CIS-CSM Service Level Agreements — 30 Questions

Question 1

A customer service manager needs a report showing the average duration of Resolution SLAs broken down by Account. Which table should be the source of this report?

Accepted Answer

Task SLA [task_sla]. Task SLA [task_sla] stores instances of SLAs attached to tasks, making it the correct table for reporting on SLA durations and compliance.

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SLA Definition [contract_sla]

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Metric Instance [metric_instance]

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Case [sn_customerservice_case]

Question 2

An administrator needs to modify how SLA stages are displayed on CSM cases. Where are SLA stages primarily defined and managed in ServiceNow?

Accepted Answer

In the SLA Stages [sla_stage] table or choice list on Task SLA stage field. SLA stages are managed via SLA stage configuration records and choice lists on the Task SLA table.

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In the SLA Engine Properties module

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In Service Portal widget configurations

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In the Workflow Editor stage mapping settings

Question 3

An implementation specialist needs to configure an SLA definition in CSM that applies specifically to Case records where the Priority is Critical and the Account is VIP. Which table should the specialist select as the base table for this SLA definition?

Accepted Answer

Task [task]. The Task SLA definition uses the Task table or its extended tables. Since Case extends Task, the Task table is the correct base table, and conditions are used to filter by Priority and Account.

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Case [sn_customerservice_case]

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SLA Definition [contract_sla]

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Customer Account [customer_account]

Question 4

A CSM project requires an SLA to pause whenever a Case is placed in the 'Awaiting Vendor' state. Where must this pause condition be configured so that the Task SLA engine recognizes it?

Accepted Answer

In the SLA Definition record using the Pause condition field. Pause conditions are configured directly within the SLA Definition record using the Pause condition builder.

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In a Business Rule running on the Task SLA table

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In the SLA Workflow using a Timer activity

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In the SLA Definition record using the Pause condition field

Question 5

When setting up Service Level Agreements for CSM, which type of SLA measures the time taken to assign a case to an agent or group?

Accepted Answer

Response SLA. Response SLAs track the time from creation to first response or assignment, whereas Resolution SLAs track total time to close.

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Customer SLA

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Resolution SLA

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Operational SLA

Question 6

An organization wants to trigger a notification to the CSM manager immediately when a Case SLA reaches 75% of its allotted time without being met. Which feature of the SLA engine should be utilized?

Accepted Answer

SLA Percentage Timers or SLA stages configuration. SLA percentages and thresholds are managed via SLA Percentage Timer or SLA workflow milestones, specifically configured using SLA plugin features like SLA Workflows or breach thresholds.

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SLA Properties set in Service Level Management properties

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SLA Workflow with a Workflow Timer set to 75%

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Data Policy enforcing notification fields at 75%

Question 7

When configuring a Service Level Agreement (SLA) for CSM cases, an administrator wants the SLA duration to be calculated using only business hours instead of 24x7. Where should the administrator define these business hours?

Accepted Answer

In the SLA Definition record under the Schedule field. Business hours are defined in the Schedule [cmn_schedule] table and then referenced within the SLA Definition record.

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In the Dictionary entry for the Case priority field

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In the System Properties under com.glide.sla.business_hours

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In the Workflow properties of the attached SLA workflow

Question 8

A CSM case has multiple SLAs attached: Resolution SLA and Response SLA. The Response SLA has breached, but the Case is subsequently resolved within the Resolution SLA timeframe. How does the base system Task SLA engine update the overall Case priority color or indicator?

Accepted Answer

The Case SLA indicator shows 'Breached' because at least one attached SLA has breached.. The system evaluates active SLAs. If any attached SLA breaches, the task SLA indicator generally reflects the worst state (Breached).

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The system automatically cancels the Response SLA breach when the Resolution SLA is met.

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The Case indicator remains normal because the Resolution SLA was met.

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The SLA engine deletes the Response SLA record to keep reporting clean.

Question 9

When a Case is cancelled, what happens to its currently running attached SLAs by default?

Accepted Answer

They are automatically cancelled by the SLA engine.. When a task is cancelled, active task SLAs are automatically cancelled by the SLA engine.

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They are deleted from the database immediately.

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They remain paused indefinitely.

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They continue running until they reach their breach time.

Question 10

Which role is typically required to create and modify SLA Definitions in a CSM implementation?

Accepted Answer

sla_admin or admin. SLA configuration requires specialized administrative privileges, typically provided by the SLA Admin role.

