ITIL4F ITIL Management Practices Practice Question
An organization notices that the CMDB contains outdated information about several configuration items. Which ITIL 4 practice is primarily responsible for maintaining accurate CI data?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse IT Asset Management (which tracks financial and contractual data) with Service Configuration Management (which tracks technical configuration data), leading them to choose Option C even though the CMDB's accuracy is a configuration management responsibility, not an asset management one.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
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 is the ITIL 4 practice responsible for maintaining accurate and reliable information about configuration items (CIs) throughout their lifecycle. It ensures the CMDB reflects the current state of CIs, including relationships and attributes, by controlling updates through defined processes and audits. Outdated CI data directly indicates a failure in this practice's core function of configuration control and status accounting.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Service Configuration Management
Why this is correct
Service Configuration Management is the ITIL practice specifically responsible for ensuring that accurate and reliable information about the configuration of services and their supporting configuration items (CIs) is available. This practice establishes and maintains the Configuration Management Database (CMDB), defining configuration baselines and managing the lifecycle of CIs to reflect their current state. Therefore, addressing outdated information in the CMDB falls directly under its purview, as it governs the integrity and accuracy of configuration data.
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Deployment Management
Why it's wrong here
Deployment Management is primarily focused on moving new or changed hardware, software, documentation, processes, or any other component into live environments. While deployments often involve configuration items and may necessitate updates to the CMDB, the practice's core responsibility is the successful installation and rollout of releases. It does not directly manage the ongoing accuracy or maintenance of the CMDB's data itself, which is a continuous activity beyond the deployment event.
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IT Asset Management
Why it's wrong here
IT Asset Management focuses on the financial and contractual aspects of IT assets throughout their lifecycle, including procurement, utilization, and disposal, to maximize value and manage risks. While IT assets can be configuration items, this practice's primary objective is related to asset ownership, cost, and contractual compliance, not the detailed technical configuration data accuracy within the CMDB. It ensures assets are accounted for, but not necessarily that their technical configuration details are current in the CMDB.
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Change Enablement
Why it's wrong here
Change Enablement ensures that changes are assessed, authorized, and implemented without causing undue disruption to IT services. While changes frequently involve configuration items and may result in updates to the CMDB, the practice itself governs the change process, not the direct management, maintenance, or data integrity of the CMDB as its primary function. It facilitates the controlled introduction of changes, which then might trigger updates to configuration records, rather than managing the CMDB's content directly.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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