Data items
Summarize
Summary of Data items
Data items in ServiceNow provide the data displayed on screens by executing queries on selected tables in your instance. They serve as the data source for various screens, such as lists of records. For instance, a list of incidents would use a data item that queries the incident [incident] table to retrieve relevant records.
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Data item types
- Standard data items: These query data from a single table without parameters but can apply filters to refine results. For example, querying all high priority changes from the change request [changerequest] table.
- Parametrized data items: These perform queries with one or more parameters that accept variable inputs, like the logged-in user's ID, enabling dynamic data retrieval such as showing incidents assigned to the current user.
- Relationship data items: Essential for embedded lists, which are lists displayed within a record screen segment. Relationship data items define the connection between the main record’s table and the embedded list’s table, enabling related data to be shown together.
Special use data item configurations
- Append encoded query: A specialized standard data item configured using an instance relative URL to enable navigation from analytics previews or chart headers to filtered lists of records.
- Grouped list data item: Used exclusively for grouped list screens, allowing any data item type to be grouped by a specific field to organize displayed records accordingly.
Practical implications for ServiceNow customers
Understanding and configuring the appropriate type of data item allows you to tailor how data is fetched and displayed on your application screens. Use standard data items for straightforward data retrieval, parametrized data items for dynamic queries based on user or context, and relationship data items to embed related lists within records. Special configurations like append encoded queries and grouped list data items provide additional navigation and display flexibility, enhancing user experience and data presentation.
Data items provide the data presented in a screen.
Data items are queries on a selected table that bring back data. Screens, which display data from your instance, get their information from data items. For example, if your application contains a list of incidents, the list would use a data item representing records from the incident [incident] table.
Data item types
There are three different types of data items.
- Standard data items
A standard data item is used to return data from a single table. A standard data item does not include parameters, but can include a filter to return a set of results from the queried table. For example, a standard data item could query all high priority changes from the change request [change_request] table.
- Parametrized data items
A parametrized data item is used to perform a query containing one or more parameters to return data. Parameters are used to pass in variables to your queries. For example, you could use a parameter to include the value of the logged in user so that you can show a list of all incidents assigned to that user.
- Relationship data items
Relationship data items are necessary for embedded lists. Embedded lists are lists that can be embedded within a record screen. Record screens can have one or more embedded segments. An embedded list is a type of segment that can be embedded. When you configure an embedded list, it's important to be familiar with the original record screen table. It's also important to understand the table that contains the records that appear in the embedded list. To create an embedded list, you need a relationship data item. For details about creating a relationship data item, see Configure a relationship data item for an embedded list.
Special use data item configurations
The following data items do not fit into the previous categories, and are used only in the cases detailed in the following sections.
- Append encoded query
To navigate from a single score analytics preview or from a chart screen header function to a list of records, you need to configure a special data item using an instance relative URL. This is a standard data item that uses a different type of condition. Find more information about how to configure an append encoded query in Chart screen.
- Grouped list data item
A grouped data item is used exclusively for a grouped list screen. Any data item, standard and relationship, parametrized or not, can be grouped by a field. Find more info about how to configure grouped list data items at Grouped list screen.