Auto-complete suggestions do not work when typing a value in a reference field

When typing information in a reference field, no results are returned.

• The reference field is not configured correctly in the System Dictionary entry.
• A client-side error has occurred and the functionality of the form has been compromised.

A reference field stores a reference to a field on a separate table. For example, the Caller field on the Incident table is a reference to the User [sys_user] table. When a reference field is defined, a relationship between the two tables is created. Adding a reference field to a form makes the other fields in the referenced table available to the form. For additional information on reference fields, refer to Reference Fields in the ServiceNow product documentation.

By default, a reference field auto-completes as the user types in the field. Administrators can configure additional auto-complete options. A user must have table-level read permission on the referenced table for auto-complete to display any options. To configure auto-complete options, refer to Auto-Complete for Reference Fields in the ServiceNow product documentation. 

Note: The reference field in the system dictionary is now a reference field in Calgary and subsequent releases. Therefore, users can select the referenced table with an auto-complete suggestion instead of entering a table name manually.

To troubleshoot the auto-complete suggestions in a reference field:

1. Verify that the dictionary entry for the reference field is properly configured. For instructions, refer to Verifying the auto-complete suggestions are properly configured.
2. Review client scripts to verify that there are no client-side issues. For instructions, refer to Managing client-side errors.