Clear MID Environment Cache business rule uses variable name "gr" in global variable scope, risking the variable being clobbered/clobbering other variables, and breaking updates of cmdb_ci_ip_address records - Known Error

Clear MID Environment Cache business rule uses variable name "gr" in global variable scope, risking the variable being clobbered/clobbering other variables, and breaking updates of cmdb_ci_ip_address records Description The IntegrationHub business rule "Clear MID Environment Cache" on CMDB table cmdb_ci_ip_address uses variable name "gr" in global variable scope, when it should be wrapped in a function to protect it.

This risks the variable being clobbered by/clobbering other global scope variables with the same name in OOTB or custom script, as "gr" is a very common name, and many docs example use it. It is likely to be noticed when an .update() of cmdb_ci_ip_address records is done in a script, and the "gr" GlideRecord the script thought it was updating is not actually updated.

The problem in general is discussed in: KB0713029 Best Practice: Why using 'gr' as a GlideRecord variable name in custom scripts is always a bad idea

Steps to Reproduce

Difficult to reproduce on demand due to the fairly random way javascript variable scopes work, and the exact order things happen, but this is a known risk and other similar problems in other business rules have been fixed to avoid this.

Run a background script to update cmdb_ci_ip_address records, using "gr" as the GlideRecord variable name. Don't wrap the background script in a function.

Actual behaviour: The "gr" in the "Clear MID Environment Cache business" clobbers the "gr" in the background script, so any subsequent operation on the "gr" in the script may be acting on the other gr. The script's "gr" may be clobbered by the business rule's "gr", causing the variable to swap place and then what happens next is not really

Workaround This problem is currently under review. You can contact ServiceNow Technical Support or subscribe to this Known Error article by clicking the Subscribe button at the top right of this article to be notified when more information becomes available.

To avoid this problem, you will need to avoid using any variable named "gr" in the global variable scope, or use a more descriptive and unique variable name.