ServiceNow CIS-PA Certified Implementation Specialist - Platform Analytics Exam Practice Test

ABreakdown Sourcedefines how data isclassified into distinct breakdown elementsfor analysis. It identifies the table and field (or script) used to generate the unique values—such as categories, priorities, assignment groups, or buckets—that segment indicator scores.

Default element filters are configured on the Breakdown, not the Breakdown Source. Indicators are linked to Breakdowns through Breakdown Mappings, not selected at the source level. While bucket-based sources support non-categorical data, their core purpose remains identifying unique breakdown elements. ServiceNow documentation emphasizes that the Breakdown Source is responsible for definingwhere breakdown values come from and how they are identified, making option C the correct answer.

ServiceNow best practice recommends running Performance Analytics data collections using a dedicated service account specifically created for analytics processing. This ensures consistent permissions, predictable access to data, and improved auditability.

Running collections as individual admins can introduce permission inconsistencies if roles change. The maint account is intended for system upgrades and maintenance, not scheduled analytics jobs. A dedicated Performance Analytics service account minimizes operational risk and aligns with ServiceNow security and governance guidelines.

ServiceNow documentation emphasizes the importance of service accounts for background processing, making option C the correct and recommended choice.

When aBucket Groupis used as a Breakdown Source in Platform Analytics, the requiredFacts tableisBucket [pa_buckets]. Bucket Groups define how numeric or duration values (such as age, time, or cost ranges) are grouped, but they do not store analytics facts themselves. The actual bucketed values generated during data collection are stored in thepa_bucketstable, which makes it the authoritative facts table for bucket-based breakdowns.

Thepa_bucket_groupstable only stores configuration metadata for bucket definitions. Thesys_choicetable is used exclusively for choice list values and is unrelated to bucket analytics. The Indicator Facts table stores indicator scores but does not contain bucket-level breakdown data. ServiceNow documentation explicitly states that any breakdown based on bucket groups must reference thepa_bucketstable to ensure accurate historical analysis and proper breakdown rendering. Therefore, option C is the only correct answer.

In Performance Analytics scripted indicators, certainsystem-provided variablesare automatically available without being explicitly defined in the Fields list. The variablesscore_startandscore_endrepresent thestart and end timestampsof the reporting period for which the indicator score is being calculated. These variables are essential for time-aware calculations and historical accuracy.

Fields such as sys_created_on and sys_updated_on must be explicitly added to the Fields list if they are used in scripts. collection_job_start and collection_job_end are not available script variables in indicator calculations. ServiceNow documentation clearly identifies score_start and score_end as built-in variables available to Performance Analytics scripts, making optionsB and Fthe correct answers.

In Platform Analytics, aBreakdownis used togroup or filter indicator scoresbased on specific attributes, such as priority, category, assignment group, or age ranges. Breakdowns allow users to analyze how different segments contribute to overall performance and to compare trends across those segments over time.

Breakdowns operate onindicator scores, not on raw report data. While reports can also be grouped or filtered, that functionality is separate from Performance Analytics. A Breakdown does not define the source table itself (that is the role of the Breakdown Source), nor is it merely a choice list. ServiceNow documentation clearly defines Breakdowns as a core analytics concept used to slice indicator data for deeper performance insight, making option D the correct answer.

TheVisualization Libraryis the Platform Analytics feature that enables visualizations to be reused and shared acrossany dashboard. When a visualization (such as a time series, scorecard, or breakdown visualization) is saved to the Visualization Library, it becomes areusable analytics componentthat can be added to multiple dashboards without duplicating configuration. This ensures consistency in metrics, reduces maintenance overhead, and supports centralized governance of analytics content.

Dashboard Sharing, by contrast, controlswho can view or edit a dashboard, not how individual visualizations are reused across dashboards. Roles such as pa_kpi_signals_admin or report_admin provide administrative capabilities but do not enable cross-dashboard visualization reuse. According to ServiceNow Platform Analytics documentation, the Visualization Library is specifically designed to store, manage, and distribute analytics visualizations so they can be embedded in dashboards throughout the platform. This feature is essential in enterprise analytics implementations where the same KPIs and indicators must appear consistently across multiple dashboards and user audiences.

ThePA Contributorrole is designed for users who create and configureIndicators, Breakdowns, and Dashboards, but who should not have administrative control overdata collection jobs, indicator sources, or system-level analytics settings.

PA Admin has full control, including job and source management. PA Data Collector is focused on executing collection jobs only. PA Power User is primarily for analysis and dashboard consumption rather than content creation. ServiceNow documentation defines PA Contributor as the correct role for content creation without administrative privileges, making optionBcorrect.

ThePA Adminrole provides full administrative access to Platform Analytics. Users with this role cancreate and configure indicators, definebreakdowns and breakdown sources, managedata collection jobs, activate content packs, and administer analytics security and settings.

PA Contributors typically create content within limited scopes, while PA Power Users focus on analysis and dashboards rather than core configuration. The PA Data Collector role is limited to running data collection jobs. ServiceNow documentation clearly identifiesPA Adminas the role required for full analytics configuration and administration, making option B the correct answer.

Historic Data Collection is designed to accurately reconstructpast indicator scoresbased on historical records. Indicators that rely oncalculated age values, such assummed age of open problems, cannot be accurately reconstructed because age is atime-relative valuethat depends on the exact moment of calculation.

