Session and reference currency

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Session and Reference Currency

    The ServiceNow AI Platform® utilizes two types of currency fields: Session Currency, which is user-specific, and Reference Currency, which is standardized across the entire instance. Understanding these currency types is essential for effective data entry and analysis within the platform.

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    Key Features

    • Session Currency: Defined by the user's locale or single-currency mode, it allows users to view values in a localized format, including the currency symbol and proper number formatting.
    • Reference Currency: A standard currency used for calculations across the platform, determined by the system locale. This currency is crucial for accurate filtering and aggregating values.
    • When entering values, the system saves three data points: the value as entered, the currency code, and the value converted to reference currency using the current exchange rate.

    Key Outcomes

    Customers should be aware that filtering and sorting currency fields may lead to unexpected results due to the use of different currencies. The session currency is displayed to users, but calculations are performed using the reference currency, which can result in discrepancies due to fluctuating exchange rates. Users may experience:

    • Unexpected order in filtered lists based on currency values.
    • Aggregation results that differ from anticipated outcomes, as reference currency values are aggregated and then converted back to session currency.
    • Formatting inconsistencies based on user locale rather than the specific currency code.

    Understanding these nuances will aid users in navigating the complexities of currency handling within the ServiceNow AI Platform® effectively.

    The default, or standard, currency fields in the ServiceNow AI Platform® use two kinds of currency, Session and Reference.

    Session currency
    The session currency is defined for the user by the user’s locale or single-currency mode.
    Reference
    The system local determines the reference currency, and is the standard used across the entire instance.
    Each time you enter a value into a currency or price field, the system stores three pieces of information:
    • Value as entered, in the user's locale.
    • Currency code, in the user's locale.
    • Value converted to the reference currency using the current exchange rate.
    Note:
    In multiple-currency mode, the currency code saved in the currency field may not be the same as the session currency code. For example, the session currency could be the Euro and the number entered could be the Japanese Yen.

    Session currency

    When users view a currency value, they can see the value as entered or in the session-currency format. The format contains the:
    • Currency symbol
    • Value converted to the session currency and shown in a localized number format.

    The user’s locale determines the session currency format.

    The number format can differ in features such as the decimal separator based on the locale. For example, the US formatting is 1,234,567.89, while German formatting is 1.234.567,89. The ServiceNow AI Platform® determines the session currency in the following sequence:
    • Single-currency mode setup using glide.i18n.single_currency and glide.i18n.single_currency.code.
    • Default currency for the user’s locale.

    Reference currency

    To perform calculations on heterogeneous currency values, the ServiceNow AI Platform® stores currency values converted to a system currency, referred to as the reference currency. Every currency field contains a reference currency value. The system determines the reference currency in the following sequence:
    • System locale set using the property glide.system.locale
    • Java default locale, typically en.US

    The filtering and aggregation features use the reference currency value to perform calculations on default currency fields. These features can yield inaccurate results because of conversion rate changes.

    Issues with currency fields

    Users are often confused by the results of filtering, sorting, and displaying currency fields because the system works with at least two currencies for each value: the session currency and the reference currency.

    Note:
    Aggregations and filtering of currency fields use the reference currency, and the user sees the session currency. Because of changing conversion rates, the filtered reference currency values might not result in the same order as the session currency values would suggest. The same issue happens with aggregations.
    The user might see the following issues:
    • Lists filtered on currency fields might not be in the expected order. It uses the reference currency values for filtering but displays session currency values.
    • Aggregation of currency fields may not produce the expected results because reference currency values are aggregated, and then converted to the session currency.
    • Currency values may not appear as expected because currency values are formatted based on the user's locale and not on the currency code.

    This confusion may be the result of the difference between session and reference currencies, changing conversion rates, and different session currencies used by different users.