---
sourceDocument: Brazil Customer Service Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/customer-service-management

 Release :

    - brazil

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Brazil Customer Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - csm

bundleId :

    - csm

workflow :

    - Customer and Industry


---

# Major, candidate, and child cases

# Major, candidate, and child cases {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Brazil  
Updated September 10, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 4 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 Major, candidate, and child cases

Major issue management in ServiceNow helps identify and resolve issues impacting multiple customers by using major case candidates, major cases, and child cases.
Major cases represent issues affecting multiple customers without linking directly to individual accounts, while child cases store customer-specific information.
This structure streamlines managing widespread problems and tracking resolution progress.
Show full answer Show less  

## Major Cases

* A major case contains details about a specific issue impacting multiple customers.
* Customer-specific details are stored in linked child cases, not within the major case itself.
* Customers impacted are identified via a recipients list selected in the Major Case form, which enables automatic creation of child cases for each customer on the list.
* With synchronization enabled, updates to the major case propagate automatically to child cases, except for those in Resolved, Closed, or Canceled states.
* Closing the major case also closes associated child cases in New, Open, or Awaiting Customer Info states.
* The system can use the candidate case's class to set the case type of the major case and child cases when the appropriate property is enabled.
* Major cases are identified by the state value "Accepted" in list views; major case candidates are marked as "Proposed" or "Rejected".

## Major Case Candidates

* Agents create major case candidates to flag potential issues affecting multiple customers, either by promoting existing cases or creating new candidates.
* Candidates require approval from a manager before promotion to a major case.
* If promoted from an existing case, the candidate becomes a child case of the new major case; if created directly, it becomes the major case itself.
* Rejected candidates revert to regular cases.

## Child Cases

* Child cases are linked to a major case and represent individual customers affected by the issue.
* They are created automatically from the recipients list or added manually by managers.
* Child cases inherit the short description from the major case, and duplicate child cases for the same customer are prevented.
* Additional comments can be added during creation and are only appended to new child cases.
* The primary contact for each customer is added to the child case as a contact and included on the watchlist.

## Suggested Child Cases

* When a major case is in Proposed state, AI detection suggests potential child cases.
* Managers can review and add suggested cases as child cases when the major case is Accepted and active.
* All suggested child cases become child cases automatically when the major case moves to Accepted.

## Synchronization Between Major and Child Cases

* Synchronization is one-way, from major cases to child cases, controlled by system properties.
* Only specific fields (e.g., Priority, State, Comments, Work notes, Close notes, Resolution code) are synchronized, with some dependencies between fields.
* Synchronization excludes child cases in Resolved, Closed, or Canceled states and does not apply retroactively to manually added child cases.
* Administrators can configure synchronization settings and specify which fields to sync.
* Currently, synchronization supports only the base Case table unless configured for extended tables.  
Major issue management uses major case candidates to identify potential issues that impact multiple customers. Managers approve candidate cases for promotion to major cases, which you use to manage issue resolution. The system creates child cases for impacted customers and links them to the corresponding major case.

## Major cases {#major-candidate-child-case-types__section_oc4_2sv_ndb}

A major case contains information about a specific issue that affects multiple customers. The major case itself is not linked to specific accounts, contacts, consumers, or business organizations. Instead, customer-specific information is stored in the child cases that are linked to the major case.

The recipients list associated with the major case identifies customers impacted by the issue. Select a list in the Affected Customers field in the Major Case Information form section of the Major Case form. After adding the list, you can automatically create child cases for all customers on the list. These cases are added to the
Child Cases related list on the Major Case form.

With [synchronization](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/N0ZhpigiMJVtYsP_mYEjPQ#major-candidate-child-case-types__section_lx3_1tv_ndb) enabled, updates to the parent major case are automatically synchronized to the associated child cases. When the major case is closed, the system also closes associated child cases in the following states: New, Open, Awaiting Customer Info.

