SNOW-CSA Database Administration and CMDB Practice Question
An administrator notices that a scheduled job that queries the cmdb_ci table is taking longer than expected. The job uses a glide query with multiple encoded queries. What is the best approach to improve performance without altering the job's results?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume creating a view or using direct SQL will magically speed up queries, but ServiceNow's architecture requires proper indexing on the filtered columns to achieve performance gains without breaking platform security or result integrity.
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
✓
Add an index on the fields used in the encoded query conditions.
Adding an index on the fields used in the encoded query conditions directly reduces the number of rows scanned by the database engine when executing the GlideRecord query. This improves query performance without changing the logic or results of the scheduled job, as indexes only affect data access speed, not the data returned.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a database view on the cmdb_ci table and query the view instead.
Why it's wrong here
A view does not improve performance; indexing the underlying tables is more effective.
- ✓
Add an index on the fields used in the encoded query conditions.
Why this is correct
Indexing the filter fields accelerates query execution.
- ✗
Convert the glide query to a direct database query using System SQL.
Why it's wrong here
Direct SQL bypasses ACLs and is not a supported best practice.
- ✗
Add an index on the sys_created_on field.
Why it's wrong here
This only helps if the query filters or sorts by creation date.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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