SNOW-CSA Database Administration and CMDB Practice Question
After upgrading to a new version, a CMDB administrator notices that many CI records have been flagged as 'unverified' and their operational status changed. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume the IRE or CMDB Data Manager is responsible for status changes, when in fact the Discovery application's post-upgrade scheduled job is the specific mechanism that resets verification and operational status to force re-validation.
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
✓
A scheduled job from the Discovery application marked CIs as unverified.
After a version upgrade, the Discovery application's scheduled jobs (e.g., 'Discovery Status Update' or 'Operational Status Update') automatically flag CIs as 'unverified' and reset their operational status to 'In Use' or 'Unverified' to force re-validation. This is a built-in safety mechanism to ensure that CIs discovered under the old version's logic are re-assessed under the new version's rules, preventing stale or incorrectly reconciled data from persisting.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
A scheduled job from the Discovery application marked CIs as unverified.
Why this is correct
Discovery can flag CIs as unverified if it fails to identify them.
- ✗
The IRE was reconfigured during upgrade.
Why it's wrong here
IRE reconfiguration is intentional, not typically a side effect.
- ✗
The CMDB Data Manager job ran with incorrect parameters.
Why it's wrong here
Data Manager is for imports, not for changing verification status.
- ✗
The identification and reconciliation rules were updated.
Why it's wrong here
Rule updates are deliberate, not a common cause.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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