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 wants to identify which user last updated a CI record. Which table contains this information?
sys_user
Why wrong: sys_user stores user accounts, not change history.
sys_audit
sys_audit records all changes to records including the user.
sys_ci
Why wrong: sys_ci is not a standard table; CI records are in cmdb_ci_* tables.
sys_metadata
Why wrong: sys_metadata stores system metadata like table definitions, not change logs.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
sys_audit
The sys_audit table stores the audit history of all field-level changes made to CI records, including the user who made the update, the timestamp, and the old and new values. When a CMDB administrator needs to identify the last user to update a CI, querying sys_audit with the appropriate filter on the record's sys_id and ordering by the 'sys_created_on' field descending will reveal the most recent change and its author.
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.
sys_user
Why it's wrong here
sys_user stores user accounts, not change history.
sys_audit
Why this is correct
sys_audit records all changes to records including the user.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
sys_ci
Why it's wrong here
sys_ci is not a standard table; CI records are in cmdb_ci_* tables.
sys_metadata
Why it's wrong here
sys_metadata stores system metadata like table definitions, not change logs.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the table storing the CI record (sys_ci) with the table storing the change history (sys_audit), mistakenly thinking the record itself contains the last updated user field, whereas ServiceNow stores that metadata in the audit trail.
Detailed technical explanation
The sys_audit table is populated automatically by the system audit engine whenever a field on a tracked record is updated; it records the 'user' field as the sys_id of the user who performed the update. To find the last updater, you would query sys_audit with 'documentkey = [CI sys_id]' and order by 'sys_created_on DESC', then look at the 'user' field of the first result. In real-world scenarios, if multiple updates occur in rapid succession, the audit table's 'sys_created_on' timestamp (with millisecond precision) is the definitive way to determine the exact sequence of changes.
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: sys_audit — The sys_audit table stores the audit history of all field-level changes made to CI records, including the user who made the update, the timestamp, and the old and new values. When a CMDB administrator needs to identify the last user to update a CI, querying sys_audit with the appropriate filter on the record's sys_id and ordering by the 'sys_created_on' field descending will reveal the most recent change and its author.
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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