---
sourceDocument: Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Administration
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/platform-administration

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Administration

ft:clusterId :

    - platadm

bundleId :

    - platadm

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Dictionary entry data types

# Dictionary entry data types {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated March 12, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read  
You can only change a dictionary entry's data type when the change does not result in
data loss. Use the following guidelines to change a dictionary entry's data type.
{#r_ValidDataTypeChanges__table_k1m_fqc_wr__entry__2}

| Condition | Restrictions |
|-|-|
| The field is empty in all table records. | None. You can convert an empty field from any data type to another without restriction. |
| The table contains existing data for the field. | You can only convert between logical data types that map to the same physical data type in the database. For example, you can convert a glide duration to a glide datetime since both logical data types map to the DATETIME physical data type in the database. |
| The field is a string field you are converting to another type of string field. | You can change between string-based data types as long as length changes do not cause any data loss from truncation. For example, you can change from a MEDIUM database type to a VARCHAR(100) database type if none of the existing data is greater than 100. |
| The field is a string field you are converting to a globally unique ID (GUID). | You can only convert a string field to a GUID if all of the exiting data in the field are already Sys ID values. |
| The field is a GUID field you are converting to a string field. | None. You can convert a GUID field to a string field without restriction. |
[Table 1. Valid data type changes]

{#r_ValidDataTypeChanges__table_k1m_fqc_wr}