--- 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 action # Look Up Records action {#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 action The Look Up Records action in ServiceNow allows you to retrieve multiple records from any table based on specified conditions. It is a core Workflow Studio action, accessible to users with theflowdesigneroradminroles, enabling efficient data retrieval within flows. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **Inputs:** * **Table:** Specify the table name containing records to look up. * **Conditions:** Define field names and values to filter the records. For advanced queries, inline scripts using GlideRecord or GlideQueryCondition can be utilized. * **Order by:** Choose a field for sorting results. * **Sort Type:** Select ascending or descending sort order. * **Max Results:** Limit the number of records returned to optimize performance. * **Outputs:** * **Records:** List of Sys IDs matching the lookup criteria. * **Table:** The table name containing the retrieved records. * **Count:** Number of records returned by the action. ## Best Practices * Use **For Each** flow logic to process individual records from the list returned. * Set **Max Results** to 1000 or fewer to enhance flow performance and reduce system resource usage. * Apply specific **conditions** to filter records, improving query efficiency and flow responsiveness. ## Practical Example When an emergency change request is created in the Network category, this action can look up configuration items assigned to the requester by querying the **Configuration Item \[cmdbci\]** table with conditions targeting the requester. Results can be sorted alphabetically by the Name field. The action outputs the count of matching configuration items and their Sys IDs, which can be used in subsequent flow steps. Look up multiple records on any table using defined conditions. ## Roles and availability {#lookup-records-flow-designer__section_pwq_rb5_kcb} Available as a Workflow Studio ServiceNow core action. Users with the flow_designer or admin role can add an action to a flow and define configuration details. ## Inputs {#lookup-records-flow-designer__section_lx4_cfl_kyb} Provide a value for each input that your flow needs. To add dynamic values, you can also drag pills from the Data panel or select them from the pill picker.{#lookup-records-flow-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 action can return. ## Outputs {#lookup-records-flow-designer__section_zch_jln_lyb} These outputs appear in the Data panel. You can use them as inputs elsewhere in your flow.{#lookup-records-flow-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 action returned. ## General guidelines {#lookup-records-flow-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."). Set Max Results to improve performance : Set the Max Results input to 1000 records or lower to improve the performance of your flow. 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 action returns. The more specific conditions that you can provide, the better performance your flow has. ## Look up configuration items assigned to a change request user {#lookup-records-flow-designer__example_p5y_yqw_sbc} In this example, the flow starts when an emergency change request is opened in the Network category. The Look Up Records action uses the Configuration Item \[cmdb_ci\] table as the Table input. The Conditions input looks for configuration items assigned to the requester of the change request. The Order by input uses the Name field to perform an ascending alphabetical type sort. In the execution details, the Count output shows three configuration items that are assigned to the requester of the change request. The Records output shows the configuration items by name in the execution details page, but the data pill contains a series of Sys ID values. The Table output is the Configuration Item \[cmdb_ci\] table.