Skipped Record Review Process and Support Scope - Support and Troubleshooting

Skipped Record Review Process and Support Scope .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: ; } } Purpose of this KB Skipped Records that occur after an upgrade are something customers need to review and action themselves, based on the customizations and configurations present in their environments. This KB summarizes the review steps and procedures we ask customers to perform. By following this procedure, most Skipped Records can be resolved by the customer.

Scope of Support ServiceNow Support can help with the Skipped Record process, how to use the related tools, and investigating the root cause of technical errors (Skipped Errors).

However, Support generally does not review individual Skipped Records to determine whether they should be "retained" or "reverted to base. In most casesm "Skipped Records represent a conflict between customizations/configuration changes customers have made in the past and updates from the new release. Support does not know the intent, business requirement, or current usage of each change: only the customer can make that determination. Who made a customization, when, and in which work item can be checked via the author, creation date, and associated update set name of the Customer Update (sys_update_xml). If the history behind the original implementation is unclear, please first check with the relevant internal stakeholder using this information.

When It's Appropriate to Open a Case with Support A tool doesn't work correctly even when following the documented steps Disposition is "Skipped Error" and the Reason field doesn't clarify the cause A technical error occurs in the Diff/Merge tool or during a Revert operation The merge result for a specific record differs from expectations (when reproduction steps can be provided) Review Steps Go to All > Admin Center > Upgrade Console > Upgrade History and open the target version. Open "Skipped Changes to Review" (unreviewed Skipped Records). Click the text field to view the Diff. Based on the diff, choose one of the following: Decision Action Keep the change as-is (retain the customization) Set Resolution Status to Reviewed and Retained Discard the change and revert to OOTB Click Revert to Base System Merge the differences Choose Merge from Resolve Conflicts Determined no action is needed Set Resolution Status to Reviewed Once a Resolution Status is set, that record moves from "Skipped Changes to Review" to "Skipped Changes Reviewed" and the remaining unresolved count decreases by one. Review is complete once the review list is empty.

Decision Criteria (1) Disposition (Result) Value Meaning Guidance Skipped Not applied to protect a customization/configuration change Needs review Skipped Error Caused by scope overlap, system properties, etc. Check the Reason field and address; if unclear, open a Case Skipped Manual Merge Requires manual merge (e.g., the record targeted for deletion doesn't exist in the instance) Usually no action needed Skipped Apply Once Already applied No action needed Unchanged / Not Latest No change on the base side / overwritten later within the same upgrade No action needed (2) Priority (Impact Level) Please review records with Priority 1, 2, and those related to features currently in active use.

Priority 1 (most critical): UI Page, UI Macro, etc. Priority 2: Business Rule, Security ACL, etc. Priority 3: Report, etc. Priority 4: Form Section, Choice Set, etc. Priority 5 (low): Others Handling Records Skipped Without Any Memory of Customizing Them Open the record and check the "Disposition," "Reason," and, if necessary, "Claim Status" to determine whether it can be safely ignored or requires further confirmation.

Case-by-Case Judgment (A) When Disposition is "Skipped Error"

This is not a customization conflict but a system-driven skip. The reason is shown in the Reason field.

Example: the record already exists in a different scope, it was skipped due to a system property state, the target table was not found ("Table not found"), etc.

In most cases this is expected behavior given the environment's configuration, and if there's no impact on business functionality, it's fine to leave as-is.

→ Change Resolution to Reviewed.

Note: If the Reason is similar to "Skipping because file already exists with a different scope...", this means multiple plugins attempted to install the same file, and the second one was skipped. Since the first plugin already applied it to the instance, there is no impact. This is expected product behavior with no impact — set Resolution to "Reviewed."

KB0786212 Understand skipped errors in skipped changes review after upgrade

If the Reason field is empty or the cause cannot be determined from its content, please open a Case.

(Skipped Error records fall outside normal Review/Revert operations and can only be edited with maint-level privileges.)

(B) When Disposition is "Skipped Apply Once"

Files in the apply-once folder are intentionally skipped because they have already been applied once.

→ No action needed.

(C) When Disposition is "Unchanged" or "Not Latest"

Unchanged: No change on the base side since the previous release Not Latest: Overwritten later within the same upgrade → No action needed in either case.

(D) When Claim Status shows "Lost conflict," etc.

