Following on from my previous post, this is the second in a series documenting common validation errors that may be encountered in the Micro-Certification assessment simulator tasks.
Rather than providing the exact solution, these notes aim to help you troubleshoot validation errors by highlighting common pitfalls and guiding you toward the correct solution. The aim is to help you understand why validation fails, not just how to fix it.
Note: Some assessment simulator tasks assume that you are continuing directly from previous tasks and therefore still impersonating Platform User, even if this is not explicitly stated in the task instructions.
To build these guides, I deliberately validated the task before completing any steps to see what conditions were being checked. This allowed me to capture the full set of error messages that can appear when validation fails.
This assessment simulator task focuses on core platform functionality including:
- Impersonating another user
- Navigating the platform
- Using the filter condition builder
- Using the List Editor
- Creating a favorite
Note: When opening the list of Incidents, ensure that you are accessing the correct one as outlined in the task instructions i.e. Service Desk > Incidents, not Self-Service > Incidents
Below are the validation messages you're likely to encounter, along with some guidance on how to troubleshoot them.
- Did you filter the list to show in the assigned to column and Service Desk in the Assignment Group column? Did you use the list editor to assign all items in the list to Platform User? Did you filter a new list of all Open incidents to the specified parameters?
This error may look scary at first, however it can be broken down into three parts, but all three need to be achieved for this validation error to be resolved:
a. Did you filter the list to show in the assigned to column and Service Desk in the Assignment Group column?
This is specific to step 3 of the task instructions.
Make sure to use the Filter condition builder (the funnel icon) and set your filter to match exactly what is stated and ensure you click 'Run' to apply the conditions.
b. Did you use the list editor to assign all items in the list to Platform User?
This relates to step 4 of the task instructions.
Ensure that you set the Assigned to value to the specified user.
Tip: This is a great opportunity to get more familiar with using the List Editor - it's much more efficient than updating records individually and is widely used in real-world scenarios.
c. Did you filter a new list of all Open incidents to the specified parameters?
This refers to step 5 of the task instructions.
You'll need to update your filter condition to match the specified conditions. - Did you mark the Incidents list as a Favourite and rename in 'My Incidents'?
This error is specific to step 6 of the task instructions.
Once your filter matches the required conditions, you'll need to create a favorite and name it correctly.
Reminder: You can find a handy 'Create Favorite' by using the List Controls icon or by right-clicking on the List Header.
Tip: Open the Favourites menu and double check that your newly created favourite appears in the list before trying to validate the task.
As with the rest of this series, the aim here isn't to hand over the solution, but to help you think through the validation errors and understand where you may have deviated from the task instructions.
That way, you're not just completing the simulator task, you're learning how to troubleshoot it which should help if you encounter issues in real-world examples.
If you've experienced other pitfalls along the way, feel free to share them by commenting below.
Posts in this series - Welcome to ServiceNow (Zurich) Micro-Certification
- Task 1: Personalize Your Instance
- Task 2: Favorite a Filtered List
- Task 3: Create and Comment on a Record (coming next)
- Tasks 4-7: Coming soon…
