ServiceNow CSA - ServiceNow Certified System Administrator

Performance Analytics (PA)in ServiceNow allows users tocreate dashboards with widgetsthatvisualize trends over timeto monitor and improve processes.

Key Features ofPerformance Analytics:

✔Data Visualization:Users can track KPIs, measure performance trends, and create meaningful insights.

✔Dashboards & Widgets:Custom dashboards with interactive widgets display real-time analytics.

✔Historical & Trend Analysis:Unlike standard reports, PAanalyzes trends over time, helping organizations improve their services.

✔Predictive Insights:Uses historical data toidentify patternsand drive informed decisions.

A. Analytics Reports

No such feature existsin ServiceNow under this name. The correct term isPerformance Analytics.

C. Scheduled Reports

Scheduled reports allow users toautomate report delivery, but they donotprovideinteractive dashboardsortrend analysis.

D. Reporting

Standard Reportingprovidessnapshot views of databut does not supporttrend analysisover time likePerformance Analytics.

ServiceNow providesover 25 report typesto visually represent data for analysis and decision-making. Reports can becharts, tables, or trend graphs, depending on the data set.

A. Pie

A circular chart thatshows proportionswithin a whole.

Example:Distribution of Incidentsby category (Hardware, Software, Network).

B. Speedometer

Agauge-style reportthat represents values within a range (low to high).

Example:Incident SLA Compliance Percentage.

C. Odometer

A report type similar to aSpeedometer, but shows asingle metric value.

Example:Number of Open Tickets in a Queue.

E. Horizontal Bar

Displaysbars horizontally, ideal for comparingmultiple categories.

Example:Number of Incidents per Assignment Group.

G. Donut

Similar to aPie Chart, but with ahole in the middle.

Example:Percentage of Change Requests by Risk Level (Low, Medium, High).

D. Thermometer

Not a standard ServiceNow report type.

No officialthermometer-stylereports exist.

F. Semi-Donut

Not a standard report type in ServiceNow.

ServiceNow supportsPie, Donut, and Speedometer, but not "Semi-Donut".

InServiceNow Catalog Item Workflows, anapproval processoften includes aManager Approval step, which typically requires the requester'smanager(as defined in thesys_userrecord) to approve the request.

IfBob Smith's user record does not have a manager specified, the systemcannot determine who should approve the request, which may result in the approval step beingskipped.

A. There is a business rule, excluding Bob Smith from any approvals.

While business rules can affect approvals, it isunlikelythat a rule would exist specifically to exclude Bob Smith unless explicitly configured, which is uncommon.

B. Bob Smith does not have a delegate set up on his account.

Delegates areoptionaland only apply when a manager is unavailable. This does not affect whether the approval is skipped.

D. The manager does not have a delegate assigned.

A delegate only comes into play if an approveris out of officeor unavailable. This does not impact whether an approval isskipped entirely.

E. Bob Smith is a VIP.

Being marked as aVIPdoes not automatically bypass approval workflows. Approval processes follow defined rules in workflow configurations.

✔The Context Menuin ServiceNow provides quick access to actions related to a list, form, or column.

Ways to Open the Context Menu:

Select the Context Menu icon (✔A)– Located at the top of lists and forms.

Right-click on the list, form, or column heading (✔D)– Opens the menu for quick actions.

Option B (Double click on the list, form, or column heading)is incorrect because double-clicking typicallyedits inline fields.

Option C (Use Ctrl+M command)is incorrect because no such shortcut exists.

Option E (Select the Context Menu related link)is incorrect because there is no such link in ServiceNow.

📌Reference:ServiceNow UI Navigation & Context Menus

InServiceNow, impersonation allows administrators toact as another userto troubleshoot, test permissions, or verify user experiences.

Tolog impersonation eventsin theSystem Log, the system property:

CopyEdit

glide.sys.log_impersonation

must beaddedand set totrue(true).

Key Features ofglide.sys.log_impersonation:Logswho impersonated whomin theSystem Log.

Capturestimestamp, user details, and session activity.

Helps withauditing and security compliance.

Navigate toSystem Definition > System Properties.

Search forglide.sys.log_impersonation.

If it doesn’t exist, create it:

Name:glide.sys.log_impersonation

Type:True/False

Value:true

Save the property and test impersonation.

How to Enable Impersonation Logging:

A. glide.user_setting →Incorrect

Not related to impersonation logging.

Deals withuser preferences and settings.

B. glide.sys.all_impersonation →Incorrect

No such property exists in ServiceNow.

D. glide.impersonation_setting →Incorrect

Incorrect property name; does not exist.

E. glide.sys.admin_login →Incorrect

Logsadmin logins, not impersonation events.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect?

Impersonating Users in ServiceNow

System Logs & Impersonation Tracking

Official ServiceNow Documentation Reference:

In ServiceNow,data policiesenforce rules to ensure data consistency and integrity across the platform. They can be applied at both theserver-sideandclient-side, even outside the standard UI (such as data imports and APIs).

Incident numbers should be read-only on all lists and forms, for all users.

Data policies can enforce field read-only rules globally.

