    Daylight Saving Time (DST)

    Time zones specified by location automatically adjust for DST, while those specified by generic time zone names (e.g., GMT) generally do not. Exceptions exist, and DST handling follows Java and IANA time zone database standards.

    User Preferences and Time Zone Selection

    • Users can select their preferred time zone via Self-Service > My Profile. The system default time zone is indicated as "System ([time zone])".
    • ServiceNow supports all Java time zone IDs, which can be viewed by inspecting the time zone choices on user records.

    Time Zones in Notifications, SLAs, and Scripting

    • Email notifications use the system time zone for timestamps. The property glide.email.append.timezone controls whether the system time zone is appended to date/time in outbound emails.
    • Service Level Agreements (SLAs) allow configuring the time zone source in SLA definitions. Selecting the caller’s time zone can cause issues if the caller lacks a defined time zone; specifying a fixed SLA time zone requires manual setting on the SLA record.
    • Scripting utilizes GlideSystem API date/time methods that return time values based on configured time zones, supporting accurate time handling in server scripts.

    Enhancements and Time Zone Changer

    • Reports and queries now properly observe DST for trend and line charts, and filters using the “trend on” operation.
    • The time zone changer feature is enabled by default, allowing users to temporarily change their session time zone via system settings. This resets to the system default or user profile setting upon next login.

    Practical Actions for ServiceNow Customers

    • Set and verify the system default time zone using the glide.sys.default.tz property to ensure consistent time handling across the instance.
    • Advise users to select their local time zone in their profile for accurate time display.
    • When configuring SLAs, carefully choose the time zone source to prevent unexpected behavior.
    • Review email notification properties to control time zone display in outbound messages.
    • Leverage scripting APIs for precise time operations that respect configured time zones.
    • Utilize the time zone changer for temporary session adjustments as needed.

    All times are stored in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and appear globally based on the system time zone. However, times appear to users in their local time zone, according to their user preference settings.

    Time zone representation

    Time zones that have the Country/City format are primary time zone IDs. Other time zone IDs are links to the primary time zone.
    • For example, US/Pacific is a link to the America/Los_Angeles time zone. Both America/Los_Angeles and US/Pacific represent Pacific Standard Time with the same zone offset and Daylight Savings Time (DST) schedule.
    • Other than the representation, there is no impact on date and time functionality.
    In the absence of a default time zone for the user or the system, JVM reads default time zone information from the server.
    • Depending on how the server is configured, it might return the Country/City or link, for example, US/Pacific or America/Los_Angeles.
    • Administrators should configure their system with a default time zone glide.sys.default.tz to avoid system dependencies. For more information, see Time zone representation.

    Daylight Saving Time

    In general, if you specify a time zone based on location (for example, America/Los Angeles), the system automatically adjusts for daylight saving time.
    • If you specify a time zone based on the time zone name (for example, GMT), which is discouraged, it does not typically adjust for daylight saving time. There are however exceptions to these guidelines.
    • For more detailed information on how daylight saving time is handled in Java, see https://www.iana.org/time-zones and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tz_database.

    User preferences

    Once the System Time Zone is defined, users can also select their own time zone from their user form, accessed through Self-Service > My Profile.
    Note:

    The System default appears as System ([name of the default time zone]). For example, if the System time zone is America/Los_Angeles, the user sees System (America/Los Angeles).

    Java time zone class

    The ServiceNow AI Platform supports all Java time zone class time zones. To view a listing of these time zones:
    1. In the Type filter text field, enter sys_user.list.
    2. Open one of the user records in the listing.
    3. Right-click the time zone field and select Show Choices.

      The resulting list is a complete listing of available time zone IDs.

    Time zones in email notifications

    The date and time stamp of a notification uses the system time zone and not the time zone of any recipient.
    Note:

    The glide.email.append.timezone property in System Properties > Email controls whether to append the time zone. If set to true, the system time zone of the instance is appended to any dates or date/times in outbound email messages (for example, 2010-07-02 04:01:14 PST).

    Time zones in service level agreements

    Service level agreements have different options for which time zone to use. To set a time-zone for SLAs, navigate to the SLA definition and locate the Timezone source field:

    Figure 1. Time zone for service level agreements
    SLA time zone
    Some special considerations:
    • If you select the time zone for the caller, unpredictable behavior can occur if the caller does not have a time zone defined.
    • If you select the time zone for the SLA definition, you must manual specify the time zone on the form for the SLA.

    Time zone in scripting

    When you create scripting on the server, the script uses several GlideSystem date and time functions to obtain time values. For more information about specific methods and to learn the format in which each returns the requested time, see the GlideSystem API.

    Enhancements

    DST enhancement requires that reports and queries observe Daylight Saving Time rules. Changes affect trend charts, line charts, and filters using the "trend on" operation.

    Time zone changer

    The time zone changer is active by default. Users can change their time zone for the current session in the system settings (the gear on the top right of the banner). At the next login, the time zone setting reverts to the system default, or user profile setting for time zone.