Find or Create Record Utility in ServiceNow with applyEncodedQuery

ServiceNow developers often face scenarios where they need to check if a record exists and create it if it doesn’t. The undocumented applyEncodedQuery function in GlideRecord makes this process more efficient by allowing you to create a record from an encoded query, essentially functioning as a “find or create” utility.

This snippet demonstrates how to use applyEncodedQuery to check if a user exists based on certain conditions. If not, the function creates the user with the exact attributes you were searching for.

Why Use applyEncodedQuery?

Using applyEncodedQuery simplifies record management by dynamically applying query conditions to new records. This reduces boilerplate code and ensures consistency between the search and the created record. Code Example: Find or Create a User

Here’s how you can use applyEncodedQuery in ServiceNow:

var userGR = new GlideRecord("sys_user");
userGR.addQuery("user_name", "john.skender");
userGR.addQuery("name", "John Skender");
userGR.setLimit(1);

// If record exists, return it
if (userGR.next()) return userGR;

// Generate an encoded query string from the conditions above
var encodedQuery = userGR.getEncodedQuery();

// Create a new record and apply the encoded query
userGR.newRecord();
userGR.applyEncodedQuery(encodedQuery);

// Insert the new record
userGR.insert();
return userGR;

Key Points to Remember

getEncodedQuery: Converts existing addQuery conditions into an encoded query string.

applyEncodedQuery: Applies the encoded query to a new record, setting field values automatically.

This approach ensures that the record creation mirrors the query conditions exactly. In this case, there will be a new user with user_name “john.skender” and name “John Skender” created.

If we were to run this code again, it would no longer create the user since one would already exist in the system, meaning our code is idempotent.

Practical Applications

  • Creating users, groups, or other entities dynamically based on query parameters.
  • Ensuring consistent data structure during automated record creation.
  • Reducing repetitive code when handling multiple conditional checks.
  • Creating idempotent code, allowing it to be run without changing the initial result beyond the initial application.
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