Reference value field name is not an identifier for the CMDB table for a reference transform-map fieldIssue <!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } During import-set processing, a transform map can generate errors similar to the following for a target reference field: Reference value field name is not an identifier for the cmdb table <parent_table>, which is the parent for the reference field <reference_field>. Skipping this record. This can occur in transforms that use regular field maps, transforms that coalesce on one or more fields, and transforms that invoke CMDB/IRE processing through CMDBTransformUtil.identifyAndReconcile(...). ServiceNow documents CMDBTransformUtil as the API used to perform identification and reconciliation from transform logic, and general transform-map documentation describes coalesce fields as the keys used to decide whether to update an existing record or create a new one. Symptoms<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } Typical symptoms include repeated transform errors for the same reference target field during insert/update processing, skipped rows, and inconsistent population of the reference field depending on whether other transform scripts later set the field manually. In the investigated pattern, the transform also contained post-processing logic that resolved the referenced CI and set the target field by sys_id, which means the transform could still appear to partially work while logging repeated reference-resolution errors. If the transform also uses CMDB/IRE processing, the issue may become more visible after adding CMDBTransformUtil.identifyAndReconcile(...), because that introduces CMDB identification/reconciliation processing into the transform path. ServiceNow’s API reference documents CMDBTransformUtil for this purpose, and related articles describe it as a way to route CI imports through identification and reconciliation instead of relying only on plain field mapping. Facts<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } A transform map can have multiple coalesce fields, and ServiceNow uses those coalesce values to determine whether to update an existing target record or insert a new one. General transform-map references describe coalesce as the record-matching mechanism for imports. For reference target fields, the transform entry can store a reference_value_field setting. In the investigated error pattern, the failing transform entry had all of the following characteristics at the same time: the target field was a reference field, the transform entry was marked as coalesce = true, and reference_value_field was blank / null. The same pattern also included custom transform logic that later resolved the referenced CMDB record and set the reference field using the record sys_id. Community examples and technical guidance also commonly recommend setting a reference field by sys_id from script when default reference resolution is not reliable for the incoming source value. Release<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } This issue pattern is not tied to one specific product family only. The related CMDB transform API is documented in multiple ServiceNow API-reference publications, including Washington DC and Australia, which indicates the underlying transform/CMDB utility capability exists across multiple releases. The exact error wording and runtime behavior still depend on the transform configuration, the target reference field, and whether the transform path is using standard field mapping only or CMDB/IRE processing through CMDBTransformUtil. Cause<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } The core cause is a misconfigured reference coalesce field in the transform map. Specifically, the target field is a reference to a CMDB parent table, but the transform entry is configured as a coalesce/reference-value mapping without a valid reference_value_field defined. In the investigated pattern, the entry explicitly showed reference_value_field = null while the target field itself referenced cmdb_ci. When a transform tries to coalesce on that reference field, ServiceNow needs a valid way to resolve the incoming source value against the referenced table. If that lookup definition is absent or invalid for the referenced CMDB table, the platform cannot treat the configured value as a valid identifier for the reference-resolution path, and the transform emits the “Reference value field name is not an identifier...” error. This cause is directly supported by the observed transform-entry state and the platform’s error text. The problem is especially likely when the same reference field is also being set elsewhere in the transform through custom scripting. In that case, the field-map coalesce/reference configuration can become both redundant and the source of the error. In the investigated pattern, the reference field was already being populated in an onAfter script by resolving the related CI and writing its sys_id. Resolution<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } Exact minimal fix: remove the reference target field from the transform-map coalesce definition when its transform entry is configured as a reference/coalesce field without a valid reference_value_field, especially if the field is already being populated correctly by custom transform logic. In the investigated pattern, the smallest safe change was to set the problematic reference field’s transform entry to coalesce = false and leave the non-reference coalesce field(s) in place. If the reference field must remain in the field map, then the transform entry should be corrected so the reference lookup is explicit and valid for the referenced table. Community and technical guidance consistently indicate that reference fields should either be mapped using a reliable reference-lookup basis or be set directly by script using the related record’s sys_id when default reference resolution is not sufficient. Recommended mitigation checklist: --> Confirm whether the failing target field is a reference field and identify its reference table.--> Review the transform entry for that field and check whether coalesce = true and whether reference_value_field is blank/null.--> Check whether the same target field is also being set by transform scripts (onBefore, onAfter, or map script). If yes, remove redundant coalesce/reference handling from the field map where possible.--> Prefer one clear ownership model for the reference field: either a correct field-map reference lookup, or scripted assignment by sys_id, but not a conflicting mixture of both. This recommendation is consistent with the observed error pattern and with examples that use script-based sys_id assignment for reference fields. Related Links<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } CMDBTransformUtil - Global: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/api-reference/server-api-reference/c_CMDBTransformUtilAPI.html Coalesce Behavior: https://www.servicenow.com/community/itsm-forum/what-is-coalesce-explain-with-example/td-p/2341075 https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/integrate-applications/system-import-sets/c_ImportSetCoalesce.html How to populate the reference field using the Transform Map Script on the target table: https://www.servicenow.com/community/itsm-forum/how-to-populate-reference-field-using-transform-map-script-on/m-p/556970 Article with the same error, except debugging in IRE perspective: https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0722407