SNOW-CSA Database Administration and CMDB Practice Question
This SNOW-CSA practice question tests your understanding of database administration and cmdb. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 CMDB administrator notices that duplicate CIs are being created for the same server from different discovery sources. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The identification rules for the CI class are not correctly defined.
Duplicate CIs occur when multiple discovery sources (e.g., Service Mapping, Discovery, or cloud APIs) identify the same server but the identification rules fail to reconcile them into a single CI. Identification rules define which attributes (such as serial number, MAC address, or FQDN) uniquely identify a CI class. If these rules are missing, incomplete, or incorrectly prioritized, the system treats each discovery event as a new CI, leading to duplicates.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
The identification rules for the CI class are not correctly defined.
Why this is correct
Identification rules determine how CIs are uniquely identified; misconfiguration leads to duplicates.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The 'Prevent duplicates' flag is not enabled.
Why it's wrong here
There is no such flag; duplicates are prevented by identification rules.
✗
The reconciliation rules are misconfigured.
Why it's wrong here
Reconciliation rules handle attribute updates, not CI identification.
✗
The CMDB is set to read-only mode.
Why it's wrong here
Read-only mode would prevent any updates, not cause duplicates.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'identification rules' (which prevent duplicates by uniquely matching CIs) with 'reconciliation rules' (which resolve attribute conflicts after matching), leading them to incorrectly select option C.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Identification rules use a combination of 'Identifier' and 'Dependent' CI attributes to compute a unique hash (the 'Globally Unique Identifier' or GUID) for each CI. When a discovery source submits a new CI, the system checks if a CI with the same GUID already exists; if the identification rule is misconfigured (e.g., missing a critical attribute like 'serial_number' for a Server class), the hash will differ even for the same physical server, causing a duplicate. In real-world scenarios, this often happens when a server is discovered by both a network-based probe (using IP and MAC) and an agent-based probe (using hostname and OS), and the identification rule does not include both MAC and hostname as identifiers.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the SNOW-CSA 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Database Administration and CMDB — This question tests Database Administration and CMDB — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The identification rules for the CI class are not correctly defined. — Duplicate CIs occur when multiple discovery sources (e.g., Service Mapping, Discovery, or cloud APIs) identify the same server but the identification rules fail to reconcile them into a single CI. Identification rules define which attributes (such as serial number, MAC address, or FQDN) uniquely identify a CI class. If these rules are missing, incomplete, or incorrectly prioritized, the system treats each discovery event as a new CI, leading to duplicates.
What should I do if I get this SNOW-CSA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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