Validity of a knowledge article
Summarize
Summary of Validity of a knowledge article
The validity of a knowledge article in ServiceNow defines its expiration date. Once the Valid to date is reached or left blank, the article will not show in search results. Authors or editors can set this date using the Valid to field on the Knowledge form during creation or editing.
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Key Features
- Default Valid to Date: The default date derives from the Article Validity field set for the knowledge base. By default, if this field is blank, the Valid to date is set to January 1, 2100.
- Editing Articles: If versioning is enabled, the Valid to date is updated automatically based on the Article Validity field of the associated knowledge base.
- Moving Articles: When moving an article to a different knowledge base, the Valid to date is recalculated according to the new base's Article Validity settings.
- Email Notifications: Authorized recipients receive monthly email notifications about articles nearing expiration, allowing them to extend the Valid to date as needed.
Key Outcomes
By effectively managing the Valid to date, ServiceNow customers can ensure that knowledge articles remain relevant and accessible. This process helps maintain the integrity of knowledge management practices and keeps users informed about article expirations.
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.