Validity of a knowledge article
Summarize
Summary of Validity of a knowledge article
Knowledge article validity determines the expiration date of an article in ServiceNow Knowledge Management. Articles stop appearing in search results after their "Valid to" date expires or if the date is blank. The "Valid to" field, found on the Knowledge form when creating or editing articles, controls this expiration.
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Key Features
- Default Validity Date: When creating an article, the default "Valid to" date is based on the "Article Validity" setting of the associated knowledge base. This sets the expiration as the creation date plus a configured number of days. If no validity is configured, the expiration defaults to January 1, 2100.
- Editing Articles with Versioning: If versioning is enabled, updating an article resets the "Valid to" date based on the knowledge base's Article Validity setting. If this setting is blank, the existing "Valid to" date is retained. Minor edits to the "Valid to" date may be made without checking out the article if a specific property is enabled.
- Moving Articles Between Knowledge Bases: When moving an article to a different knowledge base, the "Valid to" date recalculates similarly—either retaining the previous date if the new base has no validity set or resetting based on the new base's Article Validity.
- Date Format Considerations: Use a four-digit year (yyyy) format to avoid issues with the "Valid to" date, especially when the system or user preferences default to a two-digit year (yy) format.
- Email Notifications: On the first day of each month, authorized users receive email reminders of articles expiring within the next month, enabling timely management of article validity.
Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers
By properly configuring the "Article Validity" in your knowledge bases and managing the "Valid to" dates on articles, you can ensure knowledge content remains current and relevant. The automatic email notifications help maintain article accuracy by prompting stakeholders to review and extend validity as needed. Understanding how validity dates update during article edits and moves helps maintain data integrity across your knowledge management lifecycle.
Knowledge article validity is the date a knowledge article expires. Articles do not appear in search results after the Valid to date or if the Valid to date is blank.
Decide when to expire a knowledge article by using the Valid to field in the Knowledge form. The Knowledge form is available when creating or editing a knowledge article.
When you create or edit a knowledge article, a default value appears in the Valid to field. As an article author or editor, you can select whether to keep or change the default Valid to date.
Default article validity when creating a knowledge article
The default value of the Valid to field is derived from the Article Validity field configured for the knowledge base (see Create a knowledge base). The Valid to date starts from the date the article was created until the number of days specified in the Article Validity field. If the Article Validity field is blank, the default date in the Valid to field for the knowledge article is set to January 1, 2100.
Default article validity when editing a knowledge article
If the article versioning feature is enabled, the default value of the Valid to date in the updated article version is automatically set as described in the following table.
| Article Validity value in the associated knowledge base | Valid to default value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Blank | Earlier version Valid to date value | If the Article Validity field in the knowledge base associated with the article is blank, the Valid to date value from the earlier version of the article is retained. |
| Is not blank | Article updated date + article validity | If the Article Validity field in the knowledge base associated with the article is not blank, the Valid to date is automatically updated to start from the date the article was updated until the number of days specified in the Article Validity field. |
If you move a knowledge article to another knowledge base, the default value of the Valid to date in the updated article is automatically set as described in the following table.
| Article Validity value in the updated knowledge base | Valid to default value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Blank | Earlier Valid to date value | If the Article Validity field in the selected knowledge base is blank, the earlier Valid to date value is retained for the knowledge article. |
| Is not blank | Article updated date + article validity | If the Article Validity field in the selected knowledge base isn't blank, the Valid to date is automatically updated to start from the date the article was updated until the number of days specified in the Article Validity field. |
Email notifications for expiring knowledge articles
On the first day of each month, the application sends an email notification to a list of authorized recipients to remind them about articles that are about to expire in the next month. The recipient can then extend the Valid to date to continue using the article. For more information, see Managing email notifications in Knowledge Management.