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sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/xanadu/api-reference

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ft:publication_title :

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# Retrieve a large number of records using SOAP

# Retrieve a large number of records using SOAP {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Xanadu
* 
* Updated August 1, 2024
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

By default, a single SOAP request can retrieve a maximum of 250 records.

SOAP relies on Extensible Markup Language (XML) as its message format, and usually relies on
other Application Layer protocols (most notably Remote Procedure Call (RPC) and HTTP) for message
negotiation and transmission. SOAP can form the foundation layer of a web services protocol
stack, providing a basic messaging framework upon which web services can be built.

Because of the verbose XML format, SOAP can be considerably slower than other transport
methods. Therefore, sending a large amount of data via SOAP is inefficient and is discouraged.
Because of this, ServiceNow has imposed a
hard-limit of 250 records that can be retrieved at any time in a single query. You may find that
this limit poses some technological challenges for your integration design.
* **[SOAP strategies](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/IJl4ouiTLXLmAu3zLM24uw)**   
  Retrieve the information that you need and make your integration more efficient.