This is not a customization but a conflict where multiple applications hold a claim on the same file; another application took priority, and this file was not loaded.

→ If this is the intended behavior, no action is needed. If it differs from expectations, compare the two versions and consider a merge if necessary.

(E) When Disposition is "Skipped" but you don't recall making a customization

This may be caused by a Configuration change.

→ As with a normal Skipped Record, determine whether to Retain or Revert.

Low-risk changes such as field labels or form layout can be reviewed for impact and then Retained or Reverted in bulk.

(F) When a System Property (sys_properties) is "Skipped"

System properties where the "private" field is set to true contain instance-specific information and are therefore skipped during upgrade.

→ No action needed.

KB0786212 Understand skipped errors in skipped changes review after upgrade

(G) When large numbers of "Skipped Manual Merge" appear from a Store App/plugin

If a record targeted for deletion by the upgrade doesn't exist in the instance to begin with (i.e., it was never installed), it appears as "Skipped Manual Merge." Since these records never existed in the instance, no review is needed.

→ No action needed.

KB0786212 Understand skipped errors in skipped changes review after upgrade

Quick Reference Table Disposition / State Cause Default Handling Skipped Error (Reason known) Scope overlap, property, etc. Can be left as-is if no business impact Skipped Error (Reason unknown) Needs investigation Open a Case with Support Skipped Error (already exists in another scope) Multiple plugins applying the same file No action needed (can set to Reviewed) Skipped Apply Once Already applied No action needed Unchanged / Not Latest No base change / overwritten later No action needed Skipped (Claim = Lost/Won conflict) Priority conflict between apps Confirm intent; merge if necessary Skipped (from Configuration change) Configuration change Normal review target Skipped (System Property, private=true) Instance-specific information No action needed (can set to Reviewed) Skipped Manual Merge (from Store App) Target record doesn't exist in instance No action needed (can set to Reviewed) Notes When Opening a Case If you submit a large number of Skipped Records in a single Case (10 or more), classification takes longer since different records are handled by different Support teams, delaying the initial response. Please organize records by Package beforehand as described below, and open separate Cases per Package. When attaching an Excel file, please remove unnecessary records and include only the Skipped Record information that actually needs Support's review.

Steps to Organize by Package Open the "Skipped Changes to Review" list. From the gear icon (or list personalization) at the top of the list, add "Package" (or Application / Source) as a displayed column. Group By the "Package" column header (right-click → "Group By Package"). With records grouped by Package, check how many Skipped Records exist per Package. Following checklist items 1–3 below, review and resolve as many as possible on the customer side first. For any records with a remaining technical issue, open separate Cases per Package. Records within a single Case should be limited to the same Package and the same issue. When opening a Case, please include the target Package name, Disposition, Reason (for Skipped Error), and the actions already taken. Organizing this way allows for quick routing to the appropriate team and shortens the time to resolution.

Before opening a Case, please first go through the "Pre-Case Checklist" below on your side, and only contact us about technical issues that remain unresolved after that.

Pre-Case Checklist (Please Be Sure to Check) Most Skipped Records can be resolved by the customer using the steps below. Please complete these before opening a Case.

1. Have you checked the Disposition?

"Skipped Apply Once," "Unchanged," "Not Latest," and "Skipped Manual Merge" require no action — set the Resolution and close them.

2. Have you filtered by Priority?

Start with Priority 1 and 2 records tied to features currently in business use. Lower-priority items can be reviewed for impact and processed in bulk.

3. Have you reviewed the Diff and decided on Retain / Revert / Merge?

Make the decision from the perspective of "is this customization still needed today?"

4. Have you confirmed whether what remains is truly a technical issue?

Only open a Case if it falls under the "Cases appropriate for Support" section above.

5. Have you separated records by Package?

Don't bundle a large number of records into a single Case — refer to the "Notes When Opening a Case" section above. Important: Support cannot make the decision itself (whether to retain or revert). Steps ①–③ above can only be performed by the customer.

Related Information KB2884268 Skipped records that occur during application installation KB2888648 Review skipped records using related lists KB2888654 Resolve a skipped update and set a resolution status KB2888700 Execute a skipped record rule KB2888596 Execute a skipped record rule KB0955553 How to resolve skipped update records after an upgrade