When the `enable_case_type_for_major_case` property is set to `true`, the system uses the
`sys_class_name` of the candidate case to determine the case type of the resulting major case and its child cases, rather than defaulting to the base Case table.

To identify major cases in the list view,
check the value in the Major case state field.

* Major cases have a state of Accepted.
* Major case candidates have a state of either Proposed or Rejected.
* Regular cases have a blank value.

{#major-candidate-child-case-types__ul_jkp_fsv_ndb}

In the form view, major cases and major case candidates display the Major Case Information form section.  
Note:  
Related links on a major case form don't synchronize to associated child cases.

## Major case candidates {#major-candidate-child-case-types__section_dxr_lsv_ndb}

A customer service agent uses a major case candidate (also called a candidate case) to flag an issue that might affect multiple customers. An agent can create a major case candidate in two ways:

* By promoting an existing customer service case to a major case candidate.
* By creating a new major case candidate directly.

{#major-candidate-child-case-types__ul_nln_qsv_ndb}

A customer service manager or major case manager must approve a major case candidate before it can be promoted to a major case.

* If a candidate case was promoted from an existing case, the system creates a new major case and the candidate case becomes a child case of that major case.
* If a new candidate case is created directly, that case becomes the major case.

{#major-candidate-child-case-types__ul_oln_qsv_ndb}

If a major case candidate is rejected, the system reverts it to a regular case.

## Child cases {#major-candidate-child-case-types__section_mlv_ssv_ndb}

Child cases are linked to a major case. The system creates one child case for each account (B2B), consumer (B2C), or business organizations that is affected by the major case issue. Child cases are created from the recipients list on the major case, and a major issue manager can also add
them manually.

When the system creates child cases, it copies the short description from the major case to each child case. The system does not create duplicate child cases. If a child case already exists for an account, consumer, or or business organizations the system does not create another one.

When you create child cases, you can enter text in a pop-up window. This text is added to the Additional comments field on the child case form. These comments are added only to the newly created child cases. The major case and any existing child cases are not updated.

The primary contact for an account is automatically added to the child case as a contact and is included on the child case watchlist.

## Suggested child cases {#major-candidate-child-case-types__section_suggested_child_cases}

When a major case is in the Proposed state, the AI detection workflow populates the Suggested child cases related list with cases that have been identified as potential members of
the major case group.

A major issue manager can review the suggested child cases and use the Add to major case action on the Suggested child cases related list to add the cases as child cases of that
major case. This action is available only when the major case state is Accepted and the case is in a non-terminal state.

When a suggested child case is added to the major case, it is removed from the Suggested child cases list and added to the Child Cases related list.

When a major case moves to the Accepted state, all of the suggested child cases become child cases and are moved to the Child Cases related list.

## Synchronization between major cases and associated child cases {#major-candidate-child-case-types__section_lx3_1tv_ndb}

The system administrator can set system properties to enable or disable synchronization between the major case and child cases, and to specify which fields to synchronize. Synchronization is one-directional: it occurs from the major case to the child cases. If a child case is in Resolved, Closed, or Canceled state, synchronization does not occur.  
A major case and its child cases maintain synchronization on fields that are identified by the sn_customerservice.case_fields_to_sync property. This property specifies which fields are synchronized from the major case to the child cases. By default, these fields include:

* Priority
* State
* Comments
* Work notes
* Close notes
* Resolution code
{#major-candidate-child-case-types__ul_bc5_btv_ndb}  
If the State field is synchronized from the major case to the child cases, the Close notes and Resolution code fields must also be synchronized.  
Note:  
Child cases added to a major case manually can be added at any time. Newly added child cases do not receive synchronization retroactively.  
When synchronization is enabled, the system displays a pop-up window when you save changes to a major case. Verify the update by clicking OK.  
Note:  
In the base system, parent-child case synchronization is available only for the Case table (`sn_customerservice_case`). You must configure this feature for tables that extend the Case table.