CSDM Fundamentals

What this chapter covers

CSDM Fundamentals is 11% of the ServiceNow CIS-DF exam. It covers the Common Service Data Model (CSDM): which domain and table each kind of record belongs in, how to work with the people who own that data, how to adopt the model in stages, and why following it pays off.

Questions are mostly "given a scenario" questions: a stakeholder describes something they manage and you pick the domain or table, or a customer describes where they are and you pick the adoption stage or benefit. Some are single-answer, some are multiple-select questions that state the count, such as "(Choose two.)", and some are drag-and-drop matching of tables to domains. There are no exhibits.

This guide uses the CSDM 5 domain names. The CSDM Data Foundations Dashboard that measures adoption is covered in the Insight chapter.

How the topics fit together

You cannot place a CI correctly until you know the domains, and you cannot fill a domain without the people who own its data. The staged approach then sets the order of work, and the benefits explain why a customer should stay on the model instead of building a custom one.

• Domain questions ask which domain or table holds a record, such as a business application or a business service offering.
• Stakeholder questions ask which persona owns or populates a domain.
• Approach questions ask which stage comes next or what a stage delivers.
• Benefit questions ask what a customer gains by using out of box CSDM tables.

How to use these pages

Each topic page has the same shape, so you can skim for what you need.

• What it is: the idea in plain words.
• How it works: the mechanism, with tables and examples.
• What to remember for the exam: the facts to memorize and how questions are phrased.
• Common mistakes: the classic traps.
• Check yourself: three questions to test your understanding.