Insert related records using SOAP

task australia Updated Sep 10, 2026 1 min read t_InsertRelatedRecordsUsingSOAP.md

Support is available for inserting hierarchical data into tables or web service import set tables. The hierarchical data in the Insert API is automatically mapped to related records of the targeted table.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

Procedure

Create and set the property glide.web_service.hierarchical to true.

The client of the API can also override this value by invoking the SOAP web service with the URL parameter hierarchical=true.

Example

For example, when a related list is created for the incident table called u_custom_comments:

[Omitted image "HierarchicalIncident.png"] Alt text:

And u_comment_items is created as a related list for u_custom_comments:

[Omitted image "HierarchicalCustomComments.png"] Alt text:

WSDL Schema with related records
When a WSDL for the target Incident table is requested with an additional parameter of hierarchical=true, the WSDL schema for the Insert function will reflect available related records that may participate in the hierarchical data payload.
Hierarchical SOAP Message
When the SOAP message is constructed from the hierarchical web service described by the WSDL and invoked, it will create the incident, u_custom_comments, and u_comment_items records.

Parent Topic:SOAP web service

Related topics

WSDL Schema with related records

Hierarchical SOAP Message

54 lines · 2.8 KB Wrap lines

---
title: Insert related records using SOAP
description: Support is available for inserting hierarchical data into tables or web service import set tables. The hierarchical data in the Insert API is automatically mapped to related records of the targeted table.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/api-reference/web-services/t\_InsertRelatedRecordsUsingSOAP.html
release: australia
product: Web Services
classification: web-services
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [SOAP web service, Inbound, Web services, API implementation, API implementation and reference]
---

# Insert related records using SOAP

Support is available for inserting hierarchical data into tables or web service import set tables. The hierarchical data in the Insert API is automatically mapped to related records of the targeted table.

## Before you begin

Role required: admin

## Procedure

1.  Create and set the property glide.web\_service.hierarchical to true.

    The client of the API can also override this value by invoking the SOAP web service with the URL parameter **hierarchical=true**.


## Example

For example, when a related list is created for the incident table called `u_custom_comments`:

\[Omitted image "HierarchicalIncident.png"\] Alt text:

And `u_comment_items` is created as a related list for `u_custom_comments`:

\[Omitted image "HierarchicalCustomComments.png"\] Alt text:

-   **[WSDL Schema with related records](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/api-reference/web-services/r_WSDLSchemaWithRelatedRecords.md)**  
When a WSDL for the target Incident table is requested with an additional parameter of **hierarchical=true**, the WSDL schema for the Insert function will reflect available related records that may participate in the hierarchical data payload.
-   **[Hierarchical SOAP Message](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/api-reference/web-services/r_HierarchicalSOAPMessage.md)**  
When the SOAP message is constructed from the hierarchical web service described by the WSDL and invoked, it will create the `incident`, `u_custom_comments`, and `u_comment_items` records.

**Parent Topic:**[SOAP web service](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/api-reference/web-services/c_SOAPWebService.md)

**Related topics**  


[WSDL Schema with related records](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/api-reference/web-services/r_WSDLSchemaWithRelatedRecords.md)

[Hierarchical SOAP Message](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/api-reference/web-services/r_HierarchicalSOAPMessage.md)