Entity based record access update utility

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 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 Entity based record access update utility

    The Entity based record access update utility in ServiceNow Zurich release is a guided assistance tool designed to help authorized users efficiently enable or disable access restrictions across large volumes of records. It offers a step-by-step, user-friendly interface that ensures consistent, auditable, and controlled bulk updates. This utility supports dynamic scoping, conditional filtering, and provides real-time feedback to promote transparency and strengthen governance in access management.

    Show full answer Show less

    Key Features

    • Four-step bulk update process:
      • Scope entities: Select entities such as individuals, departments, processes, systems, or applications whose related records will be affected.
      • Scope related record types: Define the specific record types (e.g., risks, controls) associated with the selected entities and optionally apply conditions to narrow the update scope.
      • Preview record counts (optional): Review a summary of selected record types and impact counts before execution to confirm scope and access settings.
      • View results: Monitor the update job's status (queued, completed, or failed), review updated record counts, and access detailed logs. Retry is available in case of failures.
    • Dynamic scoping and conditional filtering: Enables precise targeting of records to avoid unintended updates and supports phased application of access restrictions.
    • Asynchronous execution with status tracking: Updates run in the background with real-time status updates to ensure controlled execution and visibility into progress.

    Key Outcomes

    • Efficient scaling of access management across extensive record sets.
    • Improved operational efficiency through a guided, auditable update process.
    • Strengthened governance by providing controlled, transparent access restriction changes.
    • Reduced risk of errors or unintended updates through granular scoping and preview capabilities.

    The entity based record access update utility is a guided assistance, designed to simplify the application of enabling or disabling access restrictions across large volumes of records.

    The guided assistance provides a user-friendly, step-by-step interface that enables authorized users to configure and execute bulk updates in a consistent and auditable manner. It supports dynamic scoping, conditional filtering, and real-time feedback, promoting a controlled and transparent update process. This utility helps scale access management efforts efficiently. It improves overall operational efficiency and strengthens governance.

    The bulk record access update process follows a four-step process, designed for clarity and control:
    1. Scope entities – In this step, you select the entities, entity classes, or entity types whose associated records are impacted by the utility. Entities can include individuals, departments, processes, systems, or applications. This step helps ensure that the update is focused on the selected entities' related records.
    2. Scope related record types – You define the selected entities' related records. Record types can include risks, controls, or any other scoped tables that support entity-based access. This granular scoping helps prevent unintended updates and help apply entity-based access restrictions in a phased manner. You can define conditions optionally to narrow the scope further. The entity scoped in the previous step acts as a primary filter, and you can add more filters.
    3. Preview record counts (optional) – Before execution, you’re presented with a summary preview of your selections. This step includes the selected record types and their secondary information with impacted record counts. The system prompts you to review and confirm the potential impact based on scope. You can set access using the enable or disable access restrictions buttons.
    4. View results – See the result of the entity-based record access update with a count of the records updated.

    After confirmation, the system executes the update job in a controlled and asynchronous manner. You can see the results after the job execution is completed. You can see the log data specific to the configuration record.

    The update states the system supports are as follows:
    • Update queued – The update is actively being processed.
    • Completed – The update is successfully applied to all selected records.
    • Failed – The update couldn’t be executed due to configuration issues or system errors. You can see a Retry button in this state so that you can trigger the update again.

    The following image shows the entity-based record access update utility screen:

    Figure 1. Entity based record access update utility guided assistance
    Guided-experience for entity-based record access update utility.