Practice Free CIS-PA Certified Implementation Specialist - Platform Analytics Exam Questions Answers With Explanation

AFormula Indicatorin ServiceNow Platform Analytics allows you to calculate a derived score usingup to five other indicators(automated or manual) through a mathematical expression. These component indicators must already exist and have collected data.

Formula Indicators arenot calculated at view time; instead, they arepre-calculated during data collectionand stored like other indicator scores. This ensures consistent historical trending and optimal dashboard performance. Aggregates such as count or sum are handled by automated indicators, not formula indicators. Formula indicators also cannot referenceindicator threshold values, as thresholds are used only for KPI status evaluation and visualization, not for calculations.

ServiceNow documentation clearly states the five-indicator limit and emphasizes that Formula Indicators are meant forderived metrics, such as percentages, ratios, or normalized scores, making optionBthe only correct definition.

Breakdown element securitydetermines which users are allowed to see specific breakdown elements (such as certain categories or values) when viewing analytics data. In Platform Analytics, this security is configured directly on theAutomated Breakdownrecord.

Automated Breakdowns include properties that allow administrators to defineelement-level access control, typically by specifyingrolesthat are required to view certain breakdown elements. This ensures sensitive analytics data is only visible to authorized users. The Breakdown Source defines how data is mapped and categorized but does not control visibility. Automated Indicators control score collection and aggregation, not breakdown element security. Manual Breakdowns are static and do not support dynamic element security in the same way.

ServiceNow documentation explicitly states that breakdown element security settings—such as restricting elements by role—are part of theAutomated Breakdown configuration, making option D the correct answer.

In Responsive Canvas dashboards, when a Time Series widget contains multiple elements, theShow multiple elements asproperty controls how those elements are visualized. Setting this property toAggregatecombines the values of all returned elements into asingle trend line, which is exactly the desired outcome when viewing a combined trend for High and Critical priority incidents.

Applying an elements filter (option D) limits which elements are displayed but does not combine them into one trend. Setting the property toSeparate(option C) explicitly shows individual trend lines for each element. Manually adding elements (option B) still results in multiple distinct series unless aggregation is enabled. According to ServiceNow Platform Analytics documentation, aggregation is the correct method for consolidating multiple indicator elements into one unified visualization on a dashboard.

Performance AnalyticsContent Packsprovide prebuilt indicators, breakdowns, dashboards, and jobs for specific applications such as Incident, Problem, or Change Management. To activate these packs, administrators navigate toPerformance Analytics > Add Content Pack. This interface lists all available analytics content packs and allows administrators to preview and activate them.

Option A refers to Solution activation, which is unrelated to Performance Analytics content. Option B is used for application plugins, not analytics packs. Option D does not exist as a valid navigation path for Performance Analytics. ServiceNow documentation explicitly identifiesPerformance Analytics > Add Content Packas the correct location to install analytics content, making option C the verified answer.

When a Performance Analytics dashboard is opened, ServiceNow loadsonly the widgets configured on the currently active tab. Widgets on other tabs are not loaded until the user clicks those tabs. This behavior is intentional and supportsperformance optimization, especially for dashboards containing many analytics widgets or complex queries.

Widgets are not limited by view rules alone, and ServiceNow does not preload widgets from all tabs. Additionally, widgets that require scrolling are still loaded as long as they are part of the active tab. ServiceNow documentation confirms that dashboard widgets are loadedper tab, reducing unnecessary data processing and improving load times. Therefore, option A is the correct and documented behavior.

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.

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.

In Platform Analytics score widgets, thePrecisionsetting controls how numeric values areabbreviated and roundedfor display. When precision is set to2, large numbers are displayed usingcompact notation(such askfor thousands) with two significant digits.

A stored value of42,502is therefore displayed as4.25k, improving readability while preserving meaningful precision. Full numeric formatting or fixed decimal display is not the default behavior for score widgets. ServiceNow documentation confirms that precision affectsabbreviated score presentation, making optionBthe correct answer.

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 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.

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.

By default, a newly created Platform Analytics indicator isVisible to Just Me, andVisible by All Rolesis set toFalse. This ensures that indicators are private to their creator until explicitly shared.

No role is required by default, and visibility must be intentionally expanded by updating the access control settings. This design supports governance and prevents incomplete or experimental indicators from being exposed prematurely. ServiceNow documentation confirms this default behavior, 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.