Certified System Administrator CSA Book

When importing data into ServiceNow,data integrity and accuracyare critical. ServiceNow recommendscleaning and verifyingdatabefore importingit into the system.

Obsolete or inaccurate datacan cause duplicate or incorrect records.

Pre-cleaningensures onlyrelevant, high-quality datais loaded into ServiceNow.

Improves system performanceby preventing unnecessary data clutter.

Identify and remove obsolete records(e.g., inactive users, old assets).

Fix formatting issues(e.g., date formats, duplicate values).

Verify data mappingsto ensure correct field alignment.

Use a small test importbefore a full-scale import.

Best Practice: Clean Data Before ImportingRecommended Pre-Import Steps:

A. Adjust your Transform maps, after the data is loaded into the target table →Incorrect

Transform Mapsshould be setbefore importing, not after.

Adjusting them afterward may requirereloading data.

B. Use extremely large Import Sets, instead of multiple large Import Sets →Incorrect

Large imports can causeperformance issues.

Best practice: Useincremental importswith data validation.

C. Create a new Import Set table for each new data load →Incorrect

Reusing Import Set tablesis more efficient.

New tables are neededonly for major structural differences.

E. Monitor data quality and clean imported data, using the Data Scrub Workspace →Incorrect

No such featureas " Data Scrub Workspace " exists in ServiceNow.

Datashould be cleaned before importing, not after.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect?

Best Practices for Importing Data

Preparing Data for Import

In ServiceNow,wildcardsare used to filter lists effectively. To search for records whereShort Description contains " email " , use theasterisk (*) wildcard.

Click the List Magnifier (???? ) to enable column search.

In the " Short Description " column search box, type:

Steps to Filter a List for " email " in Short Description:CopyEdit

*email

Press Enterto apply the filter.

*email→ Finds any record where " email " appearsanywherein theShort Description.

email*→ Finds records where " email " is at thebeginningof theShort Description.

*email*→ Also works but is redundant, as*emailalready searches within the text.

A. Click List Magnifier, on Short Description, type “email”, click enter →Incorrect

Typing just " email " only searches for an exact match, not occurrenceswithinthe text.

C. Click List Magnifier, on Short Description, type email, click enter →Incorrect

Same issue as (A) – it doesnotuse a wildcard, so it only returns exact matches.

D. On Search box, select text, type email, click enter →Incorrect

Theglobal search barisnot column-specific, meaning it searches across multiple tables, not justShort Description.

Using List Filters and Wildcards

ServiceNow Search Wildcards

Why Wildcards Matter?Why Other Options Are Incorrect?Official ServiceNow Documentation Reference:

Access Control Rules (ACLs)in ServiceNow define security rules thatcontrol user permissionsforviewing, creating, updating, and deletingrecords in the system. These rules ensure that users can onlysee and interact with the data they are authorized to access.

D. Access Control Rules

ACLsdefine security restrictionsat thefield, table, and record level.

These rules useconditions, scripts, and role-based permissionsto enforce security.

Example: A user with theitilrole may view incidents, but only users with theadminrole can delete them.

A. Role Assignment Rules

ServiceNowassigns roles to users, butroles alone do not define security rules.

ACLs controlwhat users can do, whilerolesonly grant potential access.

B. CRUD Rules

CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete)definespermission types, butnot security rules.

ACLs enforce CRUD operations based on roles and conditions.

C. Scripted User Rules

No such term as " Scripted User Rules " in ServiceNow security.

Possibly confused withScripted ACLs, which are part of Access Control Rules.

E. User Authentication Rules

Authentication rules controluser login mechanisms(LDAP, SSO, OAuth) but donot define access to data.

ACLs managedata security, while authentication ensuresusers are who they claim to be.