Splunk SPLK-1002 Splunk Core Certified Power User Exam Exam Practice Test

Normalize your data for each of these fields using a combination of field aliases, field extractions, and lookups.

The stats command is used to calculate summary statistics for your search results such as count, sum, avg, min, max and more2. The stats command supports various functions that you can use to perform calculations on your fields2. However, addtotals is not a stats function but a separate command that adds a row or column with the total of the values in each group2. Therefore, option B is correct, while options A, C and D are incorrect because they are valid stats functions.

The search below groups events by two or more fields (clientip and host), creates transactions with start and end constraints (maxspan=30s and maxpause=5s), and calculates the duration of each transaction.

index=main | transaction clientip host maxspan=30s maxpause=5s

The search does the following:

It filters the events by the index main, which is a default index in Splunk that contains all data that is not sent to other indexes.

It uses the transaction command to group events into transactions based on two fields: clientip and host. The transaction command creates new events from groups of events that share the same clientip and host values.

It specifies the start and end constraints for the transactions using the maxspan and maxpause arguments. The maxspan argument sets the maximum time span between the first and last events in a transaction. The maxpause argument sets the maximum time span between any two consecutive events in a transaction. In this case, the maxspan is 30 seconds and the maxpause is 5 seconds, meaning that any transaction that has a longer time span or pause will be split into multiple transactions.

It creates some additional fields for each transaction, such as duration, eventcount, startime, etc. The duration field shows the time span between the first and last events in a transaction.

The relationship between data models and pivots is that data models provide the datasets for pivots. Data models are collections of datasets that represent your data in a structured and hierarchical way. Data models define how your data is organized into objects and fields. Pivots are user interfaces that allow you to create data visualizations that present different aspects of a data model. Pivots let you select options from menus and forms to create charts, tables, maps, etc., without writing any SPL code. Pivots use datasets from data models as their source of data. Pivots and data models are not the same thing, as pivots are tools for visualizing data models. Pivots do not provide datasets for data models, but rather use them as inputs.

Therefore, only statement A is true about the relationship between data models and pivots.

POST workflow actions are custom actions that send a POST request to a web server when you click on a field value in your search results. POST workflow actions can be configured with various options, such as label name, base URL, URI parameters, post arguments, app context, etc. One of the options that are required to create a POST workflow action is post arguments. Post arguments are key-value pairs that are sent in the body of the POST request to provide additional information to the web server. Post arguments can include field values from your data by using dollar signs around the field names.

The span option is used to specify the time span for the timechart command. The span value can be a number followed by a time unit, such as h for hour, d for day, w for week, etc. The span value determines how the data is grouped into time buckets. For example, span=12h means that the data is grouped into 12-hour intervals. The timespan option is not a valid option for the timechart command2

1: Splunk Core Certified Power User Track, page 9. 2: Splunk Documentation, timechart command.

Stacked charts represent a series in a single bar with multiple sections. A chart is a graphical representation of data that shows trends, patterns, or comparisons. A chart can have different types, such as column, bar, line, area, pie, etc. A chart can also have different modes, such as split-series, multi-series, stacked, etc. A stacked chart is a type of chart that shows multiple series in a single bar or area with different sections for each series

The correct answer is A. | where 10yearAnnerversary=Renewal-MonthYear.

The where command is used to filter the search results based on an expression that evaluates to true or false. The where command can compare two fields, two values, or a field and a value. The where command can also use functions, operators, and wildcards to create complex expressions1.

The syntax for the where command is:

| where

The expression can be a comparison, a calculation, a logical operation, or a combination of these. The expression must evaluate to true or false for each event.

To compare two fields with the where command, you need to use the field names without any quotation marks. For example, if you want to find events where the values for the 10yearAnnerversary field match the values for the Renewal-MonthYear field, you can use the following syntax:

| where 10yearAnnerversary=Renewal-MonthYear

This will return only the events where the two fields have the same value.

The other options are not correct because they use quotation marks around the field names, which will cause the where command to interpret them as string values instead of field names. For example, if you use:

| where ‘10yearAnnerversary’=‘Renewal-MonthYear’

This will return no events because there are no events where the string value ‘10yearAnnerversary’ is equal to the string value ‘Renewal-MonthYear’.

A comparison operator is a symbol that compares two values and returns a Boolean result (true or false)2. Splunk supports various comparison operators such as <, >, =, !=, <=, >=, IN and LIKE2. However, ?= is not a valid comparison operator in Splunk and will cause a syntax error if used in a search string2. Therefore, option E is correct, while options A, B, C and D are incorrect because they are valid comparison operators in Splunk

The commands pivot and tstats both leverage data model summaries for faster search performance. The datamodel command itself is used to inspect or operate on data models. The transaction and stats commands do not directly access data model summaries.

A calculated field in Splunk is created using an eval expression, which allows users to perform calculations or transformations on field values during search time.

