Contracts Query Enhancer

Contract Query Enhancer

Overview

This skill transforms natural language contract search queries into precise ServiceNow queries, enabling users to find contracts without knowing table structures or encoded query syntax. It covers:

• Mapping conversational search terms to contract table fields and encoded query operators
• Resolving vendor names, contract types, and status values to their ServiceNow equivalents
• Translating date expressions ("expiring next quarter", "signed last year") to encoded date queries
• Understanding obligation-specific terminology and mapping to CLM obligation types
• Combining multiple search criteria into optimized compound queries
• Suggesting follow-up queries to refine broad result sets

When to use:

• When users search for contracts using business language rather than field names
• During contract discovery for audits, renewals, or due diligence projects
• When building contract reports that require specific filtering criteria
• When non-technical stakeholders need to find contracts without ServiceNow expertise
• For automated contract monitoring that triggers on natural language conditions

Prerequisites

• Roles: contract_reader, contract_manager, sn_clm.user, or admin
• Plugins: com.snc.contract_management (Contract Management) or com.sn_clm (Contract Lifecycle Management)
• Access: Read access to ast_contract, clm_obligation, core_company, sys_choice tables
• Knowledge: Basic understanding of contract terminology and your organization's contract taxonomy

Query Mapping Reference

Natural Language to Field Mapping

Date Expression Translation

Procedure

Step 1: Parse the Natural Language Query

Analyze the user's search intent and identify the components:

• Entity type: Contract, obligation, clause, or vendor
• Filter criteria: Date ranges, values, statuses, parties
• Sort preference: By date, value, relevance, or risk
• Scope: Single contract, vendor portfolio, or full portfolio

Step 2: Resolve Field Values

Map user terms to ServiceNow choice values and references.

Resolve contract type values:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_choice
  query: name=ast_contract^element=contract_type
  fields: value,label
  limit: 50

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/sys_choice?sysparm_query=name=ast_contract^element=contract_type&sysparm_fields=value,label&sysparm_limit=50

Resolve vendor by name:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: core_company
  query: nameLIKE[search_term]^vendor=true
  fields: sys_id,name,vendor_type
  limit: 10

Step 3: Build the Enhanced Query

Combine resolved values into an optimized encoded query.

Example: "Show me all SaaS contracts with Acme expiring in the next 6 months worth over $100K"

Step-by-step translation:

1. "SaaS contracts" -> contract_type=saas (resolved from sys_choice)
2. "with Acme" -> vendor=[acme_sys_id] (resolved from core_company)
3. "expiring in the next 6 months" -> ends<=javascript:gs.daysAgoEnd(-180)^ends>=javascript:gs.daysAgoEnd(0)
4. "worth over $100K" -> total_cost>100000

Combined query:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: ast_contract
  query: contract_type=saas^vendor=[acme_sys_id]^ends<=javascript:gs.daysAgoEnd(-180)^ends>=javascript:gs.daysAgoEnd(0)^total_cost>100000^active=true
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,vendor,contract_type,starts,ends,total_cost,auto_renew,notice_period,state
  limit: 50
  order_by: ends

Step 4: Execute and Validate Results

Run the query and verify results match the user's intent.

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/ast_contract?sysparm_query=contract_type=saas^vendor=[acme_sys_id]^ends<=javascript:gs.daysAgoEnd(-180)^ends>=javascript:gs.daysAgoEnd(0)^total_cost>100000^active=true&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,vendor,contract_type,starts,ends,total_cost,auto_renew,notice_period&sysparm_limit=50&sysparm_display_value=true

Alternatively, use Natural Language Search for fuzzy matching:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: ast_contract
  query: contract_type=saas^vendor=[acme_sys_id]^ends<=javascript:gs.daysAgoEnd(-180)^ends>=javascript:gs.daysAgoEnd(0)^total_cost>100000^active=true
  limit: 25

Step 5: Search Obligations by Context

Translate obligation-related queries to CLM table searches.

Example: "Find all vendor data protection obligations due this quarter"

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: clm_obligation
  query: obligation_type=vendor_obligation^short_descriptionLIKEdata protection^due_dateBETWEENjavascript:gs.beginningOfThisQuarter()@javascript:gs.endOfThisQuarter()^active=true
  fields: sys_id,short_description,contract,obligation_type,responsible_party,due_date,state,compliance_status,clause_reference
  limit: 50

Step 6: Generate Query Suggestions

Offer follow-up queries to refine results:

Tool: SN-Execute-Background-Script
Parameters:
  script: |
    var suggestions = {
      original_query: 'SaaS contracts with Acme expiring next 6 months over $100K',
      results_found: 0,
      refinement_suggestions: [],
      broadening_suggestions: []
    };

