Impact of changing String type fields (ex: Description) from UTF-8 to full UTF-8Issue <!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: block; max-width: ; width: auto; height: auto; } } What is the expected impact of switching the strings to full UTF-8? Will there be any effect on Indexing, Searching, and Performance in ServiceNow? How would the impact change if the system then accepts even more character types? Release<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: block; max-width: ; width: auto; height: auto; } } All Releases Cause<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: block; max-width: ; width: auto; height: auto; } } ServiceNow's default string fields support UTF-8 encoding up to 3 bytes per character, which covers most Latin-based languages. Full UTF-8 extends this to 4 bytes, enabling support for:- Emojis- Mathematical symbols- Arabic, Chinese, and other complex scriptsThis change is typically applied to fields like description, which often receive external input (e.g., emails, integrations). Resolution<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: block; max-width: ; width: auto; height: auto; } } Expected Impact on Indexing, Searching, and Performance:1. Indexing:--> No structural change to indexing engine: ServiceNow uses the Zing text indexing engine, which indexes record data by table and supports field-level scoring, synonym dictionaries, and stop words.--> Full UTF-8 fields are still indexed: The indexing logic remains unchanged, and full UTF-8 fields are treated like standard string fields in terms of how they're indexed.2. Searching:--> Search behavior remains consistent: Zing search engine continues to provide type-ahead suggestions, relevance scoring, and global search suggestions. Full UTF-8 fields do not disrupt these features.--> Potential UI inconsistencies: Some UI components (e.g., condition builders, journal fields) may not fully support rendering of emojis or special characters, which could affect usability but *not* backend search logic.3. Performance:--> Minimal performance impact: No major degradation is expected from switching to full UTF-8. However, performance can be affected if:- Fields receive large volumes of 4-byte characters- Integrations or APIs are not optimized to handle extended character sets--> Database considerations: On PostgreSQL and Swarm64 (Tembo) databases, full UTF-8 support is stable.Impact of Accepting More Character Types:If the system begins accepting more character types (e.g., emojis, Arabic script), the following considerations apply:--> Middleware systems must be UTF-8 compliant.--> We recommend testing in sub-production environments to monitor memory usage, indexing behavior, and search latency before deploying full UTF-8 changes.Summary:You can use Full UTF-8 selectively. Why is UTF-8 still optional? ServiceNow's approach is pragmatic:- Full UTF-8 is available for use when needed.- It's not enforced globally to avoid unnecessary overhead.- Developers are encouraged to use it selectively. Related Links<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: block; max-width: ; width: auto; height: auto; } } If you would like to explore more regarding this, you can go through:https://www.servicenow.com/community/developer-forum/difference-between-string-and-string-full-utf-8-in-servicenow/m-p/1494732https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/yokohama-platform-administration/page/administer/reference-pages/reference/r_FieldTypes.htmlhttps://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0793094