Important Task table fields

The Task table is a base class that provides fields for the core ITSM applications such as Incident, Problem, and Change Management. All applications that extend the Task table share these fields in common.

Label	Name	Type	Description
Active	active	boolean	Specifies whether work is still being done on a task or whether the work for the task is complete. By default, only application-specific business rules set the value of this field. For example, the incident autoclose business rule closes resolved incidents that have not been updated for one day.
Additional comments	comments	journal_input	Displays and allows the entry of comments about the task record. Each comment is inserted into the Activity field. For more information, see Journal field type.
Approval History	approval_history	journal	Displays the history of approvals for the record. For more information, see Tools for completing tasks.
Assigned To	assigned_to	reference	Specifies the user assigned to complete the task. By default, this field uses a Reference qualifiers to only display users with the itil role. Some applications override the parent reference qualifier to display relevant users. For example, the Service Order and Project Task tables filter users based on their skills.
Created	sys_created_on	glide_date_time	Displays the date and time when the task record was created.
Description	description	string	Displays and allows the entry of a multi-line description of the work to be done.
Escalation	escalation	integer	Indicates how long the task has been open. Escalations are dynamically populated using service level agreements, which specify how long a task remains in each escalation state. Escalation states go from Normal to Moderate to High, and finally to Overdue. Record lists color code each task by escalation state.
Number	number	string	Displays an identifying number for each task record. This field is the display value for the Task table. The system generates this number when the task is created. To manage number generation, see Record numbering.
Opened	opened_at	glide_date_time	Displays the date and time when a human opened the task record for the first time.
Priority	priority	integer	Specifies how high a priority the task should be for the assignee. By default, the calculatePrioritybusiness rule calculates this value based on the Impact and Urgency values. Record lists color code each task by degree of priority.
Short Description	short_description	String	Displays and allows the entry of a short description of the task, which is a human-readable title for the record.
State	state	Integer	Displays a choice list for status of the task: Pending Open Work in Progress Closed Complete Closed Incomplete Closed Skipped Applications typically use Dictionary overrides to display application-specific states.
Sys ID	sys_id	GUID	Displays the Unique record identifier (sys_id).
Task Type	sys_class_name	sys_class_name	Specifies the type of task, which corresponds to the child class. The system populates this value when a record is created on a child table.
Time Worked	time_worked	timer	Display a timer which measures how long a record is open in the form view.
Watch list	watch_list	glide_list	Specifies users who receive Email and SMS notifications when the record is updated. By default, only the Incident, Change, and Service Catalog applications notify users listed in this field. For other Task-based applications, you must create custom email notifications sent to the users listed in this field. For information about addming more users to the watch list, see Add users to a watch list.
Work notes	work_notes	journal_input	Displays and allows the entry of comments viewable only by ITIL users. Each comment is inserted into the Activity field. For more information, see Journal field type.
Work notes list	work_notes_list	glide_list	Specifies users who receive Email and SMS notifications when work notes are added to the record. By default, only the Change, Problem, and Service Catalog applications notify users listed in this field. For other Task-based applications, you must create custom email notifications sent to the users listed in this field.

**Parent Topic:**[Task table structure](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/brazil/markdown/platform-administration/table-administration-and-data-management/task-table-structure.md)

title	Important Task table fields
description	The Task table is a base class that provides fields for the core ITSM applications such as Incident, Problem, and Change Management. All applications that extend the Task table share these fields in common.
locale	en-US
canonical_url	https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/platform-administration/table-administration-and-data-management/r\_ImportantTaskTableFields.html
release	brazil
product	Table Administration and Data Management
classification	table-administration-and-data-management
topic_type	reference
last_updated	2026-09-10
reading_time_minutes	4
breadcrumb	Task table structureWorking with Task tableTable adminTables and dataConfigure core featuresAdminister the ServiceNow AI Platform