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 runs a report and finds that the count of CIs in a certain class is unexpectedly low. They suspect that some CIs were deleted accidentally. How can they verify this?
Check the sys_audit table for delete records.
sys_audit records all deletions, providing user and timestamp.
Query the sys_archive table.
Why wrong: sys_archive stores archived records, not deleted ones.
Use the CMDB Rollback feature.
Why wrong: CMDB Rollback is for reverting changes, not for checking past deletions.
Restore from backup.
Why wrong: Restoring from backup is drastic and not the first step to verify deletions.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Check the sys_audit table for delete records.
The sys_audit table records all insert, update, and delete operations on CMDB CIs. By querying this table for records with the operation type 'delete' and the affected CI class, the administrator can confirm whether CIs were deleted and identify when and by whom. This is the standard method for auditing historical changes in ServiceNow.
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.
Check the sys_audit table for delete records.
Why this is correct
sys_audit records all deletions, providing user and timestamp.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Query the sys_archive table.
Why it's wrong here
sys_archive stores archived records, not deleted ones.
Use the CMDB Rollback feature.
Why it's wrong here
CMDB Rollback is for reverting changes, not for checking past deletions.
Restore from backup.
Why it's wrong here
Restoring from backup is drastic and not the first step to verify deletions.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse the sys_archive table (which stores retired CIs) with the sys_audit table (which logs deletions), leading them to choose Option B instead of the correct audit trail approach.
Detailed technical explanation
The sys_audit table is a system-level table that captures all audited changes, including the 'record_checkpoint' field that stores the previous state of the record. In a real-world scenario, a CMDB administrator can run a GlideAggregate query on sys_audit with a filter for 'tablename' = 'cmdb_ci' and 'operation' = 'delete' to count deletions per class, then join with sys_user to identify the deleter. This approach avoids the overhead of full backup restoration and provides granular forensic data.
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 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
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FAQ
Database Administration and CMDB — This question tests Database Administration and CMDB — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Check the sys_audit table for delete records. — The sys_audit table records all insert, update, and delete operations on CMDB CIs. By querying this table for records with the operation type 'delete' and the affected CI class, the administrator can confirm whether CIs were deleted and identify when and by whom. This is the standard method for auditing historical changes in ServiceNow.
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
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