Pass the ServiceNow CIS-Data Foundations (CMDB and CSDM) CIS-DF Questions and answers with CertsForce

When building advanced CMDB queries usingCMDB Query BuilderinServiceNow, the correct approach is to modelCI scope,relationships, andtask contextexplicitly on the canvas.

To limit results to databases in a specific location, the administrator mustfilter the Database CI nodeby the Location attribute. Therefore,Option Cis required to scope the query toDatabase CIs where Location = Seattle.

To includeIncidents related to those databases, the Incident table must be added from theNon-CMDB Tableslist and linked through thetask_cirelationship. This is exactly whatOption Aprovides. CMDB Query Builder separates CMDB tables (CIs) from task and transactional tables, so incidents must be explicitly added from the Non-CMDB section.

Option B is incorrect because property columns on Application Services do not scope databases or incidents. Option D is unnecessary because relationship depth alone does not include non-CMDB task data and does not filter by location.

Thus, the correct actions areA (add Incident table)andC (filter Database by location).

Managing CMDB data volume is a keyData Foundations governanceobjective. Over time, CMDBs naturally accumulate retired, obsolete, or decommissioned CIs. If these records are not properly managed, they degrade CMDB performance, reduce reporting accuracy, and negatively impact discovery reconciliation and health scores.

Archive Policiesare the mechanism designed to address this challenge. They definewhen CI records should be archived or deletedbased on lifecycle state, age, or retention requirements. By automating archival and cleanup, archive policies ensure that onlyrelevant, active CIsremain in the operational CMDB, keeping data volume manageable and performant.

Business Rules (Option A) are used to enforce logic during record creation or updates, not for long-term data volume control. Scheduled Jobs (Option B) may execute tasks, but without archive policies they have no governance logic to determinewhatshould be removed or retained.

Archive policies work in conjunction withCMDB Data Managerto enforce lifecycle-based retention and cleanup, making them the correct and verified answer.

Therefore,Option C – Archive Policiesis correct.

When usingImport Sets and Transform Mapsto ingest data into the CMDB, it is critical that records are processed through theIdentification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE)to prevent duplicates and enforce source precedence. InServiceNow, this is achieved by invoking the IREafterthe transform logic has completed.

TheonAftertransform script is the correct place to call the IRE API. At this stage, the transformed data has already been mapped and prepared, allowing the IRE to correctly identify whether a CI already exists and reconcile updates according to defined rules.

TheonBeforeandonStartscripts execute too early—before data mapping is complete—making them unsuitable for IRE processing. TheonCompletescript runs after the entire import job finishes and is not intended for per-record CI identification and reconciliation.

Because Import Sets can bypass IRE if not configured correctly, using anonAfter scriptis a critical Data Foundations safeguard when this ingestion method is chosen.

Therefore, the correct answer isC – onAfter.

In theCommon Service Data Model (CSDM), the Incident form is designed to captureoperational impactand enableeffective incident routing, prioritization, and communication. To achieve this, CSDM prescribes using classes that representhow services are delivered and consumed, not how they are planned or governed.

Application Service(Option A) is an appropriate class on the Incident form because it represents thetechnical service that is running in productionand is directly impacted during an incident. Application Services are service-mapped, relate to underlying infrastructure, and support impact analysis, root cause investigation, and automated assignment. This makes them ideal for associating incidents with technical outages or degradations.

Service Offering(Option C) is also appropriate because it representshow a service is consumed by users or business units. Service Offerings allow Incident Management to understandwho is affected, enable targeted communications, and support SLA/OLA alignment. For example, an email service offering for a specific department clearly identifies the impacted consumer group.

Business Application(Option B) isnotrecommended on the Incident form. Business Applications are logical representations used for portfolio, ownership, and governance purposes, not day-to-day operational incident handling. Using them directly on incidents can reduce precision and automation.

Service Portfolio(Option D) is a strategic construct used for service lifecycle management and is never associated with operational incidents.

Therefore, according to CSDM best practices, the correct classes used on the Incident form areApplication ServiceandService Offering, makingOptions A and Cthe correct answers.

In a healthcare environment, identifyingwho is impactedduring a critical incident is essential to patient safety and continuity of care. Within theCommon Service Data Model (CSDM), the most effective way to determine impacted users is throughService Offerings, particularly when they are definedby department or location.

Service Offeringsrepresent how a service is consumed by specific user groups. In this case, a patient management system may have different offerings for departments such as Emergency, Inpatient Care, or Outpatient Services, or be scoped by hospital location. These offerings explicitly defineconsumer context, allowing incident responders to immediately identify which clinicians, staff, or facilities are affected.

Option D (Affected CI related list) identifies technical impact but does not translate that impact intouser or consumer context. Option A provides historical insight but does not identify current impacted users. Option C (service environment) helps differentiate production vs non-production but does not identifywhois impacted.

By leveragingService Offerings by Department or Location, the provider can quickly notify the right users, prioritize response based on clinical impact, and coordinate mitigation effectively—aligning with CSDM and ITIL best practices.

Therefore, the correct answer isB – Service Offerings by Department or Location.

This question tests understanding ofreconciliation source priorityin theIdentification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE)inServiceNow.

