Certified System Administrator CSA Exam Questions and Answers PDF

In ServiceNow, Dot-Walking is a technique used to retrieve information from referenced fields across different tables. It allows users to access data stored in related records without writing complex scripts.

When a field references another table, dot notation (.) is used to traverse the relationship and retrieve additional information from the referenced table.

It works in forms, lists, reports, workflows, business rules, and scripts.

How Dot-Walking Works:Example 1: Retrieving User Information from an Incident RecordLet's say we have an Incident table where the caller_id field references the User (sys_user) table.

If we need to retrieve the caller’s email address, we use:

caller_id.email

Here’s how it works:

caller_id → References the sys_user table

email → Retrieves the email field from the sys_user record

Example 2: Retrieving Department Name of an Incident CallerTo get the department of the caller, we use:

caller_id.department.name

caller_id → References the User table

department → References the Department table

name → Retrieves the department name

(A) Table-Walking – Incorrect ❌

There is no such term as "Table-Walking" in ServiceNow.

The correct term for referencing related fields is Dot-Walking.

(B) Sys_ID Pulling – Incorrect ❌

The sys_id is a unique identifier for each record in ServiceNow, but pulling sys_ids alone does not retrieve referenced field data.

Dot-Walking allows access to fields in related tables, not just the sys_id.

(C) Dot-Walking – Correct ✅

Dot-Walking is the correct technique used in ServiceNow to access referenced fields across tables.

It is used in scripting, reporting, workflows, Business Rules, and UI Policies.

(D) Record-Hopping – Incorrect ❌

There is no such feature as "Record-Hopping" in ServiceNow.

The correct method for referencing data in related tables is Dot-Walking.

Explanation of Each Option:

Dot-Walking reduces the need for complex queries and makes scripting easier.

Use it in filters, reports, and workflows to dynamically retrieve related data.

Limit excessive Dot-Walking in large tables to avoid performance issues.

Alternative for scripts: If Dot-Walking does not work in advanced scripts, use GlideRecord queries to retrieve referenced records manually.

Additional Notes & Best Practices:

ServiceNow Docs: Understanding Dot-Walking

ServiceNow Community: Best Practices for Dot-Walking

References from Certified System Administrator (CSA) Documentation:

In ServiceNow Knowledge Management, knowledge articles must be in a specific state before they can be visible to end users. The correct state that allows users to view the article is Published.

Understanding Knowledge Article StatesKnowledge articles in ServiceNow go through a lifecycle that includes the following states:

Draft – The article is being created or edited and is not visible to end users.

Review – The article is under internal review by approvers before publication. It remains hidden from users.

Published – The article is approved and publicly available to users who have access to the Knowledge Base.

Retired – The article is no longer relevant or has been replaced. It is not visible to end users.

Only Published articles appear in the Knowledge Base and can be accessed by users.

Articles in Draft, Review, or Retired states are not visible to the general audience.

B. Drafted – Articles in Draft are still being written or edited and cannot be accessed by users.

C. Retired – Retired articles are considered obsolete and are no longer displayed in the Knowledge Base.

D. Reviewed – Articles in Review are under approval but are not yet visible to users.

ServiceNow Docs: Knowledge Article States

ServiceNow CSA Official Training Guide (Knowledge Management Lifecycle & Publishing Workflow)

Why is "Published" the Correct Answer?Why the Other Options Are Incorrect?References from Certified System Administrator (CSA) Documentation:This confirms that a knowledge article must be in the "Published" state to be visible to users in the Knowledge Base.

In ServiceNow Role Management, a role is a collection of permissions that control what users can see and do within the platform.

Role Hierarchy (Role Inheritance)

Roles can contain other roles (known as nested roles).

When a user is assigned a parent role, they inherit all child roles within it.

Example:

The ITIL role includes incident_manager and problem_manager roles.

Assigning ITIL to a user automatically grants them all the permissions of the included roles.

Roles Are Assigned by Administrators

Typically, roles are assigned by a System Administrator or an authorized user.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

ServiceNow uses RBAC to control access to applications, records, and actions.

B. Users can click on the Personalize Role feature to try different roles

Incorrect because users cannot manually switch roles unless they have the impersonation privilege.

C. A role is granted to a user by the System Administrator

Partially correct, but not the best answer because roles can also be assigned via groups or automated processes, not just by a System Administrator.

D. Each user has a role in the ServiceNow platform

Incorrect because not all users must have a role.

Example: A self-service user can access the system without having any specific role.

ServiceNow Docs: Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

ServiceNow CSA Official Training Guide (User & Role Management)

Key Characteristics of Role Assignment:Why the Other Options Are Incorrect?References from Certified System Administrator (CSA) Documentation:This confirms that roles can contain other roles, and when a user is assigned a role, they inherit all roles within it.

ServiceNow uses a hierarchical structure to manage Service Catalog requests:

REQ (Request Record)

The Request (REQ#) is the parent record that represents the entire service request submitted by a user.

It groups all requested items and their associated tasks.

Found in the sc_request table.

RITM (Requested Item Record)

The Requested Item (RITM#) is the specific catalog item ordered by the user within a request.

A single REQ can have multiple RITMs if the user ordered multiple items in a single request.

Found in the sc_req_item table.

TASK (Catalog Task Record)

The Task (TASK#) is the individual fulfillment action required to complete the requested item.

A single RITM can have multiple tasks, each assigned to different fulfillment teams.

Found in the sc_task table.

Why Answer "C" is Correct:✔️ REQ (Number) > RITM (Number) > TASK (Number)

This is the correct path because it follows the ServiceNow fulfillment structure:

REQ (Request) – Tracks the entire request.

RITM (Requested Item) – Tracks individual items within the request.

TASK (Catalog Task) – Tracks the specific tasks needed to complete the requested item.

This path allows an administrator to drill down from the overall Request (REQ#) to individual Requested Items (RITM#) and finally to the Tasks (TASK#) assigned to fulfill those items.

Why the Other Answers Are Incorrect:❌ A. RITM (Number) > REQ (Number) > PROCUREMENT (Number)

Incorrect because the REQ# (Request) comes first before the RITM# (Requested Item).

Also, PROCUREMENT# is not always part of the fulfillment flow unless the item requires procurement (e.g., purchasing hardware).

❌ B. REQ (Number) > RITM (Number) > PROCUREMENT (Number)

Incorrect because not all requests involve procurement.

The last step should be TASK (sc_task), not PROCUREMENT unless it's a procurement-related request.

❌ D. FULFILLMENT (Number) > RITM (Number) > TASK (Number)

Incorrect because "FULFILLMENT" is not a standard record type in ServiceNow.

The correct hierarchy starts with REQ# (sc_request), not "FULFILLMENT."

ServiceNow CSA Study Guide – Service Catalog & Request Fulfillment

ServiceNow Docs: Request Fulfillment Process (ServiceNow Documentation)

ServiceNow Tables & Data Model (sc_request, sc_req_item, sc_task)

References from the Certified System Administrator (CSA) Documentation: