Hi,
Please refer to the link below:
SLA in SCSM 2012. Part 2. How its works
http://blog.scsmsolutions.com/2013/01/sla-in-scsm2012-part2-how-it-works/
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So according to that article, an active status definition is: "This status means what SLA tracking system is live for this object: the object isnt canceled, the Start Date is not null and End Date is null."
I am however seeing some items with an active status and a cancelled yes. Is this a bug?