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sn_customerservice_manager

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sn_customerservice_agent

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itil

Question 11

Which condition type in an SLA Definition specifies when the SLA timer should stop counting?

Accepted Answer

Stop condition. Stop conditions dictate when an SLA successfully completes (reaches its target).

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Reset condition

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Pause condition

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Start condition

Question 12

A CSM client requires different SLA durations depending on the SLA Tier associated with the Customer Account. How should the implementation specialist achieve this?

Accepted Answer

Create separate SLA Definitions with appropriate start conditions referencing the Account Tier.. Using dot-walking in the SLA Definition's start/stop conditions or defining separate SLA definitions filtered by account tier.

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Modify the base system SLA Workflow script to query account tiers dynamically.

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Configure a client script to prompt the agent for the duration when the case is opened.

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Write a custom business rule to overwrite the duration field on the task_sla table.

Question 13

An implementation specialist is troubleshooting why an SLA is not attaching to a newly created CSM case. Upon checking the SLA Definition, the specialist notices the 'Target' field is set to 'Resolution'. What is the primary function of the Target field in an SLA Definition?

Accepted Answer

It specifies the type of SLA timer (e.g., Resolution, Response) and sets the metric objective type.. The Target field dictates which type of metric or countdown timer is being evaluated (e.g., Response, Resolution).

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It determines which user group receives breach notifications.

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It restricts the SLA to a specific customer tier.

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It defines the specific workflow that executes when the SLA breaches.

Question 14

Where can a customer service agent view the real-time status and timers of active SLAs attached to a specific Case record?

Accepted Answer

In the Task SLAs related list on the Case form. Agents view attached SLAs on the Case form, typically in a related list named Task SLAs.

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In the SLA Definitions module under System Policy

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In the System Log module

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In the Metric Definitions table list view

Question 15

An enterprise CSM deployment requires that when an SLA reaches its breach time, a high-priority incident is automatically created via an SLA workflow. Which activity should be added to the SLA workflow to achieve this?

Accepted Answer

Create Task activity configured to target the Incident table. The Create Task activity in Workflow editor allows the automated creation of records like incidents when an SLA breaches.

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Notification activity with incident payload mapping

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SLA Breach Action business rule

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Run Script activity using current.insert() on the Incident table

Question 16

A company notices that legacy CSM cases are having their attached SLAs retroactively modified when an administrator updates an SLA Definition. How can an administrator prevent retroactive adjustments to already completed or running SLAs?

Accepted Answer

Uncheck the 'Retroactive' checkbox on the SLA Definition record. The Retroactive start and Retroactive fields control whether past records are re-evaluated, but to protect completed/running SLAs, retroactivity settings must be properly understood.

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Delete the SLA Definition before making updates

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Disable the SLA background worker thread

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Lock the Task SLA table using Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Question 17

During a CSM implementation, an engineer writes a custom script to manually insert a Task SLA record. What core engine feature might be bypassed or corrupted if Task SLAs are created manually instead of letting the SLA engine handle them?

Accepted Answer

Automatic schedule calculation, stage progression, and workflow attachment managed by the SLA engine.. The SLA engine automatically evaluates definitions, conditions, and schedules. Manual creation bypasses schedule calculations and workflow attachments.

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The system will throw a severe security exception due to table-level ACL restrictions.

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Dictionary overrides on the task_sla table will fail to load.

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The scheduled job processor will immediately delete the manually inserted record.

Question 18

What is the purpose of the 'Reset' condition in an SLA Definition?

Accepted Answer

To cancel the existing SLA instance and restart it from the beginning. Reset conditions cause the SLA to cancel its current instance and start a brand new one from zero.

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To retroactively change the duration of the SLA

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To pause the SLA timer until further notice

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To mark the SLA as successfully completed

Question 19

Which SLA stage indicates that the SLA has successfully met its stop condition before the breach time?

Accepted Answer

Completed. Completed is the stage assigned when an SLA stops successfully.

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Cancelled

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Breached

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Achieved

Question 20

An administrator wants to ensure that all CSM cases created for VIP accounts use a specific 4-hour resolution SLA, overriding any other general SLA definitions that might match. How is precedence handled among multiple matching SLA definitions?

Accepted Answer

The SLA Definition with the lowest Order value takes precedence.. SLA definitions can use order fields or specificity to determine precedence when multiple definitions match.

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All matching SLAs attach simultaneously, creating multiple competing timers.

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The system prompts the user to select the correct SLA during case creation.

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ServiceNow processes SLAs alphabetically by name.