Skip to content
Release: Australia · Updated: 2026-03-12 · Official documentation · View source

Search Preview UI for AI Search

The Search Preview UI enables you to test AI Search queries using settings from a selected search application configurationor search profile. Administrator tools help you review search query performance data and feedback, debug queries, and override default query settings for testing purposes.

Note: The new Search Preview UI feature is included with AI Search. It replaces the legacy Search Preview UI that's included with Advanced AI Search Management Tools. The new version provides additional functionality when compared with the legacy version, and offers a revised and cleaner interface.

Access the new Search Preview UI by navigating to AI Search > Preview > Search Preview (New).

Required ServiceNow AI Platform® roles

  • The ais_admin role is required to view and use the Search Preview UI.
  • The impersonator role is required for some AI Search administrator tools.
  • The ais_high_security_admin role is required to bypass search source and content security filtering. For details on this procedure, see Diagnose search result access issues using the Search Preview UI.

Search Preview UI components

Image omitted: search-preview-new-example-q4-2025.png
Sample Search Preview UI screen displaying service issue search query results.
ComponentDescription
1. Preview types listSelect the type of preview you want to view.- Full visual view: preview search query results using the search profile and display settings defined for the search application configuration record selected in the Search Application list. - Text view: preview search query results using a search profile selected in the Search Profile list. When previewing in text view, features from search application configurations, such as auto-complete suggestions, are not available.
2. Search mode list

Select the search mode you want to use for your search query.- Keyword search: Use the legacy keyword search mode to find the best matches for your search query terms. - Hybrid search: Use the hybrid search mode, blending keyword search and semantic vector search to find the best combination of search precision and contextual relevance for your search query.

Note: Hybrid search applies to any indexed source that's included in the semantic index. By default, the following indexed sources ship with preconfigured semantic indexing and work with hybrid search:

  • Knowledge Table indexed source [kb_knowledge table]
  • Catalog Item Table indexed source [sc_cat_item table]
  • Skills indexed source [sys_gen_ai_skill table]
  • All External Content Connectors indexed sources [connector-specific tables] You can manually configure additional indexed sources to be included in the semantic index, extending hybrid search to those sources as well.
3. Search Application / Search Profile list

Select the search application configuration or search profile that you want to apply when previewing search queries.When you select full visual view as the preview type, the name of this list is Search Application and it includes all available search application configurations that have published search profiles with one or more linked search sources.

When you select text view as the preview type, the name of this list is Search Profile and it includes all published search profiles with one or more linked search sources.

Note: If a search profile has unpublished changes, its entry in the list displays a warning icon

Image omitted: icon-warning-circle.png
and shows <code>[DRAFT]</code> after the profile's name. Publish the search profile to see the changes reflected in the Search Preview UI results.</p></td></tr><tr><td>
4. Card view list
Select how you want to display the results from your search query:- Result cards with details: Display search results using EVAM result cards, with a text box for each result showing key details like its relevancy score, language, source table, and source record system_id. - Result cards: Display search results using EVAM result cards, as they appear in search portals and applications. - Raw output: Display the search query response object in JSON format. Individual search results appear in this document as objects in the response object's searchResults array.
5. Search input fieldEnter search query terms and operators in this field. To preview the query's results using settings from the selected search application configuration or search profile, press Enter or select the Submit search icon
Image omitted: search-preview-new-icon-submit-search.png
. To clear the search input field, select the Clear search term icon \[Omitted image "search-preview-new-icon-clear-search-term.png"\] Alt text:. For details on search query syntax and operators, see <a href="../query-language-ais/">AI Search query language</a>.
When you select full visual view as the preview type, this field displays auto-complete suggestions from your selected search application configuration. When you select text view as the preview type, this field does not display auto-complete suggestions.
6. Open Debugger buttonSelect this icon to enable session debugging for AI Search and launch the Script Debugger in a new browser tab. To learn about session debugging and using the Script Debugger, see Enable session debugging for AI Search and Script Debugger and Session Log.
7. Genius Result answersReview the Genius Result answers the search query produces when executed with the selected search application configuration or search profile.Note: Genius Result answers may not appear for all search queries. If multiple Genius Result answers are produced for the search query, they appear in a carousel, with the currently selected answer displayed.
8. AI Search administrator tools

Select the icon for the administrator tool that you want to use:- Summary

Image omitted: search-preview-new-icon-summary.png
</strong></p>

View links to the search query's search profile (and search application configuration, in full visual view). Review overview data on the processing of the search query.

  • Genius Results
    Image omitted: search-preview-new-icon-genius-results.png
    </strong></li>

    View the Genius Result configurations activated for the search query, with those that generated Genius Result answers indicated. Review the set of search results that were sent to the LLM for Genius Result answer generation.

    • Details
      Image omitted: search-preview-new-icon-details.png
      </strong></li>

      View summaries of how stop word, typo handling, and synonym dictionaries affected processing of the search query. Review the list of fields and values from the search query object, filtering to focus on areas of interest.

      • Profile
        Image omitted: search-preview-new-icon-summary.png
        </strong></li>

        Set a user or locale for the search query to test user access to results or view translated documents. Specify user context field values for the search query to test result improvement rule triggers.

        For more details on each administrator tool's output, controls, and fields, see Search Preview admin tools.

9. Filters

View facet filters applicable to your current search results. To filter the query results, select a facet bucket. To remove the filter, clear the facet bucket selection, select Clear at the facet level, or select Clear all. You can hide the filter list by selecting Hide filters and display it again by selecting Show filters.

The filter list contents depend on whether you're previewing results for a search application configuration or a search profile.

  • Search application configuration: The filter list displays facet filters for the facets defined in the search application configuration.
  • Search profile: The filter list displays a facet filter for the source table field.

To learn more about facet filters, see Create a facet in an AI Search application configuration.

10. Search query results

View the results the search query produces when executed with the selected search application configuration or search profile.When viewing result cards, you can page through results by selecting Next or Previous, and use the Sort search results list to choose a sort order for the displayed search results.

When viewing raw output, this section displays the search query response object in JSON format. Select the Search icon

Image omitted: search-preview-new-icon-submit-search.png
to search for a term in the response. Open the More options menu to activate or deactivate syntax highlighting, show or hide the navigation minimap of the full JSON response, or enable or disable word wrap.</p></td></tr></tbody>

Parent Topic:Administering AI Search

sndocs is an independent community mirror and is not affiliated with or endorsed by ServiceNow.

ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

© 2026 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved.

Documentation content is redistributed under the Apache License 2.0 from the ServiceNowDocs repository.