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.
An IT department has a CMDB. Which practice is primarily responsible for ensuring that configuration data is accurate and up to date?
Monitoring and Event Management
Why wrong: Monitoring may discover CIs but does not manage configuration data.
IT Asset Management
Why wrong: IT Asset Management focuses on financial and lifecycle management of assets, not configuration data.
Service Configuration Management
Correct. Service Configuration Management maintains the CMDB and CIs.
Service Desk
Why wrong: Service Desk uses the CMDB but is not responsible for its accuracy.
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
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.
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 may discover CIs but does not manage configuration data.
IT Asset Management
Why it's wrong here
IT Asset Management focuses on financial and lifecycle management of assets, not configuration data.
Service Configuration Management
Why this is correct
Correct. Service Configuration Management maintains the CMDB and CIs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Service Desk
Why it's wrong here
Service Desk uses the CMDB but is not responsible for its accuracy.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse IT Asset Management (ITAM) with Service Configuration Management, but ITAM focuses on financial lifecycle and inventory, while Service Configuration Management owns the logical relationships and technical attributes of CIs in the CMDB.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, Service Configuration Management relies on a defined Configuration Management Plan that specifies the naming conventions, attribute fields, and relationship types (e.g., 'runs on', 'connects to') for each CI class. Regular reconciliation processes compare the CMDB data against discovery tools or manual audits to detect drift, and any discrepancies trigger corrective updates or RFCs. In a real-world scenario, if a network switch is replaced without updating the CMDB, the Service Configuration Management practice would identify the mismatch during a scheduled audit and initiate a change to restore data accuracy.
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
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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 — 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.
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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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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