    // Count results
    var ga = new GlideAggregate('ast_contract');
    ga.addQuery('contract_type', 'saas');
    ga.addQuery('active', true);
    ga.addQuery('ends', '<=', gs.daysAgoEnd(-180));
    ga.addQuery('ends', '>=', gs.daysAgoEnd(0));
    ga.addQuery('total_cost', '>', 100000);
    ga.addAggregate('COUNT');
    ga.query();
    if (ga.next()) suggestions.results_found = parseInt(ga.getAggregate('COUNT'));

    if (suggestions.results_found > 20) {
      suggestions.refinement_suggestions = [
        'Add department filter: "...in the Engineering department"',
        'Narrow timeline: "...expiring in the next 30 days"',
        'Add renewal filter: "...with auto-renewal enabled"'
      ];
    } else if (suggestions.results_found == 0) {
      suggestions.broadening_suggestions = [
        'Remove value filter: "SaaS contracts with Acme expiring in 6 months"',
        'Expand vendor: "SaaS contracts expiring in 6 months over $100K"',
        'Expand type: "All contracts with Acme expiring in 6 months"'
      ];
    }

    gs.info('QUERY SUGGESTIONS:\n' + JSON.stringify(suggestions, null, 2));
  description: "CLM: Generate query refinement suggestions based on result count"

Step 7: Build Saved Search Queries

Save frequently used query patterns for reuse:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_filter
  fields:
    title: "Contracts Expiring Next 90 Days - Auto Renew"
    table: ast_contract
    filter: active=true^auto_renew=true^ends<=javascript:gs.daysAgoEnd(-90)^ends>=javascript:gs.daysAgoEnd(0)

Tool Usage

Best Practices

• Always Resolve References: Never pass raw text into reference fields; resolve vendor names and department names to sys_ids first
• Date Safety: Use JavaScript date functions rather than hardcoded dates so queries remain valid over time
• Progressive Refinement: Start with broader queries and offer refinements rather than returning zero results
• Field Validation: Check sys_dictionary before querying non-standard fields to avoid "invalid field" errors
• Display Values: Always request sysparm_display_value=true for user-facing results so reference fields show names
• Compound Queries: For OR conditions, use ^OR or ^NQ (new query) operators; test complex boolean logic carefully
• Performance: Add sysparm_limit to all queries; use indexed fields (number, sys_id, state) as primary filters
• Encoding: URL-encode special characters in REST query parameters, especially ^, =, and date expressions

Troubleshooting

Query Returns No Results When Contracts Exist

Symptom: Natural language query translates correctly but returns zero results Cause: Choice value mismatch (e.g., "saas" vs "SaaS" vs "software_as_a_service") Solution: Always resolve choice values from sys_choice first:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_choice
  query: name=ast_contract^element=contract_type^labelLIKESaaS
  fields: value,label
  limit: 5

Date Queries Return Unexpected Results

Symptom: "Expiring next quarter" returns contracts from the wrong time period Cause: JavaScript date functions use server timezone; gs.daysAgoEnd() counts from today Solution: Verify server timezone with gs.getProperty('glide.sys.date.format'). Use BETWEEN with explicit quarter boundaries for precision.

Vendor Name Does Not Resolve

Symptom: Vendor lookup returns no results for a known vendor Cause: The vendor name in core_company may differ from common usage (e.g., "International Business Machines" vs "IBM") Solution: Use nameLIKE with partial match, or search across name, stock_symbol, and u_dba_name fields.

Examples

Example 1: Renewal Dashboard Query

User Query: "Show me all contracts that auto-renew and need notice within 60 days"

Enhanced Query:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: ast_contract
  query: active=true^auto_renew=true^endsRELATIVELE@dayAgo@-60^endsRELATIVEGE@dayAgo@0
  fields: number,short_description,vendor,ends,notice_period,total_cost,contract_administrator
  limit: 50
  order_by: ends

Example 2: Compliance Audit Query

User Query: "Find contracts with European vendors that don't mention GDPR"

Enhanced Query (two-step):

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: ast_contract
  query: active=true^vendor.country=Germany^ORvendor.country=France^ORvendor.country=Netherlands^terms_and_conditionsNOT LIKEGDPR
  fields: number,short_description,vendor,governing_law,total_cost,ends
  limit: 50

Example 3: Financial Exposure Query

User Query: "What is our total contract spend with technology vendors expiring this year?"

Enhanced Query:

Tool: SN-Execute-Background-Script
Parameters:
  script: |
    var ga = new GlideAggregate('ast_contract');
    ga.addQuery('active', true);
    ga.addQuery('vendor.vendor_type', 'technology');
    ga.addQuery('ends', 'BETWEEN', gs.beginningOfThisYear() + '@' + gs.endOfThisYear());
    ga.addAggregate('SUM', 'total_cost');
    ga.addAggregate('COUNT');
    ga.query();
    if (ga.next()) {
      gs.info('Total contracts: ' + ga.getAggregate('COUNT'));
      gs.info('Total spend: $' + ga.getAggregate('SUM', 'total_cost'));
    }
  description: "CLM: Calculate total spend for technology vendors with contracts expiring this year"

Related Skills

• legal/contract-metadata-extraction - Extract metadata from contract records
• legal/contract-analysis - Full contract risk analysis
• legal/contract-obligation-extraction - Obligation discovery and tracking
• legal/legal-request-triage - Triage contract review requests
• itsm/natural-language-queries - General natural language query techniques