--- sourceDocument: Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Administration sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/platform-administration Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Administration ft:clusterId : - platadm bundleId : - platadm workflow : - Platform --- # Domain separation and AI Search # Domain separation and AI Search {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated September 10, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Domain separation and AI Search Domain separation in ServiceNow allows you to logically separate data, processes, and administrative tasks into distinct domains, controlling user access and visibility accordingly. Although AI Search application tables do not support domain separation directly, AI Search respects domain restrictions on indexed content from ServiceNow AI Platform tables during search queries. This ensures that users only see search results from records visible within their current session domain. Show full answer Show less ## How Domain Separation Works with AI Search When AI Search indexes content from ServiceNow AI Platform tables, it stores the `sysdomain` field values of records. If domain separation is enabled, AI Search applies a domain filter on every search query based on the current session domain, excluding records outside that domain. For child tables marked with the `domainmaster` attribute, AI Search derives the domain from the parent record using the appropriate reference field during both indexing and searching. Key behaviors include: * If a referenced record is not visible in the user's session domain, its content is excluded from search matches, and filtering or faceting on that reference field has no effect. * If the domain of a referenced record differs from its parent record, the reference field will not be displayed in search results. ## Managing Domain Updates in Indexed Content AI Search automatically updates indexed domain information for records in tables configured as indexed sources, but it does not automatically update domain data for referenced tables. To update domain fields in referenced tables, you can: * Perform a full table reindex of the indexed source that includes the referenced table to update domain field values one-time. * Enable automatic domain updates by configuring a `dotwalkfields` field setting for the reference field that specifies the `sysdomain` and `sysdomainpath` fields. This setting keeps domain values current for referenced records. ## Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers Understanding how AI Search respects domain separation ensures that search results comply with your organization's data visibility policies. While AI Search tables themselves do not support domain separation, the platform enforces domain restrictions on indexed records during search operations, safeguarding domain boundaries. Customers should plan domain updates carefully, especially for referenced tables, to maintain accurate search results aligned with domain configurations. Domain separation is unsupported for the AI Search application tables, but user search queries respect domain restrictions from indexed ServiceNow AI Platform® table records. Domain separation enables you to separate data, processes, and administrative tasks into logical groupings called domains. You can control several aspects of this separation, including which users can see and access data. Note: Refer to the Overview and following sections for details on how AI Search search queries respect domain settings from indexed records. ## Support level: No support {#ai-search-domain-separation__id_e5x_jrh_3nb} * The domain field may exist on data tables but there is no business logic to manage the data. * This level is not considered domain-separated. {#ai-search-domain-separation__ul_bzj_1hx_zkb} For more information on support levels, see [Application support for domain separation](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=domain-separated-apps&version=australia&pubname=australia-platform-security&ft:locale=en-US).{#ai-search-domain-separation__p_etc_nfg_h1c} ## AI Search domain separation overview {#ai-search-domain-separation__section_gdq_cmh_3nb} AI Search enables users to index and search content from records in ServiceNow AI Platform tables. The AI Search application tables and properties don't support domain separation, but user search queries respect domain settings from indexed content as described in the following sections. ## Domain separation in indexed content and search queries {#ai-search-domain-separation__section_qfh_zsc_jmb} When indexing searchable content from a ServiceNow AI Platform table, AI Search stores the sys_domain field values for records on the source table and referenced tables. If domain separation is enabled, AI Search applies a filter for the current session domain to every search query. This filter excludes records that aren't visible in the session domain. Only records visible in the session domain appear as search query results. For child tables that have the domain_master attribute set, both indexing and search use the appropriate reference field to derive the child record domain from a referenced parent record. Restrictions apply to referenced records in search queries, as summarized in the following table. {#ai-search-domain-separation__table_hh3_lyh_3nb__entry__2} | Condition | Behavior | |-|-| | Referenced record isn't visible in current session domain | * Search queries don't match content from the referenced record * Filtering on the reference field has no effect on search results * Faceting on the reference field has no effect {#ai-search-domain-separation__ul_acn_nyh_3nb} | | Referenced record domain differs from parent record domain | Search result records don't display the reference field | [ ] {#ai-search-domain-separation__table_hh3_lyh_3nb} ## Indexing changes to record domains {#ai-search-domain-separation__section_obm_wxc_2nb} AI Search automatically updates indexed domains for records in tables configured as indexed sources. AI Search doesn't automatically update indexed domains for referenced tables. You can update the indexed domain for a referenced table in either of the following ways. {#ai-search-domain-separation__table_b21_zf3_3nb__entry__2} | Use case | Action | |-|-| | Perform a one-time update of domain field values for a referenced table | Perform a full table reindex for the indexed source that includes the affected table. For details on this procedure, see [Perform a full table index or reindex for a single AI Search indexed source](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bwrBDfHjTH51BUWqtnLaOg "Make content from an internal indexed source searchable by performing a full table index. This procedure indexes existing records from the source table and any child tables configured for indexing. You can manually reindex content from an internal indexed source by repeating this procedure."). | | Enable automatic updating of domain field values for a referenced table | Create a dot_walk_fields field setting for the reference field, specifying the sys_domain,sys_domain_path domain fields as the attribute value. For full steps for this task, see [Enable automatic domain updates for a referenced table](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/TtciTQ8D0a5tPPda6PSUjg "Configure a field setting to automatically index domain field value updates for records from a referenced table."). | [ ] {#ai-search-domain-separation__table_b21_zf3_3nb} * **[Enable automatic domain updates for a referenced table](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/TtciTQ8D0a5tPPda6PSUjg)** Configure a field setting to automatically index domain field value updates for records from a referenced table. **Related topics** * [Domain separation for service providers](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=domain-sep-landing-page&version=australia&pubname=australia-platform-security&ft:locale=en-US)