Quick Answer
The answer is the Service Configuration Management practice. This practice is responsible for maintaining the Configuration Management Database (CMDB), which serves as the central repository for all configuration items (CIs) and their relationships. The CMDB ensures that accurate, up-to-date information about IT assets and their interdependencies is available to support incident, problem, and change management activities. On the ITIL 4 Foundation exam, this question tests your understanding of which practice owns the CMDB—a common trap is confusing it with Change Enablement or IT Asset Management, but remember that Service Configuration Management is the only practice focused on the lifecycle of CIs and their logical relationships. A helpful memory tip: think of the CMDB as the "map of your IT services," and Service Configuration Management is the practice that keeps that map accurate and current.
This ITIL4F practice question tests your understanding of itil management practices. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is maintained by which practice?
Monitoring and Event Management
Why wrong: Monitoring does not maintain the CMDB.
Service Desk
Why wrong: Service Desk uses the CMDB but does not maintain it.
Service Configuration Management
Correct. Configuration Management maintains the CMDB.
IT Asset Management
Why wrong: ITAM manages assets, not necessarily in a CMDB.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Service Configuration Management
The Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is the central repository for storing and managing configuration records (CIs) and their relationships. This is the core responsibility of the Service Configuration Management practice, which ensures that accurate and reliable information about CIs is available to support other service management processes.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Monitoring and Event Management
Why it's wrong here
Monitoring does not maintain the CMDB.
Service Desk
Why it's wrong here
Service Desk uses the CMDB but does not maintain it.
Service Configuration Management
Why this is correct
Correct. Configuration Management maintains the CMDB.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
IT Asset Management
Why it's wrong here
ITAM manages assets, not necessarily in a CMDB.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse IT Asset Management with Service Configuration Management because both deal with tracking IT resources, but ITAM focuses on financial lifecycle and ownership (e.g., cost, contract, depreciation) while Service Configuration Management focuses on technical relationships and configuration control (e.g., CI dependencies, versioning).
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the CMDB stores Configuration Items (CIs) such as servers, applications, and network devices, along with their attributes and relationships (e.g., 'runs on', 'connects to'). The Service Configuration Management practice uses the CMDB to support impact analysis, change management, and incident diagnosis by providing a 'single source of truth' for the IT infrastructure. In real-world scenarios, a CMDB might be populated via discovery tools (e.g., ServiceNow Discovery, BMC Discovery) that scan the network using protocols like SNMP, SSH, or WMI, and the practice ensures that this data is reconciled and maintained over time.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the ITIL4F exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
ITIL Management Practices — This question tests ITIL Management Practices — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Service Configuration Management — The Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is the central repository for storing and managing configuration records (CIs) and their relationships. This is the core responsibility of the Service Configuration Management practice, which ensures that accurate and reliable information about CIs is available to support other service management processes.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which ITIL 4 practice is responsible for maintaining the CMDB and ensuring configuration items are accurate?
easyWhy C: Service Configuration Management (C) is the ITIL 4 practice responsible for maintaining the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) and ensuring that Configuration Items (CIs) are accurate, up-to-date, and under controlled management. This practice focuses on defining, recording, and controlling CIs and their relationships, directly supporting the integrity of the CMDB.
Variation 2. An IT department has a CMDB. Which practice is primarily responsible for ensuring that configuration data is accurate and up to date?
hardWhy C: Service Configuration Management (C) is the practice responsible for maintaining accurate and up-to-date configuration data in the CMDB. It ensures that all Configuration Items (CIs) are identified, controlled, and their attributes and relationships are recorded and verified through regular audits and reconciliation processes, directly supporting the integrity of the CMDB.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This ITIL4F practice question is part of Courseiva's free PeopleCert certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the ITIL4F exam.
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