---
sourceDocument: Brazil ServiceNow AI Platform Capabilities
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/servicenow-platform
Release :
- brazil
ft:locale :
- en-US
ft:publication_title :
- Brazil ServiceNow AI Platform Capabilities
ft:clusterId :
- platcap
bundleId :
- platcap
workflow :
- Platform
---
# Knowledge workflows
# Knowledge workflows {#ariaid-title1}
Release version: Brazil
Updated September 10, 2026
 3 minutes to read
Summarize
 Summarized using AI
This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.
## Summary of Knowledge workflows
Knowledge workflows in ServiceNow control the publishing and retirement processes of knowledge articles within each Knowledge Base.
Different workflows can be assigned to different Knowledge Bases, allowing customization of publishing and retirement procedures.
Customers can use default workflows or create custom workflows tailored to their specific knowledge management needs.
Show full answer Show less
With the Zurich upgrade, customers have access to both workflows and flows in the Knowledge Base form, but only one method can be used per knowledge base. Workflow remains the default option. Approval records in knowledge flows cannot be deleted, only approved or rejected.
## Key Features
* **Default Workflows:**
* **Knowledge - Approval Publish:** Requests manager approval before publishing. Articles stay in "In Review" until approved, moving to "Published" or "Scheduled" states accordingly. Rejection cancels the workflow and keeps the article in "Draft."
* **Knowledge - Approval Retire:** Requires manager approval before retiring an article; rejection cancels the retirement and keeps the article published.
* **Knowledge - Instant Publish:** Publishes draft articles immediately without approval or on scheduled dates.
* **Knowledge - Instant Retire:** Retires published articles immediately without approval.
* **Knowledge - Publish Knowledge \& Retire Knowledge:** Subflows used to transition articles to published or retired states, useful for custom workflows.
* **Approval Management:** Approval permissions can be customized by editing the getApprovers() function in the KBWorkflow script include.
* **Email Notifications:** Notifications can be sent to approvers and authors regarding approval requests and statuses by enabling the `glide.knowman.enableapprovalnotification` property. Notifications are sent to either ownership groups or knowledge base managers depending on configuration.
* **Article Translation Handling:** Retiring a parent article does not automatically retire its translated child articles.
* **Access to Retired Articles:** Only administrators and knowledge administrators can view or republish retired articles.
## Practical Benefits
* Enables consistent and controlled publishing and retirement processes tailored to organizational needs.
* Supports automated approval workflows with customizable approvers, improving governance and accountability.
* Email notifications keep stakeholders informed, reducing delays and improving communication.
* Flexibility to immediately publish or retire articles without approval when appropriate, speeding up knowledge updates.
* Retired articles remain manageable by administrators, ensuring knowledge lifecycle control and reuse possibilities.
The publishing and retirement processes for a knowledge article are controlled by workflows defined for the knowledge base that the article belongs to.
You can assign different workflows to each Knowledge Base .
You can use one of the default workflows, or create your own workflows to define custom publishing and retirement processes for different types of knowledge.
For the workflows that require approval, you can configure which users can approve or reject by editing the getApprovers() function in the KBWorkflow script include.
Existing users of Knowledge Management upgrading to Zurich will have access to both workflows and flows in the Knowledge Base form. However, they will be able to use either workflows or flows for a knowledge base, with Workflow being the default option.
Cross selection between flow and workflow for publish and retire is not possible.
You cannot delete the approval records for knowledge flows. You can only approve or reject the records.
{#r_KnowledgeWorkflows__table_eqc_lfl_1r__entry__2}
| Workflow | Description |
|-|-|
| Knowledge - Approval Publish | Requests approval from a manager of the knowledge base. Articles in approval are In Review state before moving to Published state once approved or to Scheduled for publish if set to publish later. If the manager rejects the request, the workflow is canceled and the article remains in Draft state. If ownership groups is enabled, email notifications with a link to the article are sent to the ownership group members for approval. If ownership groups is not enabled, email notifications with a link to the article are sent to knowledge base managers for approval. A notification is also sent to authors or revisers of articles to inform them that their article has been approved or rejected. To turn on approval email notifications, set the glide.knowman.enable_approval_notification property to true. Note: Only the active user receives the notifications. |
| Knowledge - Approval Retire | Requests approval from a manager of the knowledge base before moving the article to the retired state. The workflow is canceled and the article remains in the published state if any manager rejects the request. If ownership groups is enabled, email notifications with a link to the article are sent to the ownership group members for approval. If ownership groups is not enabled, email notifications with a link to the article are sent to knowledge base managers for approval. |
| Knowledge - Instant Publish | Immediately publishes a draft article without requiring an approval, or publishes on the scheduled publish date if set to publish later. |
| Knowledge - Instant Retire | Immediately retires a published article without requiring an approval. |
| Knowledge - Publish Knowledge | A subflow that moves the knowledge article to the published state. You can use this subflow when defining your own workflow. |
| Knowledge - Retire Knowledge | A subflow that moves the knowledge article to the retired state. You can use this subflow when defining your own workflow. |
[Table 1. Default knowledge workflows]
{#r_KnowledgeWorkflows__table_eqc_lfl_1r}
Note:
* Only administrators and knowledge administrators can view the retired knowledge articles. To reuse a retired article, administrators and knowledge administrators can republish the article. For more information, see [Republish a retired article](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/oWjxBwoR0rjcXNWxWaeDMg "Instantly republish a retired article.").
* An article and its translations have a parent-child relationship. Retiring a parent article does not automatically retire all its translated child articles.
{#r_KnowledgeWorkflows__ul_q3j_chc_mmb}
## Email notifications for approval workflows {#r_KnowledgeWorkflows__section_uch_jnf_nkb}
You can send email notifications for approval workflows.
* Notify approvers about knowledge articles submitted for their approvals.
* Notify authors about the approval status of their knowledge articles.
{#r_KnowledgeWorkflows__ul_ihr_gwf_nkb}To send email notifications for approval workflows, enable the Send notification to approvers and authors in article approval workflow property (glide.knowman.enable_approval_notification). Beginning with New York, the property is enabled by default. Existing customers on release versions prior to New York can enable this property to send email notifications. Disable any custom notifications for article approvals before enabling this property. If the glide.knowman.enable_approval_notification property is not available, an administrator can create the property and set its value to true. For more information, see [Knowledge Management properties](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/aJoqKPn6PWUV9SfhZhUy5A#r_KnowledgeProperties "As an administrator, you can configure the look and functionality of many knowledge base features with Knowledge Management properties.").
**Related concepts**
* [Knowledge article states](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/~XC9l99WqTX2M8j~HEx1HA "Knowledge article versions can be in one of several states as it progresses through the creation cycle.")
**Related tasks**
* [Approve an article that is being reviewed](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Y6RP4VGweeCOjSFHKb0Eyg "Approve an article that is being reviewed and create a new published version.")
* [Retire a versioned article](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/gEIFnHdmN0ezbYTQLFZa6w "You can retire the latest published version of a knowledge article. Retiring a knowledge article doesn’t create a version. It simply marks the article as Retired.")