Look Up Record step
Summarize
Summary of Look Up Record step
The Look Up Record step in Workflow Studio enables you to find a record from any specified table based on defined conditions. This action step is available to users with theactiondesignerrole who create custom actions composed of one or more steps.
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Key Features
- Table Selection: Choose the target table from which to look up records.
- Conditions: Define static conditions using the condition builder that apply each time the action runs, or set dynamic conditions by creating an input of type Conditions. Dynamic inputs allow flow designers to apply filters at runtime.
- Reference Field Conditions: When filtering by a reference field, use data pills that explicitly provide the Sys ID value to ensure accurate lookups. For example, to find change records where the requester matches the caller of an incident record, specify the condition with the reference field and Sys ID data pill format.
- Ordering Results: Specify a field and sort type (ascending/descending) to order records when multiple matches are found.
- Multiple Matches Handling: Choose whether to return only the first matching record or to fail the step if multiple records are found.
- Error Handling: Decide whether the flow should fail if no record is found, and configure how to handle action errors, including options to continue or evaluate errors on failure.
Outputs
The step provides the following outputs, accessible in the Data panel for use in subsequent flow steps:
- Record: The record matching the specified conditions.
- Table: The name of the table from which the record was retrieved.
- Status: Indicates success (1) or failure (0) in finding a record.
- Error Message: Provides details if no record is found (populated only when Status is 0).
- Action Error Evaluation: Allows configuration of the next step behavior if the lookup fails.
Practical Use
This step is essential for automating workflows that require retrieving specific records dynamically based on runtime conditions. It supports both static and flexible dynamic filtering, precise reference lookups using Sys IDs, and robust error handling to ensure your workflows behave predictably in various scenarios.
Look up a record from any table based on defined conditions.
Roles and availability
Available as an Workflow Studio action step. Users with the action_designer role can create a custom action with one or more action steps.
Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Table | Select a table from the list. |
| Conditions | Set static or dynamic conditions to filter records. To define a static condition applied each time the action runs, define the conditions with the condition builder. To enable flow designers to dynamically apply conditions, define an input of type Conditions and drag-and-drop the input data pill into the Conditions field. When building a condition that looks up the value of a reference field, use a data pill that explicitly provides the Sys ID value. Ensure the condition has the format [reference field][is][Reference type data pill->Sys ID]. For example, both the Change and Incident tables contain a reference field to the User table. To look up change records where the requester is the caller from an incident record, create the condition [Requested by][is][Trigger->incident record->Caller->Sys ID]. [Requested by][is][action->incident->Caller->Sys ID] where incident is an input variable for an incident record. |
| Order by | Determines how to sort results when more than one record matches the defined conditions. Select the field you want to use to sort results. |
| Sort Type | Select whether to sort alphabetically in ascending or descending order. |
| If multiple records are found | Determines what is returned if more than one record matches
the defined conditions.
|
| Don't fail on error | Determines whether to fail the flow if a record can't be found. |
Outputs
These outputs appear in the Data panel. You can use them as inputs elsewhere in your flow.
- Record
- Data type:
Record
Record found based on the conditions you specified in the Conditions input.
- Table
- Data type:
Table
Name of the table associated with the returned record.
- Status
- Data type:
Choice
1 if a record was found successfully, and 0 if there was an error.
- Error Message
- Data type:
String
Message containing details about why the record could not be found.
Note:This output's value is only populated if the Status output's value is 0.
Action error evaluation
- If this step fails
- Data type: Choice
Option to continue running the next step or go to error evaluation. To use the step status code or message for a custom action error condition, see Action error evaluation.