How to Find the Update Set That Changed Something in ServiceNow

Have you wanted to find the update set something was changed in, but couldn't find it? A colleague has run into a problem where they've been asked to promote changes that someone has done for a catalog item, but they don't know the update set the changes were made in. Another colleague has run into a business rule that was changed, but they don't know the update set that it was changed in. Here's a quick guide on how to find the update set that changed something.

Update set entries (sys_update_xml)

An Update set is made of Customer updates which is the snapshots of record as they get changed.

To search for changes to a record:

Copy the sys_id of the record you want to find update sets for (except for changes to a field [sys_dictionary] or field choices [sys_choice], see below).
Open a list of "Customer updates" [sys_update_xml] by typing "sys_update_xml.list" into the navigator search then pressing ENTER.
Apply a filter to search for changes.

If it's not for a field on a table or choice list, search "Name ENDS WITH (sys_id of your record)".

If It's for a field on a table [sys_dictionary] or a field choice [sys_choice], search "Name ENDS WITH (field name)".

If in doubt, try searching the "Target name" field. You just might find the answer you're looking for.

Version (sys_update_version)

A Version [sys_update_version] is created whenever a configuration is changed. It helps capture a version of the record including a snapshot of the record, and you can even revert back to a specific version.

We can use them to try to find the update set related to the change was made.

Here's a screenshot of the Versions related list at the bottom of the default Business Rule form. Note the Source column which is the update set the version was captured in.