---
sourceDocument: Brazil Workflow Data Fabric
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/integrate-applications

 Release :

    - brazil

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Brazil Workflow Data Fabric

ft:clusterId :

    - crint

bundleId :

    - crint

workflow :

    - Creator


---

# Web service import set mode

# Web service import set mode {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Brazil  
Updated September 10, 2026  
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## Summary of Web Service Import Set Mode

When a SOAP message inserts a record into an import set table without an active import set in the Loading state, ServiceNow automatically creates a new import set inSynchronousmode.
In this mode, data transformation occurs immediately upon insertion if a transform map exists.
The import set starts in the Loading state and is automatically marked as Processed at midnight, prompting the creation of a new synchronous import set for subsequent inserts.
Show full answer Show less  
Alternatively, changing an import set to **Asynchronous** mode with a Loading state defers data transformation, allowing manual or scheduled processing later.

## Import Set Modes and States

| Mode | State | Function |
|-|-|-|
| Asynchronous | Loading | Data is loaded without immediate transformation; rows are marked "Pending". Transformation is performed manually or by schedule after changing state to Loaded. |
| Asynchronous | Loaded | Indicates data loading is complete and transformation can proceed. |
| Synchronous | Loading | Data transformation happens automatically and immediately upon data insertion. |
| Synchronous | Loaded | Marks the import set as processed, triggering creation of a new synchronous import set for future inserts. |

## Controlling Insert Behavior

ServiceNow serializes (processes one at a time) record inserts when coalesce fields are defined to prevent duplicates. For tables without coalesce fields, inserts are concurrent by default but can be controlled with system properties:

* **glide.importsetinsertserialized.\<table name\>**: When set to true, serializes inserts to prevent duplicates; setting to false improves performance but risks duplicates.
* **glide.soap.importsetinsertserialized.\<table name\>**: Provides similar control but is superseded by the glide.importsetinsertserialized property if both exist.

Adjust these properties based on the target table's transform maps and your performance versus data integrity needs.

## Standard SOAP Response from Import Set Insert

After a web service import set insert call, ServiceNow returns a SOAP response containing the following key fields:

* **sysid**: The unique identifier of the created or modified record.
* **table**: The affected table name (import set table name for asynchronous calls).
* **displayname** and **displayvalue**: Identify the display field and its value for the record.
* **status**: Indicates the operation result (e.g., inserted, updated, ignored, skipped, error).
* **statusmessage** (optional): Provides details on the status, customizable via transform scripts.
* **errormessage** (optional): Contains error details when failures occur, also customizable.

## Customizing the SOAP Response

You can tailor the SOAP response by modifying the **statusmessage** field within the transform script to include additional or customized feedback beyond the default WSDL responses.

**For ServiceNow customers, understanding these modes and controls helps optimize the timing and reliability of data transformation from web service imports, balancing immediate processing needs with performance and data integrity.**  
When a SOAP message inserts a record into an import set table, and there is no import
set for that table in the Loading state, a new import set will be created
with the Mode set to Synchronous.
An import set with a Mode of Synchronous will transform
the data as soon as it is inserted (provided that the transform map already exists). This
import set will also have a default State of Loading. By
default, all Synchronous import sets will automatically be modified to
Processed at midnight. As a result, when a new insert happens to the same
table, a new Synchronous import set will be created.  
Figure 1. Synchronous import set  
Changing this import set to a mode of Asynchronous and a state of Loading has the effect of not transforming the incoming data as it is inserted, but rather "loading" the import set and deferring the data transformation later, either manually, or with a scheduled script job.{#r_ImportSetMode__table_gtp_h1z_sp__entry__3}

| Mode | State | Function |
|-|-|-|
| Asynchronous | Loading | Data transformation is not occurring automatically and immediately. Data added to import set row has a state of "Pending". Transform can be scheduled or executed manually when state is changed to Loaded |
| Asynchronous | Loaded | Marks the completion of data loading. Data transformation can now occur in a scheduled fashion or manually. |
| Synchronous | Loading | Data transformation is occurring automatically and immediately whenever data is inserted into the associated import set row. |
| Synchronous | Loaded | When new data is inserted into this associated import set, a new import set of mode Synchronous and state Loading will be created. Changing the state to Loaded is a way to indicate that a new Synchronous import set should be created for the next import set row insert (and transformed immediately) |
[Table 1. Import Set Mode]

{#r_ImportSetMode__table_gtp_h1z_sp}

## Controlling Insert Behavior

In imports sets that specify one or more coalesce fields, records with a matching coalesce
value are transformed from source to target table serially (one at a time) to prevent
duplicates.

In import sets that do not specify any coalesce field, records are transformed
concurrently. You can control this behavior using the
glide.import_set_insert_serialized_when_no_coalesce property.

The glide.import_set_insert_serialized.\<table name\> system property
controls how the instance inserts records from web service calls into a specific import set
table. When true, this property prevents identical simultaneous inserts from creating
duplicate records by serializing the database insert operations. If a target table does not
have any coalesce fields defined in a transform map, set this property to
false to improve web service import set performance.  
Note:  
Setting this property to false can result in the creation of duplicate records.  
Note:  
The glide.soap.import_set_insert_serialized.\<table name\> system property provides equivalent functionality to glide.import_set_insert_serialized.\<table name\>, but if both properties are defined, glide.import_set_insert_serialized.\<table name\> supersedes glide.soap.import_set_insert_serialized.\<table name\>.

## Standard SOAP Response

The SOAP response from a web service import set insert call returns the following standard values.

    <SOAP-ENV:Envelope xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:SOAP-ENV="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:SOAP-ENC="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/" SOAP-ENV:encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"><SOAP-ENV:Body><insertResponse><sys_id>fa648f5f0a0a0b2b0048e7012448b8f1</sys_id><table>incident</table><display_name>number</display_name><display_value>INC10014</display_value><status>inserted</status></insertResponse></SOAP-ENV:Body></SOAP-ENV:Envelope>

{#r_ImportSetMode__table_u2b_4bz_sp__entry__2}

| Field | Description |
|-|-|
| sys_id | The Sys_id of the resulting record that was created or modified |
| table | The table name of the table that was affected. In the case of an Asynchronous call, the table name would be the import set table eg. imp_notification for the Notifications web service import set table |
| display_name | The name of the field that is set as the display field for the record that was created or modified |
| display_value | The value of the field designated as the display field. For example, the display field for the Incident table is the Number field and an example value would be INC10001 |
| status | A string value that indicates the action that occurred as a result of the web service invocation, relating to the record defined by the `sys_id` and `table` field values * inserted - the record was inserted * updated - the record was updated * ignored - the input was ignored, the record was not updated and no new record was created * skipped - the input data was skipped (similar to ignored) due to missing coalesce values * error - there was an error processing the input {#r_ImportSetMode__ul_orp_3cz_sp} |
| status_message | This value translates to the value found in the Comment field of the import set row and usually contains information related to the status value eg. "No field values changed" when the status is "ignored' . Setting this value to a customized string value will cause the SOAP response to contain an optional status_message field to be returned. |
| error_message | The message related to a status of error. When an error occurs, setting this value to a customized string value will cause the SOAP response to contain an optional error_message field to be returned |
[Table 2. Standard SOAP Response]

{#r_ImportSetMode__table_u2b_4bz_sp}

## Tailoring the SOAP Response

It is possible to include information other than the information specified in the WSDL by
overwriting the contents of status_message using the transform script.