Understanding the Difference Between "Created" and "Opened" Fields in ServiceNow

Navigating the world of ServiceNow often involves understanding the nuances of its data fields. Two fields that can sometimes cause confusion, especially for new administrators and developers, are "Created" (sys_created_on) and "Opened" (opened_at) within the Task table. This article clarifies the distinction between these fields and explains their significance within the ServiceNow platform. We'll also delve into how they relate to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and other essential functionalities.

Decoding "Created" vs. "Opened": What's the Real Difference?

While both fields record a date and time, they capture different moments in a record's lifecycle. Here's the breakdown:

• Created (sys_created_on): This field reflects the precise timestamp when a record is created and saved to the ServiceNow database. It represents the server-side creation time. Think of it as the official birthdate of the record.

• Opened (opened_at): This field captures the timestamp of when a user first opens or initiates the creation of a record on the client-side (their browser). It's the moment the user begins interacting with the form, before the record is formally submitted.

  
  

Practical Example

Imagine a service desk technician, Sarah, starts a new incident record at 9:00 AM. She spends some time gathering information from the user and filling in the fields. Finally, at 9:07 AM, she clicks the "Submit" button.

In this scenario:

• The "Opened" field will show 9:00 AM, reflecting when Sarah initially opened the new incident form.

• The "Created" field will display 9:07 AM, the moment the record was officially saved into the ServiceNow system.

  
  

When "Created" and "Opened" Might Be the Same

In certain automated scenarios, such as records created via REST API integrations or record producers, the "Created" and "Opened" values may appear identical. This is because the creation process is virtually instantaneous from the user's perspective; the moment the action is triggered, the record is created.

How Does This Affect SLAs and Other Business Rules?

Understanding the difference between "Created" and "Opened" is crucial for accurate SLA management.

• SLAs: ServiceNow SLAs should be designed and triggered based on the "Created" field. The rationale is that an SLA should start measuring time from when the record officially exists in the system, not when someone merely initiated the creation process.

  • Consider this: The "Opened" time could be misleading if someone starts a ticket, leaves it open for hours, and then finally submits it. The SLA should reflect the time from submission, not initial opening.

    
    

While some out-of-the-box (OOB) business rules might reference the "Opened" field (such as "mark_closed" or "mark_resolved"), best practice suggests using the "Created" date for critical time-sensitive processes like SLA calculations to ensure accuracy.

Common Use Cases and Considerations

• Inbound Email Actions: When an incident is automatically created from an incoming email via an Inbound Action, the "Created" timestamp reflects when the email was received and the incident record generated. The "Opened" field, if populated, would ideally reflect the same time in this scenario because of the near-instantaneous nature of creation.

• Reporting: The choice between using "Created" or "Opened" in reports depends on the metric you want to analyze. "Created" is useful for understanding record creation volume over time. "Opened" could be used to analyze how long users take, on average, to submit a ticket after beginning to fill out the form.

  
  

In ServiceNow, the "Created" and "Opened" fields provide distinct timestamps related to a record's lifecycle. "Created" reflects the server-side creation time, while "Opened" captures the client-side initiation time. For accurate SLA tracking and reliable business processes, it's essential to base calculations and rules on the "Created" field. Recognizing this difference empowers ServiceNow administrators and developers to build more robust and insightful solutions on the platform.

Next Steps

• Review your existing SLAs and ensure they are triggered based on the "Created" field.

• Audit your business rules to confirm that the appropriate date/time field is being used for time-sensitive calculations.

• Educate your team on the difference between "Created" and "Opened" to promote data accuracy and consistency within your ServiceNow instance.