JSON Data Modification API

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of JSON Data Modification API

    The JSON Data Modification API enables ServiceNow customers to modify data on their instance by sending HTTPS POST requests with JSON payloads. This API supports key actions such as creating, updating, and deleting records via JSON objects sent to the instance URL. It requires thesysparmactionparameter to specify the desired operation and expects the content type to beapplication/json.

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    Key Features

    • Insert: Create a single new record by posting a JSON object with field values. The response returns the created record as JSON. The sysparmaction can be included in the URL or inside the JSON payload, with the JSON parameter taking precedence.
    • InsertMultiple: Create multiple records by posting a JSON object containing an array of records under the records field. The response includes all created records.
    • Update: Update one or more records filtered by an encoded query string specified in the sysparmquery URL parameter. The JSON payload contains the fields and values to update. The response includes an array of updated records.
    • DeleteRecord: Delete a single record identified by the sysparmsysid parameter, which can be passed either in the JSON payload or as a URL parameter.
    • DeleteMultiple: Delete multiple records filtered by a query string specified in the sysparmquery URL parameter or within the JSON payload.

    Practical Use for ServiceNow Customers

    This API enables automated and programmatic data manipulation directly on ServiceNow tables using JSON, facilitating integration with scripts, external applications, or automation workflows. By leveraging these actions, customers can efficiently manage records—creating incidents, updating multiple records in bulk, or deleting records based on specific criteria—all through standard HTTPS POST requests with JSON content. This approach helps streamline data operations while maintaining precise control over record handling on their instance.

    Modify data using the JSON web service by sending an HTTPS POST request to the instance.

    The HTTP POST must contain a sysparm_action parameter to indicate the type of action to be performed, with the incoming JSON object post in the body.
    Note:
    The content-type of the POST should be application/json. It cannot be application/x-www-form-urlencoded or multipart/form-data.

    insert

    Create a new record in ServiceNow. The JSON object has to be POSTed as the body (content-type is usually application/json, although not enforced). The response from the record creation is a JSON object of the incident that was created.

    For example, posting the following JSON object:
    {"short_description":"this is a test","priority":"1"}
    to the following URL:
    https://your_instance.service-now.com/incident.do?JSONv2&sysparm_action=insert

    creates an incident.

    Optionally, you may also specify the sysparm_action in the JSON object. The parameter inside the JSON object takes precedence over the URL parameter. For example:
    {"sysparm_action":"insert","short_description":"this is a test","priority":"1"}

    insertMultiple

    To create multiple new records in ServiceNow, the input JSON object for the insert function must be an array. The response from the record creation is a JSON object of the incidents that were created. For example, the following JSON object:
    { "records" : [ { "short_description" : "this was inserted with python using JSON 1" , "priority" : "1 - Critical" , "impact" : "1" , "caller_id" : "Fred Luddy" } , { "short_description" : "this was inserted with python using JSON 2" , "priority" : "1 - Critical" , "impact" : "1" , "caller_id" : "Fred Luddy" } ] }
    posted to one the following URLs:
    https://<instance name>.service-now.com/incident.do?JSONv2&sysparm_action=insert
https://<instance name>.service-now.com/incident.do?JSONv2&sysparm_action=insertMultiple

    creates two incidents. Note the fields described as an array value for the records field.

    update

    Update a record or a list of records filtered by an encoded query string specified by the sysparm_query URL parameter. The JSON object has to be posted as the body (content-type is usually application/json, although not enforced). The response from the record creation is an array of JSON objects representing the records that were updated.

    For example, posting the following JSON object:
    {"short_description":"this was updated with python", "priority": "3", "impact":"1"}
    to the following URL:
    https://instance_name.service-now.com/incident.do?JSONv2&sysparm_query=priority=3&sysparm_action=update

    updates all incidents with priority 3, and sets the values specified by the JSON object.

    deleteRecord

    Delete a single record from the targeted table, identified by a sysparm_sys_id parameter. The parameter may be encoded in the input JSON object or given as a URL parameter.

    For example, posting:
    {"sysparm_sys_id":"fd4001f80a0a0b380032ffa2b749927b"}
    to the following URL:
    http://instance_name.service-now.com/incident.do?JSONv2&sysparm_action=deleteRecord

    deletes the incident record identified by the sys_id fd4001f80a0a0b380032ffa2b749927b.

    deleteMultiple

    Delete multiple records from the targeted table, filtered by an encoded query string specified in the sysparm_query URL parameter. The filter may also be encoded in the input JSON object.

    For example, posting:
    {"sysparm_query":"short_description=this was updated with python"}
    to the following URL:
    http://instance_name.service-now.com/incident.do?JSONv2&sysparm_action=deleteMultiple

    deletes all incident records where the short_description field contains the value "this was updated with python".