SNOW-CSA Database Administration and CMDB Practice Question
A ServiceNow administrator notices that a CI record in the CMDB is not being updated by a scheduled discovery job. The CI is a Linux server that is reachable on the network. Which is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume a reachable CI with a configured discovery source guarantees updates, overlooking how the IRE's class-specific identification rules can prevent reconciliation when the CI class in the CMDB does not match the discovery payload.
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
✓
The CI is classified under a different CI class in the CMDB.
When a CI is classified under a different CI class in the CMDB, the scheduled discovery job may not update it because discovery uses the IRE to match incoming data against existing CIs based on identification rules. If the CI's class differs from what the discovery payload expects, the IRE may fail to reconcile the record, or the update may be directed to a different class table, leaving the original CI unchanged. This is a common cause of apparent update failures when the CI is reachable and the discovery source is correctly configured.
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 discovery source is not configured for this IP range.
Why it's wrong here
This is a possible cause but not the most likely if the CI exists and discovery is running.
- ✗
The Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) is disabled.
Why it's wrong here
IRE is not required for discovery to update existing CIs.
- ✗
The cmdb_ci table ACL is set to private.
Why it's wrong here
ACLs do not prevent discovery from updating CIs.
- ✓
The CI is classified under a different CI class in the CMDB.
Why this is correct
If the CI is misclassified, discovery may update a different record or create a duplicate.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SNOW-CSA practice question is part of Courseiva's free ServiceNow 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 SNOW-CSA exam.