Copy Attachment action
Summarize
Summary of Copy Attachment action
The Copy Attachment action is a ServiceNow core Workflow Studio action that enables you to copy an attachment from the Attachments [sysattachment] table to a specified target record. It is designed for users with the flowdesigner or admin role who want to automate attachment copying within flows.
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Key Features
- Inputs: You provide the source attachment record and the target record to which the attachment will be copied. The source attachment can be selected manually or identified using the Look Up Attachment action to find attachments by file name on a source record.
- Integration with Look Up Actions: To convert the Sys ID output from the Look Up Attachment action into a usable record data pill, you must use the Look Up Record action, enabling seamless data handling between actions.
- Automatic Table Identification: The Table input is automatically set when you select a target record data pill, simplifying configuration.
- No Outputs: This action does not produce output data pills, focusing solely on copying the attachment.
Practical Use Example
A common use case is copying attachments from an incident record to an associated problem record:
- Use the Look Up Attachment action to identify the attachment on the incident.
- Convert the Sys ID to a record data pill with Look Up Record.
- Look up the related problem record with Look Up Record.
- Use the Copy Attachment action with the attachment record as the source and the problem record as the target.
For multiple attachments, incorporate a For Each flow logic to handle each attachment individually.
What This Enables You to Do
This action streamlines the process of duplicating attachments between records in your workflows, ensuring important files are available in the context of related records without manual intervention. It supports automation scenarios such as incident-to-problem attachment transfer, improving efficiency and data consistency.
Copies an attachment from the Attachments [sys_attachment] table to a target record.
Roles and availability
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
Provide a value for each input that your flow needs. To add dynamic values, you can also drag and drop pills from the Data panel or select them from the pill picker.
- Source Attachment Record [Attachment]
- Data type: Record
Attachment record containing the attachment you want to copy. You can either manually select a record from the Attachment [sys_attachment] table or look up the attachment record. You can use the Look Up Attachment action to provide one or more Sys ID values of attachments with a given file name in a specific source record. If you use the Look Up Attachment action, you must also use a Look Up Record action to convert the Sys ID value returned by the Look Up Attachment action into a usable record data pill. See the example section for an illustration of converting the Sys ID output of the Look Up Attachment action into a record data pill.
- Target Record
- Data type: Record
Record where you want to add a copy of the attachment. You can use the Look Up Record action to find an appropriate target record.
- Table
- Data type: Table Name
Table containing the target record. This system sets this input value for you if you select a data pill for the target record.
Outputs
This action has no outputs.
Copy attachments from incident records to a problem records
This example copies attachments from the trigger incident record into an associated problem record. This example assumes that there is only one source attachment to copy. If you need to copy multiple attachments, add a For Each flow logic. The flow first uses the Look Up Attachment action to find the attachment within the trigger incident. The Sys ID value of produced by this action is used as an input in the Look Up Record action in step 3. The flow next looks up a problem record associated with the incident record.
In this example, the Source Attachment Record input gets its value from the Look Up Record action for the Attachment [sys_attachment] table, because you can't use the string output of the Look Up Attachment action directly. The Target Record input gets its value from the Look Up Record action for the Problem [problem] table. The Table input inherits its value from the Target Record data pill.
The execution details for flow step 3 show that the Look Up Record action has found a specific attachment record. This record is used as the input for flow step 4 Copy Attachment.
The execution details for flow step 4 show that both input values use the output data pills of Look Up Record actions. The Source Attachment Record input uses the data pill from flow step 3, and its runtime value is a specific Attachment record. The Target Record input uses the data pill from flow step 2, and its runtime value is a specific problem record.