A data model that has been accelerated can be used with Pivot, the | tstats command, or the | datamodel command (Option A). Acceleration pre-computes and stores results for quicker access, enhancing the performance of searches and analyses that utilize the data model, especially for large datasets. This makes accelerated data models highly efficient for use in various analytical tools and commands within Splunk.

The transaction command groups events that share a common value in a specified field, such as JSESSIONID, and that occur within a specified time range. The search command filters the results to show only the events that match the given value of JSESSIONID. This search groups the events by JSESSIONID and then shows only the events that have the value SD462K101C2F267 for JSESSIONID2

1: Splunk Core Certified Power User Track, page 9. 2: Splunk Documentation, transaction command.

The Field Extractor (FX) allows you to use regular expressions (regex) to extract fields from your events using a graphical interface or by manually editing the regex2. When you use the FX to perform a regex field extraction, you can use the require option to specify a string that must be present in an event for it to be included in the extraction2. This way, you can filter out events that do not contain the required string and focus on the events that are relevant for your extraction2. Therefore, option D is correct, while options A, B and C are incorrect.

The correct answer is C. _time.

The timechart command creates a time series chart with corresponding table of statistics, with time used as the X-axis1. You can specify a split-by field, where each distinct value of the split-by field becomes a series in the chart1. In this case, the split-by field is action, which means that the chart will have different lines for different actions, such as accept, reject, or fail2. The count function will calculate the number of events for each action in each time bin1.

For example, the following image shows a timechart of the count by action for a similar search3:

As you can see, the x-axis is populated by the _time field, which represents the time range of the search. The y-axis is populated by the count function, which represents the number of events for each action. The legend shows the different values of the action field, which are used to split the chart into different series.

The where command can be used to complete the search below.

… | where failure>successes

The where command is a search command that allows you to filter events based on complex or custom criteria. The where command can use any boolean expression or function to evaluate each event and determine whether to keep it or discard it. The where command can also compare fields or perform calculations on fields using operators such as >, <, =, +, -, etc. The where command can be used after any transforming command that creates a table or a chart.

The search string below does the following:

It uses … to represent any search criteria or commands before the where command.

It uses the where command to filter events based on a comparison between two fields: failure and successes.

It uses the greater than operator (>) to compare the values of failure and successes fields for each event.

It only keeps events where failure is greater than successes.

It provides users with a standardized set of field names and tags to normalize data.The Splunk CIM add-on provides a standardized set of field names and data models, which allows users to normalize and categorize data from various sources into a common format. This helps with data interoperability and enables faster, more consistent reporting and searching across different data sources.References:Splunk Documentation - Common Information Model (CIM)

The fields sidebar is a panel that shows the fields that are present in your search results2. The fields sidebar has two sections: selected fields and interesting fields2. Selected fields are fields that you choose to display in your search results by clicking on them in the fields sidebar or by using the fields command2. Interesting fields are fields that appear in at least 20 percent of events or have high variability among values2. For each field in the fields sidebar, you can select one of the following options: events with this field, rare values, top values by time or top values2. If you select rare values, Splunk will automatically pipe your search results to the rare command, which shows the least common values of a field2. Therefore, option B is correct, while options A, C and D are incorrect because they do not pipe your search results to the rare command.

 There are several ways to access the field extractor. The option that automatically identifies data type, source type, and sample event is Fields sidebar > Extract New Field. The field extractor is a tool that helps you extract fields from your data using delimiters or regular expressions. The field extractor can generate a regex for you based on your selection of sample values or you can enter your own regex in the field extractor. The field extractor can be accessed by using various methods, such as:

Fields sidebar > Extract New Field: This is the easiest way to access the field extractor. The fields sidebar is a panel that shows all available fields for your data and their values. When you click on Extract New Field in the fields sidebar, Splunk will automatically identify the data type, source type, and sample event for your data based on your current search criteria. You can then use the field extractor to select sample values and generate a regex for your new field.

Event Actions > Extract Fields: This is another way to access the field extractor. Event actions are actions that you can perform on individual events in your search results, such as viewing event details, adding to report, adding to dashboard, etc. When you click on Extract Fields in the event actions menu, Splunk will use the current event as the sample event for your data and ask you to select the source type and data type for your data. You can then use the field extractor to select sample values and generate a regex for your new field.

Settings > Field Extractions > New Field Extraction: This is a more advanced way to access the field extractor. Settings is a menu that allows you to configure various aspects of Splunk, such as indexes, inputs, outputs, users, roles, apps, etc. When you click on New Field Extraction in the Settings menu, Splunk will ask you to enter all the details for your new field extraction manually, such as app context, name, source type, data type, sample event, regex, etc. You can then use the field extractor to verify or modify your regex for your new field.

The tag=Priv* search will return events containing a tag named Privileged, as well as any other tag that starts with Priv. The asterisk (*) is a wildcard character that matches zero or more characters. The other searches will not match the exact tag name.

As mentioned before, there are two types of workflow actions: GET and POST1. Both types of workflow actions can be executed from search results by clicking on an event field value that has a workflow action configured for it1. Another type of workflow action is Search, which runs another search based on the field value1. Therefore, options A, B and D are correct, while option C is incorrect because LOOKUP is not a type of workflow action.

