---
sourceDocument: Australia Build workflows
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/build-workflows

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Build workflows

ft:clusterId :

    - crworkflow

bundleId :

    - crworkflow

workflow :

    - Creator


---

# Create data structure

# Create data structure {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Australia
* 
* Updated March 12, 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

Organize multiple data variables into a structure to process them as a unit and identify the individual items within it.

## Before you begin

* Role required: action_designer, flow_designer, or admin
* [Create an action in Workflow Studio](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/OQqBBG3jNnKFj0Kf0dvE5A "Create a reusable component to automate one or more steps of a process.") or [Create a subflow in Workflow Studio](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/7jAqeN4sVKi_m~WDCkNaFQ "Reuse an entire flow's content as a subflow. Define the input data the subflow uses and the output data it generates. Call subflows from other flows or script.​")
{#create-data-structure__ul_nhl_zt1_5gb}

## About this task

A data structure is a collection of related data elements organized into a hierarchy. Each element in a data structure has its own data type and its own unique position in the hierarchy.

## Procedure

1. Create a data variable.

   |   |   |
   | Action or subflow input | Click Create Input |
   | Action or subflow output | Click Create Output |
   | XML parser step | See [XML parser step](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=xml-parser-step-action-designer&version=australia&pubname=australia-integrate-applications&ft:locale=en-US) |
   |-|-|

   {#create-data-structure__choicetable_qfl_1w1_5gb}
2. Set Type to Object.  
   The top level of a data structure hierarchy must be an Object variable.
3. Click the Add Child Item icon.  
   Workflow Studio adds a child data variable to the bottom of the object list.  
   Note:  
   You can insert a child item variable between existing variables by hovering your mouse pointer between two variables, and click the insert item icon (![Insert item icon]()) that appears.

   When hovering your mouse pointer between a child and sibling variable, you will see a add child icon (![Insert child item icon]()). Click the left side of the icon to add a new sibling variable to the child's parent, or the right side to add another child variable under the current variable.
4. Set the child variable Label and Type.  
   To add another branch to the data structure hierarchy, set the Type to Object.
5. Repeat steps 3-4 for each data variable in the hierarchy.

## What to do next

Use the data structure to populate action, step, or subflow inputs. If you can reuse the data structure, save it as a template.