Knowledge Sidebar
A Service Cloud console component in Salesforce Classic that displays suggested Knowledge articles alongside a case record.
Definition
A Service Cloud console component in Salesforce Classic that displays suggested Knowledge articles alongside a case record. It automatically surfaces relevant articles based on case fields to help agents find answers quickly.
In plain English
“The Knowledge Sidebar was a Service Cloud Classic console component that automatically showed suggested Knowledge articles next to a case based on the case's content. It was the Classic equivalent of what Knowledge One and Article Recommendations do in Lightning today.”
Worked example
Brookwell Software's veteran service team still works in Salesforce Classic with the Knowledge Sidebar enabled in the Service Console. When an agent opens a Case, the Knowledge Sidebar in the right rail surfaces 4-5 articles auto-suggested by Salesforce based on the Case's subject and description - a 2014-era version of what Lightning's Knowledge One and Article Recommendations do today. The team finds it valuable; until the company finishes its Classic-to-Lightning migration, the Knowledge Sidebar continues to surface relevant articles inline with the agent's work.
Why Knowledge Sidebar matters
The Knowledge Sidebar was a Service Cloud console component in Salesforce Classic that displayed suggested Knowledge articles alongside a case record. It automatically surfaced relevant articles based on case fields like subject, description, and category, helping agents find answers quickly without manual searching. The sidebar was integrated into the Classic Service Cloud Console experience.
Knowledge Sidebar is Classic-only and has been superseded by Knowledge One in Lightning Experience plus Einstein Article Recommendations for AI-driven article surfacing. The modern combination provides better functionality (richer search, AI suggestions, full-lifecycle Knowledge management) and is integrated into the Lightning Service Console. Encountering Knowledge Sidebar in an org is a strong signal of Classic usage and an opportunity to migrate to Lightning.
How organizations use Knowledge Sidebar
Helps clients still on Classic plan their Lightning migration, replacing Knowledge Sidebar with Knowledge One and Einstein Article Recommendations.
Treats Knowledge Sidebar references as a Classic-era signal that Lightning migration is overdue.
Migrated from Knowledge Sidebar to Knowledge One during their Lightning rollout, gaining AI-powered article suggestions in the process.
Test your knowledge
Q1. What was the Knowledge Sidebar?
Q2. What replaces Knowledge Sidebar in Lightning?
Q3. Should you use Knowledge Sidebar today?
Discussion
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