TheIncident number (Number field) is typically auto-generatedand should not be editable by users. A data policy can ensure it remains read-only across all interfaces.

Short Description field should be mandatory, on all records, across all applications, on insert.

Data policies can make a field mandatory across the system, not just on specific forms.

UnlikeUI policies(which work only in forms), adata policy ensures this rule applies even during imports and API updates.

B. Dictionary Design Policy– No such policy exists in ServiceNow.

C. Data Quality Policy– This isnot a defined policy typein ServiceNow.

D. Field Criteria Policy– Not a recognized policy type in ServiceNow.

ServiceNow Data Policies Overview

ServiceNow CSA Training Module:"Data Policies vs. UI Policies – When to Use Each"

How Data Policies Apply to This Scenario:Why Other Answers Are Incorrect:References from Certified System Administrator (CSA) Official Documentation:

In ServiceNow,rolesdetermine what users can see and do within the platform.

The IT useronly sees the Self-Service homepageinstead of the full ServiceNow interface, including task records.

This suggests that their accountdoes not have the necessary role(s) to access task records.

Issue:Why the Correct Answers?D. Their user account does not have the itil role

Theitil roleis required to work with ITSM task records (e.g., Incidents, Problems, Changes).

Without this role, usersonly have access to the Self-Service portal.

E. Their user account does not belong to any groups, which contain the itil role

Even if a user is not directly assigned theitil role, they can inherit itthrough a group membership.

If theiruser account is not part of an ITSM-related groupthat has theitil role, they will not be able to access tasks.

A. Their user account failed LDAP authentication →Incorrect

If LDAP authentication failed, the userwould not be able to log in at all.

In this case, theyare logged in but only see Self-Service, meaning authentication is not the issue.

B. Their user account is not logged in properly →Incorrect

If the login was incorrect, they would belogged out or receive an error message.

The issue here isa lack of permissions, not a login failure.

C. Their user account was not approved by their manager →Incorrect

Manager approval is not required for standard ITSM roles and access.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect?

User Roles in ServiceNow

Assigning Roles and Group Memberships

Official ServiceNow Documentation Reference:

InTable Builder, only users with appropriate permissions can modify form layouts.

✔Theadmin role(Option C) has full access to configure forms, tables, and relationships.

✔Thepersonalize_form role(Option A) allows users to configure form layouts, but not table structures.

Option B (app_engine_admin)is incorrect because this role is used for managing custom applications, not form layouts.

Option D (read_only_user)is incorrect because it does not grant any configuration permissions.

Option E (support_specialist)is incorrect because it is typically forsupport personnelwho handle incidents and cases, not form design.

📌Reference:ServiceNow Platform Administration – Roles & Permissions

To track and manageinfrastructure componentsthat support aneCommerce service, a customer needs tools that providevisibility into IT assets, relationships, and dependencies.

B. Configuration Management (CMDB)

TheCMDBis a central repository that stores information aboutConfiguration Items (CIs)such as servers, databases, applications, and network devices.

Helpstrack relationshipsbetween components supporting the eCommerce service.

Example:Tracking which servers host the online store application.

D. Discovery

Discoveryautomatically identifies and updatesIT assets and infrastructurein the CMDB.

Scanson-premise and cloud environmentsto find servers, applications, and databases.

Example:Detecting newly deployed servers supporting the eCommerce platform.

E. Service Mapping

Service Mappingbuilds avisual mapof how infrastructure components (CIs) relate to abusiness service.

Helps identifydependenciesbetween applications and underlying infrastructure.

Example:Mapping how web servers, databases, and payment systems interact to support eCommerce transactions.

A. Performance Analytics

Performance Analytics (PA)is used fortrend analysis and reporting, but it doesnot track infrastructure components.

PA could beused laterto analyze eCommerce performance, but itdoes not discover or track components.

C. Financial Management

Financial Management(NowITFM or TBM) tracksIT costs and budgets, notinfrastructure components.

It helpsanalyze IT spendingrelated to infrastructure but doesnot provide technical trackingof eCommerce components.

To monitor which users are performing impersonations in a ServiceNow instance, administrators can activate thesystem propertyglide.sys.log_impersonation. When enabled, this property logs impersonation activities in the system logs, providing full traceability of who is impersonating whom.

Here’s how it works:

By default, impersonation is not loggedunless this system property is explicitly activated.

Once enabled, all impersonation activities are recordedin thesyslogtable (System Log > All), making it easy to track when and by whom impersonations were performed.

This helps in security audits and compliance tracking, ensuring that only authorized users impersonate others in the system.

🔹Steps to Enable Logging of Impersonations:

Navigate toSystem Definition > System Properties.

In the filter navigator, search forglide.sys.log_impersonation.

Set the value totrue.

Save the changes.

🔹Alternative Verification Methods:

Check logs manually: Navigate toSystem Logs > Alland filter logs bymessagecontaining"impersonation".

Audit the impersonation role assignments underSystem Security > Roles.

📌Reference:

ServiceNow KB Article:KB0717055 – How to Log Impersonations

ServiceNow Docs: Logging and Monitoring in ServiceNow