--- title: The User record description: Learn about user records and their use within the ServiceNow AI Platform. locale: en-US canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/platform-administration/user-administration/user.html release: australia product: User Administration classification: user-administration topic_type: concept last_updated: "2026-03-12" reading_time_minutes: 3 breadcrumb: [Explore, User administration, Configure core features, Administer the ServiceNow AI Platform] --- # The User record Learn about user records and their use within the ServiceNow AI Platform. ## User account records User records establish a relationship between an individual and your ServiceNow instance. User records consist of a user name, a password, and information relating to the individual, such as contact information, location, and job title. \[Omitted image "user-record.png"\] Alt text: A sample user record. User records are stored in the Users \[sys\_user\] table. **Note:** ServiceNow occasionally adds service accounts to the sys\_user table to facilitate some platform features and functionality. For more information, see [KB1648003: \(OOTB\) Out of the box local user accounts in sys\_user](https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB1648003). ## Related records User records are associated with records on several other tables to control permissions, preferences, and other features. - **Roles** Roles control access to features and capabilities in applications and modules. For more information on roles, see [Managing roles](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/platform-administration/user-administration/ua-creating-roles.md). **Note:** When possible, simplify user administration by assigning roles to groups. Create groups that contain all the roles necessary for specific personas, and then assign users to those groups. - **Groups** A group is a set of users who share a common purpose. Users assigned to groups are automatically assigned to all roles associated with that group. For more details, see [Creating groups](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/platform-administration/user-administration/ua-creating-groups.md) and [Managing roles](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/platform-administration/user-administration/ua-creating-roles.md). - **Delegates** In addition to role and group assignments, users can be assigned as delegates, giving them permission to act with the same permissions as a delegator user. See [Delegating roles](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/platform-administration/user-administration/c_DelegateRoles.md) for more information on delegation. - **Skills** Use skill management to associate users with their areas of training and expertise. For more information on skill management, see [Skill Management](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/servicenow-platform/skills-management.md). - **Subscriptions** Administrators use subscriptions to control which users have access to purchased subscriptions on their instances. Details on subscription management can be found at [Subscription Management](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/platform-administration/subscription-management-landing-page-v2.md). - **User preferences** User accounts are also connected with user preferences. Users can save personalized preferences to configure many UI features, as well as preferences regarding the notifications they receive. Details on administering user preferences are found at [User preferences](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/platform-user-interface/c_UserPreferences.md). ## Date and time formatting You can set your preferred date and time formatting through the User record. If you don't specify a preference in these fields, the system applies default formatting. The Date format field appears in the User record by default and can be modified without specific permissions. However, the Time format field must be added to the User record by revealing additional form fields. For instructions on showing or hiding form fields, see [Configuring the form layout](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/platform-administration/configure-form-layout.md). If you can't modify form fields, contact your organization's user administrator to update your time format preferences. The Date and time format field in **User Menu** > **Preferences** > **Language & Region** extends the options you select in the Date format and Time format fields of your User record. For more information, see [User preferences](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/platform-user-interface/c_UserPreferences.md). Time zone settings automatically sync between the User record and your preferences. ## System and guest users Some automated processes use the system or guest user to apply and track changes to records. As a result, some records may show that they were last updated by system or guest. For example, when a user logs in for the first time in a day, some fields on that user's record are updated by the system user. These fields can include **Last login** and **Last login time**. If a user has a failed login attempt or is locked out, some fields on that user's record are updated by the guest user, such as **Failed Login Attempts** or **Locked Out**. If a record was last updated by the system or by guest users, you can identify the updated fields by enabling auditing for the table. View the audit history to see the changes. For more information, see [Configuring auditing for a table](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/platform-security/t_EnableAuditingForATable.md) and [Knowing about History sets](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/platform-security/c_HistorySets.md).