Understanding the Difference Between and in ServiceNow Email RecordsSummary<!-- /*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 <body> and <body_text> fields in a ServiceNow sys_email record serve different purposes. <body> The <body> field contains the email body content as stored from the received email. This may include HTML tags, formatting, embedded structure, and other markup. Example: <body> <html> <body> <p>Text for the Trigger Condition</p> </body> </html> </body> In this example, the text Text for the Trigger Condition exists inside the HTML body. <body_text> The <body_text> field contains the plain-text version of the email body that ServiceNow stores on the email record. This is the field typically evaluated when a Flow Designer inbound email trigger condition uses Body text. In this case, although <body> contained Text for the Trigger Condition, <body_text> did not. Key Differences FieldPurposeContent TypeUsed by “Body text” trigger conditions?<body>Stores the email body content, often HTMLHTML or rendered email contentNo, not when the condition explicitly uses Body text<body_text>Stores the plain-text extracted/stored email contentPlain textYes Why this matters When configuring Flow Designer inbound email triggers or inbound email conditions, it is important to confirm which field the condition evaluates. For example, if the condition is: Body text contains Text for the Trigger Condition then ServiceNow evaluates the text available in <body_text>, not necessarily the HTML content in <body>. This means an email may appear to contain the expected text when reviewing the HTML body, but the trigger may still not execute if that text is missing from <body_text>. Recommended Review Steps When troubleshooting why an inbound email did not trigger a flow or inbound action: Open the sys_email record XML or form.Compare the values in <body> and <body_text>.Confirm whether the trigger condition is checking Body, Body text, or another email field.If the expected keyword exists only in <body> but not in <body_text>, a condition using Body text will not match.Adjust the trigger condition if appropriate, such as checking the HTML body field or using conditions that account for both email formats. Important Note Differences between <body> and <body_text> can occur depending on how the sending mail system structures the message, especially for multipart/alternative emails that contain both plain text and HTML parts. In the reviewed example, both emails were multipart/alternative, but the extracted/stored <body_text> content differed between the two records.