JSON Data Modification API

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of JSON Data Modification API

    The JSON Data Modification API enables ServiceNow customers to modify records by sending HTTPS POST requests with JSON objects. This API supports various actions including creating, updating, and deleting records in ServiceNow through structured JSON data.

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    Key Features

    • Insert: Create a new record by sending a JSON object. The response will contain the created incident's details. For example, posting {"shortdescription":"this is a test","priority":"1"} creates an incident.
    • InsertMultiple: Create multiple records by posting an array of JSON objects. For instance, sending an array of incident details will create multiple incidents in one request.
    • Update: Modify existing records based on a specified encoded query. The provided JSON updates all matching records. For instance, updating incidents with a specific priority is done by posting a JSON object with the new values.
    • DeleteRecord: Remove a single record identified by its sysid, either through the URL or the JSON body.
    • DeleteMultiple: Delete multiple records based on a query string filter, allowing for batch deletions through a single request.

    Key Outcomes

    By leveraging the JSON Data Modification API, ServiceNow customers can efficiently manage their records, enabling quick updates and modifications tailored to their operational needs. The structured JSON format ensures clarity and ease of integration into existing workflows, streamlining data management processes within the ServiceNow platform.

    Modify data using the JSON web service by sending an HTTPS POST request to the instance.

    The HTTP POST must contain a sysparm_action parameter to indicate the type of action to be performed, with the incoming JSON object post in the body.
    Note:
    The content-type of the POST should be application/json. It cannot be application/x-www-form-urlencoded or multipart/form-data.

    insert

    Create a new record in ServiceNow. The JSON object has to be POSTed as the body (content-type is usually application/json, although not enforced). The response from the record creation is a JSON object of the incident that was created.

    For example, posting the following JSON object:
    {"short_description":"this is a test","priority":"1"}
    to the following URL:
    https://your_instance.service-now.com/incident.do?JSONv2&sysparm_action=insert

    creates an incident.

    Optionally, you may also specify the sysparm_action in the JSON object. The parameter inside the JSON object takes precedence over the URL parameter. For example:
    {"sysparm_action":"insert","short_description":"this is a test","priority":"1"}

    insertMultiple

    To create multiple new records in ServiceNow, the input JSON object for the insert function must be an array. The response from the record creation is a JSON object of the incidents that were created. For example, the following JSON object:
    { "records" : [ { "short_description" : "this was inserted with python using JSON 1" , "priority" : "1 - Critical" , "impact" : "1" , "caller_id" : "Fred Luddy" } , { "short_description" : "this was inserted with python using JSON 2" , "priority" : "1 - Critical" , "impact" : "1" , "caller_id" : "Fred Luddy" } ] }
    posted to one the following URLs:
    https://<instance name>.service-now.com/incident.do?JSONv2&sysparm_action=insert
    https://<instance name>.service-now.com/incident.do?JSONv2&sysparm_action=insertMultiple
    

    creates two incidents. Note the fields described as an array value for the records field.

    update

    Update a record or a list of records filtered by an encoded query string specified by the sysparm_query URL parameter. The JSON object has to be posted as the body (content-type is usually application/json, although not enforced). The response from the record creation is an array of JSON objects representing the records that were updated.

    For example, posting the following JSON object:
    {"short_description":"this was updated with python", "priority": "3", "impact":"1"}
    to the following URL:
    https://instance_name.service-now.com/incident.do?JSONv2&sysparm_query=priority=3&sysparm_action=update
    

    updates all incidents with priority 3, and sets the values specified by the JSON object.

    deleteRecord

    Delete a single record from the targeted table, identified by a sysparm_sys_id parameter. The parameter may be encoded in the input JSON object or given as a URL parameter.

    For example, posting:
    {"sysparm_sys_id":"fd4001f80a0a0b380032ffa2b749927b"}
    
    to the following URL:
    http://instance_name.service-now.com/incident.do?JSONv2&sysparm_action=deleteRecord
    

    deletes the incident record identified by the sys_id fd4001f80a0a0b380032ffa2b749927b.

    deleteMultiple

    Delete multiple records from the targeted table, filtered by an encoded query string specified in the sysparm_query URL parameter. The filter may also be encoded in the input JSON object.

    For example, posting:
    {"sysparm_query":"short_description=this was updated with python"}
    to the following URL:
    http://instance_name.service-now.com/incident.do?JSONv2&sysparm_action=deleteMultiple

    deletes all incident records where the short_description field contains the value "this was updated with python".