- A
Dependency relationship (structural)
Structural dependency is the correct type for service-dependency modeling.
- B
Membership relationship
Why wrong: Membership is used for grouping CIs, not for dependencies.
- C
Ownership relationship
Why wrong: Ownership is for tracking who owns a CI.
- D
Connectivity relationship
Why wrong: Connectivity is for physical or logical network connections.
Question 276 of 520
SNOW-CSA Database Administration and CMDB Practice Question
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 consultant is designing the CMDB for a large enterprise. The company wants to track relationships between business services, applications, and infrastructure components. Which relationship model should be used to represent that a business service depends on an application, which in turn depends on a server?
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
✓
Dependency relationship (structural)
A dependency relationship (structural) is the correct model because it explicitly captures the directional 'depends on' nature of the chain: a business service relies on an application, which in turn relies on a server. In ServiceNow CMDB, structural dependency relationships (e.g., 'Depends on' or 'Used by') are designed to represent these hierarchical, transitive dependencies between CIs, enabling impact analysis and root cause mapping.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Dependency relationship (structural)
Why this is correct
Structural dependency is the correct type for service-dependency modeling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Membership relationship
Why it's wrong here
Membership is used for grouping CIs, not for dependencies.
- ✗
Ownership relationship
Why it's wrong here
Ownership is for tracking who owns a CI.
- ✗
Connectivity relationship
Why it's wrong here
Connectivity is for physical or logical network connections.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap is that candidates confuse 'dependency' with 'connectivity' in ServiceNow, because both involve links between CIs, but connectivity only describes physical or logical network links without the directional 'depends on' semantics required for service impact chains in ServiceNow.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, ServiceNow CMDB uses the 'Depends on' relationship type (sys_relationship_type table) with a directionality flag, enabling the platform to traverse the graph for impact analysis and service mapping. In a real-world scenario, if the server fails, the dependency chain allows the CMDB to automatically calculate that both the application and the business service are affected, triggering CI-based alerts and change risk scoring. This model aligns with ITIL's service dependency mapping and is stored in the cmdb_rel_ci table with a parent-child structure.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Database Administration and CMDB — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SNOW-CSA question test?
Database Administration and CMDB — This question tests Database Administration and CMDB — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Dependency relationship (structural) — A dependency relationship (structural) is the correct model because it explicitly captures the directional 'depends on' nature of the chain: a business service relies on an application, which in turn relies on a server. In ServiceNow CMDB, structural dependency relationships (e.g., 'Depends on' or 'Used by') are designed to represent these hierarchical, transitive dependencies between CIs, enabling impact analysis and root cause mapping.
What should I do if I get this SNOW-CSA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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