Comparing field values
Summarize
Summary of Comparing field values
Field comparison in ServiceNow allows users to evaluate whether field values on the same or related records match or differ, using operators within the condition builder. This capability applies to string, choice, integer, boolean, reference, and date/time fields, enabling more precise filtering and reporting based on field relationships. It is especially useful for comparing dates to check if they are equal or fall within a specified range.
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Key Features
- Operators for comparison:
- is same: True if two fields have identical values.
- is different: True if two fields have different values.
- is less than / is more than: Used for date fields to check if values fall within or outside a user-defined time range.
- Field types supported: String, choice, integer, boolean, reference (compares referenced record), and date/time fields.
- Choice list comparisons: Based on the dictionary Value, not the Label, requiring awareness when filtering on choice fields.
- Handling empty fields: Empty fields are excluded by default; to include them, add a separate filter condition using the [is empty] operator on the left operand.
- Operand rules: The left operand field type and operator define which right operand fields are available for comparison, ensuring logical and type-compatible comparisons.
- Date comparisons: Enable matching on specific date components (hour, day, week, month, quarter, year) and allow evaluation of whether two dates fall within a defined range, considering the user's time zone.
Practical Application
- Create filters to find records where two fields have the same or different values, such as incidents where the Caller and Closed by fields reference the same user.
- Compare planned and actual dates to monitor schedule adherence by checking if dates fall within acceptable ranges.
- Use date range comparisons with units like hours, days, weeks, months, quarters, or years and relative positions (before, after) for more nuanced temporal filtering.
- Customize reports and list views using these comparisons to gain insights into record relationships and timing.
- Understand that comparisons are sensitive to the active user's time zone, which affects date evaluation results.
Field comparison allows users to evaluate equality between fields on the same table or on related tables by using operators in the condition builder.
Also, you can compare date type fields to determine whether the values are within a certain range of each other. For example, you can compare the planned start date of a task to the actual start date. You can use field comparisons in a list view and to generate reports.
The primary function of field comparison is evaluating whether two fields on a record or related record have identical values. For example, you can create a filter to display all incidents whose Caller field references the same user record as the Closed by field.
Available operators
- [is same] if two field values are the same, evaluates to true.
- [is different] if two field values are not the same, evaluates to true.
- [is less than] if two date values are within a user-defined range of each other, evaluates to true.
- [is more than] if two date values are not within a user-defined range of each other, evaluates to true.
Comparing choice list values
Field comparison compares the dictionary Value field of a choice list, not the Label value. For example, a high priority incident has a priority value of 1, not 1 - High. To find the Value of a choice, right-click the field label and select Configure Dictionary. The Choices related list shows the Value for each choice.
Comparing empty fields
By default, most filter operations do not return empty fields in their result set. To include records with empty fields in a result set, add a filter condition for the left operand with an operator of [is empty]. For more information, see Filtering on empty fields.
Using operators and operands
When comparing fields, the two fields being compared are called the left operand and right operand. The type of field selected in the left operand, and the operator selected, determine which right operands are available. When using the [is same] or [is different] operators, the right operand choices include only fields of the same field type, such as String or Integer, as the left operand.
For example, a filter on the Task [task] table with a left operand of [Opened by] and an operator of [is same], only allows you to choose user reference fields, such as the [Closed by] field, in the right operand.
The [is more than] and [is less than] operators are only available with date type fields.
Comparable fields
- String, choice, integer, and boolean fields: Return true if both values match.
- Reference fields: Return true if both reference fields refer to the same record.
- Date and time fields: Can match date values based on hour, day, week, month, quarter, or year. Also, you can evaluate whether two dates fall within a certain range of each other.
Comparing dates
Date comparison allows you to evaluate equality between two components of the date, such as the hour of the day or the date within a month. Also, you can evaluate if two dates fall within a certain range of each other.
Date comparisons are based on the active user's time zone. For example, as a user in the PST time zone, a filter of [Created] [is same] [Day] as [Closed] evaluates true for an incident created at 6 AM PST and closed at 3:00 PM PST as both times are within the same day. However, a user in the GMT time zone would not see this same incident record in response to the example filter; in GMT those times do not fall on the same date.
You can Evaluate equality between date values and you can evaluate unequal dates within a range.
Evaluate unequal dates within a range
| Choice field | Date Comparison Choices |
|---|---|
| Operator | is more than, is less than |
| Unit of time | Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, Quarters, Years |
| Relative position of dates | before, after, before or after |