---
sourceDocument: Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Administration
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/platform-administration

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Administration

ft:clusterId :

    - platadm

bundleId :

    - platadm

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Configure cascade delete rules

# Configure cascade delete rules {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Australia
* 
* Updated March 12, 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

When a record is deleted, there are different options for how the deletion will
affect records that reference the deleted record. You can configure what happens to records
that reference a record when that record is deleted.

## Before you begin

Role required: personalize_dictionary

## About this task

For example, if you delete a user record that is referenced in the Caller ID field on several incident records, you can configure what happens
to those incident records. By default, the references are cleared, so the incident
records are maintained with an empty Caller ID field.

## Procedure

1. Navigate to a reference field on a form.
2. Right-click the field label and select Configure Dictionary.
3. Under Related Links, click Advanced view.
4. Locate the Reference Specification section.
5. In the Reference cascade rule field, select one of the following options.  
   Note:  
   The option for this field have no effect for tables with m2m relationships, meaning that in this example, if the tables have an m2m relationship, the user record is deleted.

   | Option | Description |
   | Clear or -- None -- | Deleting a record clears references (default option). |
   | Delete or Cascade | Deleting a record also deletes all referencing records. For example, when a user record is deleted, any incidents assigned to the user are also deleted. Caution: Use this method with caution. |
   | Restrict | Deleting a record is restricted unless there are no references to the record. For example, prevent the user record from being deleted if any incident includes a reference to the user. |
   | None | Deleting a record does not change records that reference the record. |
   |-|-|

   {#t_CascadeDeleteRules__choicetable_vwv_kpx_rt}
6. Click Update.
**Related tasks**   

* [Modify dictionary entries](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/WJEglUSJfP05n6rhuilcmQ "Modify dictionary entries by configuring a field on a form or from the Dictionary module.")