Count-based indicators (options A, B, and D) can be recalculated historically by evaluating record states at specific points in time. However, summing age values requires knowing the precise age of each record at each historical interval, which is not reliably reproducible. ServiceNow documentation explicitly warns against using historic data collection forage-based and duration-sum indicators, making option C the correct exclusion.

In a Performance AnalyticsJob Log, theInsertsvalue represents the number ofanalytics score records written to the databaseduring that job run. These inserts typically correspond to new indicator scores added to theIndicator Factstable.

This value does not represent business records such as incidents, nor does it indicate how many source records were evaluated. Records examined and calculations performed may be far greater than the number of inserts, as only final score results are stored. ServiceNow documentation confirms that Job Log insert counts reflectstored analytics results, making option B the correct interpretation.

In ServiceNow Platform Analytics, thePrecisionsetting controls how numeric values arerounded and abbreviatedwhen displayed inScore widgets. When Precision is set to0, the platform displays values usingcompact notation(such askfor thousands orMfor millions) withno decimal places.

For a stored value of7423.3, Precision 0 causes the value to be rounded to the nearest thousand and displayed as7k. Platform Analytics does not display the full raw number unless compact notation is disabled or precision is increased. Option B (7000) and option D (7423) represent numeric rounding but not thecompact display formatused by score widgets. Option C is incorrect because Precision 0 explicitly removes decimals and applies abbreviation.

ServiceNow documentation confirms that score widgets useprecision-based compact formatting, making7kthe correct displayed value when Precision is set to 0.

Platform Analytics supports unit conversion for duration-based indicators through the Unit field on the Indicator record. When an indicator stores duration values (such as milliseconds), setting the Unit to Hours automatically converts and displays the values correctly without modifying the underlying data or recollecting scores.

Using formulas or scripts is unnecessary and discouraged when a built-in unit conversion is available. The Formula box is intended for mathematical aggregation logic, not unit conversion. ServiceNow documentation explicitly states that duration indicators should rely on the Unit setting to control how values are displayed, making option A the correct and supported approach.

TheIn-Line Dashboard Editoris designed primarily forbusiness userswho need to make quick, simple adjustments to dashboards without deep technical knowledge. It allows users to edit layouts, move widgets, and make basic configuration changes directly from the dashboard view.

System administrators and developers typically use the full dashboard configuration interfaces for advanced customization, scripting, or governance. External contractors are not a defined target audience for this feature. ServiceNow documentation emphasizes that the in-line editor empowers non-technical users to personalize dashboards safely and efficiently, making option A the correct answer.

Analytics Centeris the workspace used to create and manageNext Experience DashboardsandData Visualizations. It provides a unified interface for building modern, interactive analytics experiences, including metric visualizations, time series, breakdown views, and dashboards.

Analytics Hub is primarily used forviewing and exploring existing analytics, not creating them. Reports Administration and Analytics Administration serve different purposes and do not support Next Experience dashboard creation. ServiceNow documentation explicitly identifies Analytics Center as the creation and management environment for Next Experience analytics content, making option D the correct answer.

The pa.getRate() method is used in Platform Analytics to calculaterates of performance over time, such as incidents resolved per day, requests closed per week, or changes per reporting period. This method works ontime series dataand applies aggregation logic to derive a rate rather than a raw count or sum.

pa.getChange() is used to calculate the difference between two data points, not a rate. pa.getIndicator() retrieves indicator metadata and does not perform calculations. gs.getDuration() is a general-purpose GlideSystem utility for calculating durations and is unrelated to analytics time series processing. ServiceNow documentation clearly identifies pa.getRate() as the appropriate API for rate-based calculations using historical indicator scores, making option D the correct answer.

In Platform Analytics, dashboards are shared through the dashboardShareaction. In theShare Dashboarddialog, theGrant access tofield explicitly allows you to enterone or more users, groups, or rolesto share the dashboard with. This sharing controls whether recipients canviewthe dashboard oreditit, depending on whether you add them as a viewer or editor. Sharing can also optionally allow recipients to manage (add/edit/remove) sharing permissions if that option is enabled. ServiceNow further notes that only certain privileged roles (such asadmin, dashboard_admin, pa_admin, or pa_power_user) can see roles in the sharing panel in some configurations, and sharing with roles may require read access to theRoles [sys_user_role]table. This means access can be granted at the individual level (user), team level (group), or permission level (role), making “user, group, or role” the correct and complete choice.

TheShow real-time scoreoption is available only fornon-scripted Automated Indicators. These indicators are based on standard indicator sources and conditions that can be safely recalculated on demand without scripting complexity.

Scripted automated indicators and formula indicators depend on stored historical values and custom logic, which cannot be reliably recalculated in real time. Manual indicators rely on user-entered values and also do not support real-time calculation. ServiceNow documentation explicitly limits real-time scoring to non-scripted automated indicators to preserve performance and data integrity. Therefore, option D is the correct answer.

AnIndex Indicatorin Platform Analytics represents a composite score calculated from multiple supporting indicators. According to ServiceNow best practices, both theIndex and its supporting indicatorsshould be normalized so thathigher values represent better performance. Therefore, the correct configuration is atarget of 100%with aMaximizedirection.

This standardization ensures consistent weighting and scoring logic across all contributing indicators. If supporting indicators were set to Minimize or had inconsistent targets, the index calculation would produce misleading or inverted results. Options involving a 0% target are incorrect because index scores are designed to trend toward full achievement, represented as 100%. ServiceNow documentation clearly states that index indicators assume maximization logic for proper normalization and aggregation, making option D the correct and documented choice.