Self Service & Automation · Topic 1 of 4
Knowledge Management
ServiceNow Knowledge Management: knowledge bases, articles, categories, publishing, user criteria, valid to dates and feedback for the CSA exam.
- 4 min
- Articles live in knowledge bases; categories organize them inside a base.
- Access is controlled by user criteria: Can Read, Cannot Read, Can Contribute, Cannot Contribute.
- Cannot Read overrides Can Read; Cannot Contribute overrides Can Contribute.
What it is
Knowledge Management lets an organization write, review, publish and retire articles that help people solve problems without raising a ticket. Articles live in knowledge bases, and each knowledge base controls who can read and who can contribute.
The administrator sets up the knowledge bases, categories, user criteria and publishing rules. Authors then write the articles inside that structure.
How it works
The building blocks
| Piece | What it does |
|---|---|
| Knowledge base | A container for articles, with an owner, managers, and rules for reading, contributing and publishing |
| Category | A way to organize articles inside a knowledge base; categories can be nested |
| Article | The content itself, stored in the Knowledge [kb_knowledge] table |
| User criteria | Reusable rules (users, groups, roles, companies, departments, locations) that decide who gets access |
| Valid to date | The date after which the article is no longer shown to readers |
You find the setup under the Knowledge application, for example Knowledge > Administration > Knowledge Bases and Knowledge > Articles.
Article lifecycle
An article starts in Draft. Depending on the knowledge base, it is published instantly or goes through an approval step first. A published article can later be retired.
| Knowledge base setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Instant publish | An article becomes visible as soon as the author publishes it |
| Approval publish | The article goes to a reviewer or approver before it becomes visible |
| Instant retire / approval retire | The same choice, applied when an article is taken out of use |
If an article is edited after publishing, versioning keeps the earlier versions so changes can be traced.
User criteria on a knowledge base
Each knowledge base has four lists of user criteria:
| List | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Can Read | These users may read the articles |
| Cannot Read | These users may not read the articles, even if another list allows it |
| Can Contribute | These users may create and edit articles |
| Cannot Contribute | These users may not contribute, even if another list allows it |
The two "Cannot" lists win. If a user matches both Can Read and Cannot Read, the user cannot read the knowledge base.
Valid to and expiry
Every article has a Valid to date. When that date passes, the article stops appearing to readers. This keeps outdated guidance from being found.
The author or a knowledge manager must update the article and extend the date to bring it back.
Feedback and use
Readers can rate an article as helpful, leave a comment, or flag it as needing attention. Fulfillers can attach an article to an incident or other task so the requester sees the answer used. This feedback helps the knowledge manager find weak articles.
How the exam asks about this
- "A group can read a knowledge base but one member of that group must not." Add that member to a Cannot Read user criteria, which overrides Can Read.
- "An article about last year's process still appears in search." Check the Valid to date and the article's state.
- "Articles must be reviewed before anyone can see them." Set the knowledge base to an approval publish workflow.
What to remember for the exam
- Articles live in knowledge bases; categories organize them inside a base.
- Access is controlled by user criteria: Can Read, Cannot Read, Can Contribute, Cannot Contribute.
- Cannot Read overrides Can Read; Cannot Contribute overrides Can Contribute.
- An article past its Valid to date stops appearing to readers.
- Publishing can be instant or approval based, set on the knowledge base.
- The roles knowledge_admin and knowledge_manager manage the application and individual knowledge bases.
Do not fix a visibility problem by granting a broad role. Check the knowledge base user criteria first, because a Cannot Read entry will hide articles even from users who match Can Read.
Common mistakes
Mixing up Can Read and Cannot Read. Candidates often assume the more permissive list wins. On a knowledge base, the Cannot Read criteria override Can Read.
Ignoring the Valid to date. When an article suddenly vanishes from search for everyone, the cause is often an expired Valid to date, not a security problem.
Treating a category as a security boundary. Categories organize content. Access is decided by the knowledge base and its user criteria, so a different audience usually means a different knowledge base.
Check yourself
Which user criteria list wins when a user matches both Can Read and Cannot Read?
Cannot Read wins, so the user cannot read the knowledge base.
Why would a published article stop appearing for all readers?
Its Valid to date has passed, so the platform no longer shows it to readers.
How do you make new articles require review before readers see them?
Configure the knowledge base with an approval publish workflow instead of instant publish.
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