Instance Configuration Questions
Installing applications and plugins, personalizing and customizing the instance, and the platform's common user interfaces.
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About Instance Configuration
This domain covers installing applications and plugins, the difference between personalizing and customizing an instance, and the common user interfaces on the platform such as Core UI, Next Experience and Configurable Workspaces.
Why This Matters for Your Exam
Instance Configuration is 10% of the CSA exam according to the official CSA exam blueprint (KB0011554).
Key Concepts to Master
Know how applications and plugins are installed and activated, what an end user can personalize versus what an admin customizes, and which interface fits which audience.
Exam Tips
Watch for questions that hinge on who makes a change (user or admin) and whether it affects one user or everyone.
Practice Questions
7 questions availableAn administrator is preparing guidance for users who rely on assistive technology. Which TWO of the following does the documentation list as accessibility features of the platform?
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Correct answer: C. Screen reader support; E. Color and style settings
The Using accessibility features page states that accessibility features include keyboard navigation, color and style settings, using a screen reader, and search methods. Screen elements are enhanced so screen readers can read them, and color and style changes such as the high contrast theme make the platform more accessible.
- Why A is wrong: The Workspaces menu is a Next Experience navigation menu for switching to configurable workspaces. The documentation does not list it among the accessibility features.
- Why B is wrong: The History menu is one of the Next Experience menus (with Favorites and Workspaces) used to navigate to and save important resources. It is a navigation feature, not an accessibility feature.
- Why D is wrong: Next Experience landing pages show role-specific content when a user logs in. They are a productivity feature of the Next Experience, not one of the listed accessibility features.
After activating a plugin in a sub-production instance and testing it, an administrator decides the organization will not use its features. What does the documentation recommend?
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Correct answer: B. Hide its functionality with roles and ACLs
Once a plugin is activated it can't be disabled or deactivated. The ServiceNow plugins page says that, if necessary, you can hide or disable the functionality by restricting access through roles and ACLs, which is why plugins should be tested in a non-production instance first.
- Why A is wrong: ServiceNow personnel activate some plugins on request, but the documentation states activated plugins can't be deactivated. The recommended approach is to restrict access with roles and ACLs.
- Why C is wrong: There is no supported way to switch an activated plugin off. The documentation states that after a plugin is activated, you can't disable or deactivate it.
- Why D is wrong: System Applications > All Available Applications is where plugins are found and installed, but an activated plugin can't be deactivated there or anywhere else; its functionality can only be hidden.
An administrator needs to turn the Next Experience UI off for every user on the instance, regardless of any individual user preference. Which system property should be set to false?
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Correct answer: C. glide.ui.polaris.experience
The glide.ui.polaris.experience property turns the Next Experience UI on or off for the entire instance. It takes precedence over all other Next Experience properties and user preferences, so when it is false the Next Experience UI is off for all users.
- Why A is wrong: This property toggles the Unified Navigation menus in the header. Setting it to false removes those menus but leaves the Next Experience UI itself turned on.
- Why B is wrong: This property only controls whether users see the Display toggle that sets the glide.ui.polaris.use preference. Setting it to false hides the toggle; it does not turn the UI off.
- Why D is wrong: This property prevents the Next Experience UI from turning on automatically during an upgrade, and only for instances not yet using it. It is checked one time, during the upgrade.
An administrator wants a user preference value to act as the default for all users who have not customized that feature. How should the User preferences [sys_user_preference] record be configured?
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Correct answer: B. Select System and leave the User field empty
System-wide (default or global) preferences are identified by System=TRUE and an empty User field. To make a preference the default, create it, check the System check box and leave User empty. Users who customize the feature get their own record with System=FALSE and their user name.
- Why A is wrong: Records that name individual users are user-specific preferences, and the documentation identifies a global preference by an empty User field, so one shared record is used.
- Why C is wrong: A record with System cleared and a user named is a user-specific customization. It would apply only to the admin account, not to all other users.
- Why D is wrong: A global preference requires the System check box to be selected (System=TRUE) in addition to an empty User field. Leaving System cleared does not mark it as the system-wide default.
An administrator needs to add components to a page in one of the prebuilt Configurable Workspace experiences instead of building a workspace from scratch. Which tool should they use?
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Correct answer: D. UI Builder
Configurable Workspaces are configured in UI Builder. The documentation notes that ServiceNow's prebuilt Configurable Workspace experiences can be updated and modified in UI Builder rather than creating an experience from scratch, and UI Builder is used to create or customize the pages, made of components, that form a workspace.
- Why A is wrong: Form Designer is a Core UI tool for creating or changing form views on the classic environment. It does not edit Configurable Workspace pages.
- Why B is wrong: Theme Builder manages Next Experience themes such as color palettes without code. It changes the look of the UI, not the components on a workspace page.
- Why C is wrong: Branding Editor gives a Service Portal its own look and feel through theme colors and quick setup options. It does not modify workspace pages.
An administrator wants users who submit a record from the Incident > Create New module to land on the incident list afterward. How can the module be changed to achieve this?
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Correct answer: A. Add sysparm_stack to the module's arguments
The navigation stack determines where a user is redirected after updating a record. An administrator can insert a page into the stack by adding a sysparm_stack argument to the module definition; with sysparm_stack=incident_list.do, the user is directed to the incident list after submitting.
- Why B is wrong: The sysparm_order parameter specifies the field used to sort the results. Redirection after a submit is controlled by the navigation stack via sysparm_stack.
- Why C is wrong: The sysparm_query parameter specifies a query that filters the records shown. It does not control where the user is redirected after submitting a record.
- Why D is wrong: In instance URLs, sysparm_view specifies which view is used to display the list or form. It does not add a page to the navigation stack for redirection.
While working in the Incident list, a user with the personalize_list role selects the personalize list icon and reorders the columns. What effect does this have on other users who open the Incident list?
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Correct answer: B. Their lists are unaffected by the change
Personal lists let a user choose which columns appear and in what order, modifying a list view according to that individual's preferences. The documentation states that personal list customizations don't affect what other users see in their lists, and administrators can manage the personal lists function.
- Why A is wrong: Personal lists are tied to the individual user, not to group membership. Other users, including members of the same groups, keep their own list layouts.
- Why C is wrong: Personalizing a list has no approval step that publishes it to others. Personal list customizations don't affect what other users see in their lists.
- Why D is wrong: Personalizing a list modifies the list view according to one user's individual preferences. Personal list customizations don't affect what other users see in their lists.
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