SNOW-CSA Application Rules, ACL and Notifications Practice Question
An ACL has a condition script that returns true if the user is a member of the 'service_desk' group and the record's 'state' is 'New'. The ACL type is 'read'. A user in the 'service_desk' group reports that they cannot see a record with state 'New'. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often assume a condition script without a return statement will default to true or false, but ServiceNow treats undefined as false, causing the ACL to deny access unexpectedly.
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 condition script does not have a default return false statement, so it returns undefined.
In ServiceNow, ACL condition scripts that lack an explicit return statement will return undefined, which is a falsy value. When the condition script returns undefined, the ACL does not grant read access, effectively denying the user from seeing the record even though they meet the intended group and state criteria. This is a common pitfall where developers forget to add a default return true or return false at the end of the script.
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 ACL is defined on a different table that extends 'incident'.
Why it's wrong here
Wrong: ACLs on parent tables apply to child tables.
- ✗
The script uses gs.hasRole('service_desk') which checks role, not group membership.
Why it's wrong here
Wrong: group membership check would be different but the scenario says the user is in group.
- ✓
The condition script does not have a default return false statement, so it returns undefined.
Why this is correct
Correct: A missing explicit false return causes undefined, which is falsy.
- ✗
Another read ACL exists that explicitly denies read access to the 'service_desk' group.
Why it's wrong here
Wrong: No deny ACLs exist; they are only grant.
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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.