Enabling Lightning Knowledge is a one-way Setup action. Plan the record type strategy, data categories, and channel governance before flipping the switch.
- Enable Lightning Knowledge
Setup, Knowledge Settings, Enable Lightning Knowledge. The action is irreversible in new orgs. Practice in a sandbox before flipping in production.
- Design and create record types
Setup, Object Manager, Knowledge, Record Types. Create FAQ, How-To, Known Issue, Product Spec or similar. Limit to 4-5 record types; more is usually too many.
- Configure data category groups
Setup, Data Categories. Build two groups: one for product or content category, one for audience or region. Build the hierarchy carefully; categories cannot be deleted if articles use them.
- Set Data Category Visibility on profiles
For each profile that needs Knowledge access, configure Data Category Visibility explicitly. Default of All is rarely the right choice and leaks internal articles.
- Add the Knowledge component to the Service Console
Lightning App Builder, edit the Service Console case page, drag Knowledge Component into the right rail. Configure auto-suggestion against case Subject and Description.
- Build page layouts per record type
Each record type needs its own layout with the appropriate fields, Article Actions section, and Knowledge-specific publishers.
- Create and publish pilot articles
Create 3-5 pilot articles across record types. Publish to the right channels. Confirm the articles appear in the agent console, the Help Center, and search results.
One-way toggle that activates the KnowledgeArticleVersion object and the Lightning Knowledge UI. Cannot be reversed in new orgs.
Differentiator per article variant (FAQ, How-To, Known Issue). Each gets its own page layout and field set.
Hierarchical grouping for navigation and permission. Up to 5 active category groups per org.
Flat tagging mechanism used in Lightning for navigation and related-articles widgets.
Per-article toggles for Internal App, Customer Portal, Partner Portal, Public Knowledge Base visibility.
- Enabling Lightning Knowledge in a new org is one-way. The decision cannot be reversed. Practice in a sandbox first.
- Classic Knowledge cannot be enabled in new orgs created after 2019. Existing Classic orgs are migrating; new orgs have no choice but Lightning.
- Record types cannot be cleanly deleted once articles use them. Plan the record type model carefully before going to production.
- Data Category Visibility is profile-based, not user-based. Permission sets do not grant data category visibility.
- Channel checkboxes interact with sharing model and Data Category Visibility. Forgetting a channel is the most common reason an article appears missing from the Help Center.