Validity of a knowledge article
Summarize
Summary of Validity of a knowledge article
Knowledge article validity defines the expiration date of an article, after which it no longer appears in search results. This expiration is controlled via theValid tofield on the Knowledge form, accessible when creating or editing an article. Authors and editors can set or modify this date to determine how long the article remains active and visible.
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Key Features
- Default Valid to Date on Creation: The default expiration date is based on the Article Validity setting configured for the knowledge base, representing a duration in days from the creation date. If no validity is set, the default expiration defaults to January 1, 2100.
- Valid to Date on Article Updates: When versioning is enabled, the expiration date for an updated article depends on the associated knowledge base’s Article Validity setting:
- If blank, the previous version’s expiration date is retained.
- If set, the expiration date resets to the update date plus the configured validity period.
- Valid to Date When Moving Articles Between Knowledge Bases: Similarly, moving an article to a different knowledge base will:
- Keep the existing expiration date if the target knowledge base’s Article Validity is blank.
- Reset the expiration date based on the new knowledge base’s Article Validity if set.
- Date Format Considerations: To avoid issues with expiration dates, ensure the system or user date format uses a four-digit year (yyyy) instead of two-digit (yy).
- Customization: Modifying the dictionary value of the Valid to field overrides the default behavior based on Article Validity.
- Email Notifications: On the first day of each month, authorized recipients receive email alerts about articles nearing expiration in the coming month, enabling timely renewal of content validity.
Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers
By managing the validity of knowledge articles, customers can ensure their knowledge base remains current and relevant, preventing outdated information from being displayed. Automated expiration dates based on knowledge base settings simplify governance, while email notifications help knowledge managers proactively maintain content accuracy. This functionality supports compliance and enhances user trust in the knowledge base content.
Knowledge article validity is the date a knowledge article expires. Articles do not appear in search results after the Valid to date or if the Valid to date is blank.
Decide when to expire a knowledge article by using the Valid to field in the Knowledge form. The Knowledge form is available when creating or editing a knowledge article.
When you create or edit a knowledge article, a default value appears in the Valid to field. As an article author or editor, you can select whether to keep or change the default Valid to date.
Default article validity when creating a knowledge article
The default value of the Valid to field is derived from the Article Validity field configured for the knowledge base (see Create a knowledge base). The Valid to date starts from the date the article was created until the number of days specified in the Article Validity field. If the Article Validity field is blank, the default date in the Valid to field for the knowledge article is set to January 1, 2100.
Default article validity when editing a knowledge article
If the article versioning feature is enabled, the default value of the Valid to date in the updated article version is automatically set as described in the following table.
| Article Validity value in the associated knowledge base | Valid to default value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Blank | Earlier version Valid to date value | If the Article Validity field in the knowledge base associated with the article is blank, the Valid to date value from the earlier version of the article is retained. |
| Is not blank | Article updated date + article validity | If the Article Validity field in the knowledge base associated with the article is not blank, the Valid to date is automatically updated to start from the date the article was updated until the number of days specified in the Article Validity field. |
If you move a knowledge article to another knowledge base, the default value of the Valid to date in the updated article is automatically set as described in the following table.
| Article Validity value in the updated knowledge base | Valid to default value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Blank | Earlier Valid to date value | If the Article Validity field in the selected knowledge base is blank, the earlier Valid to date value is retained for the knowledge article. |
| Is not blank | Article updated date + article validity | If the Article Validity field in the selected knowledge base isn't blank, the Valid to date is automatically updated to start from the date the article was updated until the number of days specified in the Article Validity field. |
Email notifications for expiring knowledge articles
On the first day of each month, the application sends an email notification to a list of authorized recipients to remind them about articles that are about to expire in the next month. The recipient can then extend the Valid to date to continue using the article. For more information, see Managing email notifications in Knowledge Management.