--- 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 --- # Look Up Records step # Look Up Records step {#ariaid-title1} * Release version: Australia * * Updated March 12, 2026 * * ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) 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 Look Up Records step The Look Up Records step in Workflow Studio enables ServiceNow customers to retrieve multiple records from any table based on defined search conditions. This action step is designed for users with theactiondesignerrole, allowing them to build custom workflows that efficiently query records to meet specific business needs. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **Input Parameters:** Specify the table name, search conditions, sorting field and order, and maximum number of results. Conditions can be defined directly or via inline scripts using `GlideRecord` and `GlideQueryCondition` for advanced queries. * **Error Handling:** Configure the action to either continue on failure or proceed to error evaluation, supporting robust workflow design. * **Outputs:** Returns a list of record Sys IDs matching the criteria, the associated table name, and the count of records found. These outputs can be used dynamically in subsequent workflow steps. ## Practical Guidance * **Iterate Records:** Use the For Each flow logic to process each record individually, or employ a Script step within custom actions for complex processing. * **Optimize Performance:** Limit the **Max Results** to 1000 or fewer to reduce resource consumption and improve execution speed. * **Use Specific Conditions:** Apply precise filtering conditions to minimize the number of records retrieved, enhancing performance and accuracy. ## Benefits for ServiceNow Customers This step empowers customers to efficiently query and retrieve relevant records within workflows, enabling automation of complex business processes that depend on dynamic data retrieval. By leveraging sorting, filtering, and error handling capabilities, customers can build resilient and high-performance workflows tailored to their organizational requirements. Look up multiple records on any table using defined conditions. ## Roles and availability {#lookup-records-action-designer__section_pwq_rb5_kcb} Available as an Workflow Studio action step. Users with the action_designer role can create a custom action with one or more action steps. ## Inputs {#lookup-records-action-designer__section_lx4_cfl_kyb} Provide a value for each input that your action needs. To add dynamic values, you can also drag pills from the Data panel or select them from the pill picker.{#lookup-records-action-designer__inputs-description} Table : Data type: Table Name Table name containing the records you want to look up. Conditions : Data type: Conditions Field names and field values that you want to use to search for records. To use an inline script to specify conditions, consider using the GlideRecord and GlideQueryCondition classes to build your query. See [GlideRecord - Global](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=c_GlideRecordAPI&version=australia&pubname=australia-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US) and [GlideQueryCondition - Global](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=c_GlideQueryConditionAPI&version=australia&pubname=australia-api-reference&ft:locale=en-US). Order by : Data type: Field Name Field you want to use to sort results. Sort Type : Data type: Choice Option to sort alphabetically in ascending or descending order. Max Results : Data type: Integer The maximum number of record results the step can return. ## Action error evaluation {#lookup-records-action-designer__id_lg2_4s3_15b} If this step fails : Data type: Choice Option to continue running the next step or go to error evaluation. To use the step status code or message for a custom action error condition, see [Action error evaluation](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/TJkLnvv_cE34AFa4p0LuVQ "Enable actions to catch step failures and continue running. Identify when specific error conditions occur and return your own action status code, status message, and error state."). ## Outputs {#lookup-records-action-designer__section_zch_jln_lyb} These outputs appear in the Data panel. You can use them as inputs elsewhere in your flow.{#lookup-records-action-designer__outputs-description} Records : Data type: Records List of record Sys IDs found based on the lookup criteria that you provided. For more information, see [Records.\[Table\] data type](lbj0muTloWx2A71GcDthUQ "Stores one or more Sys ID references to records in a specific table. The Records data format is also known as a Glide List since it stores a list of GlideRecord Sys ID values."). Table : Data type: Table Name Table that contains the list of records. Count : Data type: Integer Number of records that the step returned. ## General guidelines {#lookup-records-action-designer__section_x2g_czf_gcc} Use these general guidelines when working with the Look Up Records action. Process records with For Each flow logic : Use For Each flow logic to iterate through a list of records. For more information about using For Each flow logic, see [For Each flow logic](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/m2Jd4tAy1wj9Vfu6zJIqGQ "Apply one or more actions to each record in a list of records."). Alternatively, you can use a Script step to process a list of records within a custom action. Set Max Results to improve performance : Set the Max Results input to 1000 records or lower to improve the performance of your action. The more records that the system has to look up, the more system resources it takes to identify and process them. Use conditions to filter records : Use conditions to limit the number of records the step returns. The more specific conditions that you can provide, the better performance your action has. ## Example {#lookup-records-action-designer__section_zf4_dj5_kcb}