Question 319 of 520

Reporting, SLA and Imports →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

SLA Pause Condition Troubleshooting

This SNOW-CSA practice question tests your understanding of reporting, sla and imports. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.

An SLA is defined to pause when state is 'Awaiting Customer'. The SLA timer continues to run even when the state changes to that value. What should the administrator check first?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.

A
Ensure the business rule that triggers SLA recalculation is active.
Why wrong: Recalculation is important, but if the pause condition never triggered, recalculation won't help.
B
Check the SLA schedule for the 'Pause' field.
Why wrong: SLA schedule defines business hours and excludes pauses; it does not have a 'Pause' field.
C
Verify the SLA pause condition script or condition.
The pause condition specifies when the timer should be paused; if it's incorrect or not evaluating to true, the timer will not pause.
D
Check the SLA metric timeline.
Why wrong: The timeline shows historical timer data but does not indicate the cause of configuration issues.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Verify the SLA pause condition script or condition.

Option C is correct because the SLA timer continues to run despite the state being 'Awaiting Customer', which indicates that the pause condition is not being evaluated correctly. The administrator must first verify the SLA pause condition script or condition to ensure it properly triggers a pause when the state changes to 'Awaiting Customer'. If the condition is misconfigured or not returning true, the timer will not pause as expected.

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.

✗
Ensure the business rule that triggers SLA recalculation is active.
Why it's wrong here
Recalculation is important, but if the pause condition never triggered, recalculation won't help.
✗
Check the SLA schedule for the 'Pause' field.
Why it's wrong here
SLA schedule defines business hours and excludes pauses; it does not have a 'Pause' field.
✓
Verify the SLA pause condition script or condition.
Why this is correct
The pause condition specifies when the timer should be paused; if it's incorrect or not evaluating to true, the timer will not pause.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Check the SLA metric timeline.
Why it's wrong here
The timeline shows historical timer data but does not indicate the cause of configuration issues.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates often confuse the SLA schedule's pause functionality (which pauses based on time) with the pause condition (which pauses based on record state or other criteria), leading them to select Option B instead of C.

Trap categories for this question

Command / output trap
The timeline shows historical timer data but does not indicate the cause of configuration issues.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

In ServiceNow, SLA pause conditions are evaluated via a condition script or a simple condition that must return true for the timer to pause. If the condition uses a script, it must explicitly check the current state (e.g., current.state == 'Awaiting Customer') and return true; a common mistake is using the wrong field name or not referencing the correct GlideRecord object. In real-world scenarios, a misconfigured pause condition can cause SLAs to breach incorrectly, leading to inaccurate reporting and missed service targets.

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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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SNOW-CSA question test?

Reporting, SLA and Imports — This question tests Reporting, SLA and Imports — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Verify the SLA pause condition script or condition. — Option C is correct because the SLA timer continues to run despite the state being 'Awaiting Customer', which indicates that the pause condition is not being evaluated correctly. The administrator must first verify the SLA pause condition script or condition to ensure it properly triggers a pause when the state changes to 'Awaiting Customer'. If the condition is misconfigured or not returning true, the timer will not pause as expected.

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.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

About these practice questions

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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on SNOW-CSA

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. An SLA is defined for incident resolution with a 4-hour breach timer. The SLA should not count time when the incident is in 'Awaiting Customer' status. The administrator has configured a pause condition on the SLA definition. However, when the state changes to 'Awaiting Customer', the SLA timer continues to run. The administrator wants to troubleshoot the issue. What should the administrator check first?

medium

A.Ensure the business rule that triggers SLA recalculation is active.
B.Check the SLA metric timeline.
✓ C.Verify the SLA pause condition script or condition.
D.Check the SLA schedule for the 'Pause' field.

Why C: Option C is correct because the pause condition on the SLA definition is the primary mechanism that stops the breach timer when the incident enters a specific state, such as 'Awaiting Customer'. If the timer continues to run despite the state change, the most likely cause is that the pause condition script or condition is incorrectly configured, not evaluating to true, or missing entirely. The administrator should first verify this condition before investigating other potential issues.

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