In reconciliation rules,lower numeric values represent higher priority. Therefore, the priority order is:

ServiceNow (100)– highest authority

Altiris (200)

SCCM (300)– lowest authority

Why A is correct

BecauseAltiris (200)hashigher priority than SCCM (300), data from Altiriscan update records originally inserted by SCCM. This is exactly how reconciliation precedence works—higher-priority sources can overwrite lower-priority ones.

Why C is correct

SCCM, even though it has thelowest priority, is still anauthorized discovery source. Itcan insert new recordsinto the Windows Server table when no existing CI is identified. Priority only affectsupdates, not the ability to create records.

Why B is incorrect

ServiceNow (priority 100)can update records from Altiris and SCCMbecause it has the highest priority. The statement incorrectly claims it cannot.

Why D is incorrect

SCCM doesnothave the highest authority. Ahigher numeric value means lower priority, so SCCM cannot update records created by higher-priority sources.

Within theCommon Service Data Model (CSDM), regulatory, security, and compliance-related information—especially forPII and PCI—must be modeled at thebusiness and information level, not at the infrastructure or service offering level. The correct location for this data isBusiness Applications combined with Information Objects.

Business Applicationsrepresent the logical applications that support business capabilities and processes. Since compliance obligations (such as GDPR, PCI-DSS, or HIPAA) are assessed based on how the business uses data—not how many servers host the application—this is the correct anchor point for audit-relevant context.

Information Objectsare explicitly designed to capturewhat data is processed, stored, or transmittedby an application, including data classifications such as PII, PCI, PHI, or confidential business data. They allow organizations to document regulatory scope, retention rules, encryption requirements, and audit controlswithout overloading CI recordsor polluting infrastructure classes.

Option A is incorrect because Technical Service Offerings and Groups focus on operational support and service delivery, not regulatory data context. Option C is also incorrect because Customer Service Offerings describe how services are consumed, while databases are technical components; neither is the authoritative place for compliance definitions.

Therefore,Business Applications and Information Objectsare the correct CSDM constructs to support audits and regulatory compliance, makingOption Bthe correct answer.

InServiceNow, validating whether Configuration Items (CIs) still exist is a coreCMDB governanceactivity. Over time, environments change rapidly—servers are decommissioned, cloud resources are torn down, and applications are replaced. If existence validation is not enforced, the CMDB quickly fills with obsolete or “ghost” CIs.

Attestation policiesare specifically designed to address this need. An attestation policy automatically generates and assigns tasks to responsible users or groups, asking them toconfirm that a CI still exists and is still relevant. This process focuses on acknowledgment rather than deep data validation, making it lightweight and scalable across large CMDBs.

Certification policies (Option A) are used whenspecific attributes must be validated, such as lifecycle status, support group, or environment. While important for data correctness, certification is not intended solely to confirm CI existence. Delete (Option B) and Retire (Option C) policies are lifecycle actions that remove or transition records, but they do not validate existence before taking action.

Attestation integrates cleanly with CMDB Workspace, assigns tasks automatically, and supports auditability—ensuring accountability for CI ownership. This makes it the correct and Data Foundations–aligned policy type for validating CI existence.

Therefore,Option D – Attestationis the correct answer.

CMDB 360 / Multisource CMDBextends the standard IRE by enablingDynamic Reconciliation Rules, which determine attribute values dynamically based on incoming data patterns rather than fixed source priority.

Within theCreate Reconciliation Rulewizard, two supporteddynamic rule typesare:

Most Reported(Option B): selects the attribute value that is reported most frequently across all sources. This is useful when multiple sources contribute data and consensus is a strong indicator of correctness.

Last Updated(Option C): selects the most recently updated value, which is useful for rapidly changing attributes such as IP address or operational state.

Option A (Smallest Value) and Option D (Last Created) are not supported dynamic reconciliation rule types in ServiceNow.

Dynamic reconciliation rules are particularly valuable in complex, multisource environments where rigid source precedence is insufficient anddata confidence must be inferred.

Therefore, the correct answers areB – Most ReportedandC – Last Updated.

TheCMDB Data Manageris the ServiceNow capability responsible for generatingactionable governance tasksand assigning them to CI class owners and data stewards. These tasks appear directly in the“My Work”tab within the CMDB Workspace, enabling proactive and role-based CMDB governance.

CMDB Data Manager focuses ondata lifecycle management, including archival, retirement, and cleanup of CIs based on defined policies. When lifecycle rules or retention thresholds are met—or when human validation is required—the Data Manager creates tasks to prompt responsible owners to take action. This ensures that CMDB data remainsaccurate, compliant, and leanover time.

TheCMDB Health Dashboard(Option C) provides visibility into health metrics such as completeness, correctness, and compliance, but it doesnot generate tasks. Similarly,De-duplication templates(Option A) support duplicate identification and remediation workflows, but they do not create ongoing governance tasks in the CMDB Workspace.

By surfacing tasks in “My Work,” CMDB Data Manager operationalizes governance and embeds accountability into daily workflows, which is a key principle of CMDB Data Foundations.

Therefore, the correct answer isOption B – CMDB Data Manager.