The timechart command buckets data in time intervals depending on the selected time range2. The timechart command is similar to the chart command but it automatically groups events into time buckets based on the _time field2. The size of the time buckets depends on the time range that you select for your search. For example, if you select Last 24 hours as your time range, Splunk will use 30-minute buckets for your timechart. If you select Last 7 days as your time range, Splunk will use 4-hour buckets for your timechart2. Therefore, option B is correct, while options A and C are incorrect because they are not factors that affect the size of the time buckets.

In Splunk, the NOT operator is used to exclude events from your search results. The search index=network NOT StatusCode=200 will return all events in the ‘network’ index where the StatusCode is not 200. This includes events where the StatusCode field is present and has a value other than 200, as well as events where the StatusCode field is not present at all.

The correct format for naming a macro with multiple arguments is monthly_sales3. The square brackets indicate that the macro has arguments, and the number indicates how many arguments it has. The arguments are separated by commas when calling the macro, such as monthly_sales[region,salesperson,date].

The correct answer is B. Transforming.

The explanation is as follows:

The timechart command is a Splunk command that creates a time series chart with corresponding table of statistics12.

A timechart is a statistical aggregation applied to a field to produce a chart, with time used as the X-axis1. You can specify a split-by field, where each distinct value of the split-by field becomes a series in the chart1.

Transforming commands are commands that change the format of the search results into a data structure that can be easily visualized3. Transforming commands often use stats functions to aggregate and summarize data3.

Therefore, the timechart command is an example of a transforming command, as it transforms the search results into a chart and a table using stats functions123.

The command sourcetype=access_combined | transaction JSESSIONID does three things:

It filters the events by the sourcetype access_combined, which is a predefined sourcetype for Apache web server logs.

It groups the events by the field JSESSIONID, which is a unique identifier for each user session.

It creates a single event from each group of events that share the same JSESSIONID value. This single event will have some additional fields created by the transaction command, such as duration, eventcount, and startime.

Therefore, the statements B, C, and D are true.

The following statements about tags are true: tags are based on field/value pairs and tags categorize events based on a search. Tags are custom labels that can be applied to fields or field values to provide additional context or meaning for your data. Tags can be used to filter or analyze your data based on common concepts or themes. Tags can be created by using various methods, such as search commands, configuration files, user interfaces, etc. Some of the characteristics of tags are:

Tags are based on field/value pairs: This means that tags are associated with a specific field name and a specific field value. For example, you can create a tag called “alert” for the field name “status” and the field value “critical”. This means that only events that have status=critical will have the “alert” tag applied to them.

Tags categorize events based on a search: This means that tags are defined by a search string that matches the events that you want to tag. For example, you can create a tag called “web” for the search string sourcetype=access_combined. This means that only events that match the search string sourcetype=access_combined will have the “web” tag applied to them.

The following statements about tags are false: tags are case-insensitive and tags are designed to make data more understandable. Tags are case-sensitive and tags are designed to make data more searchable. Tags are case-sensitive: This means that tags must match the exact case of the field name and field value that they are associated with. For example, if you create a tag called “alert” for the field name “status” and the field value “critical”, it will not apply to events that have status=CRITICAL or Status=critical. Tags are designed to make data more searchable: This means that tags can help you find relevant events or patterns in your data by using common concepts or themes. For example, if you create a tag called “web” for the search string sourcetype=access_combined, you can use tag=web to find all events related to web activity.

By default, acceleration is determined automatically based on the data source in the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) add-on. The Splunk CIM Add-on is an app that provides common data models for various domains, such as network traffic, web activity, authentication, etc. The CIM Add-on allows you to normalize and enrich your data using predefined fields and tags. The CIM Add-on also allows you to accelerate your data models for faster searches and reports. Acceleration is a feature that pre-computes summary data for your data models and stores them in tsidx files. Acceleration can improve the performance and efficiency of your searches and reports that use data models.

By default, acceleration is determined automatically based on the data source in the CIM Add-on. This means that Splunk will decide whether to enable or disable acceleration for each data model based on some factors, such as data volume, data type, data model complexity, etc. However, you can also manually enable or disable acceleration for each data model by using the Settings menu or by editing the datamodels.conf file.

In Splunk, data sets used in the Pivot tool are derived from data models. The Pivot tool allows users to create reports and visualizations based on the structured information available in data models.

In Splunk, the transaction command is used to group events that share common characteristics into a single transaction1. By default, the transaction command groups all matching events into a single transaction1.

However, you can use the maxspan option to limit the time span of the transactions1. If the time span between the first and last event in a transaction exceeds the maxspan value, the transaction command will start a new transaction1.

Therefore, if the maxspan option is not included in the search, the transaction command might produce multiple transactions instead of one if the time span between the first and last event in a transaction exceeds the default maxspan value1.

Here is an example of how you can use the maxspan option in a search:

index=main sourcetype=access_combined | transaction someuniqefield maxspan=1h

In this search, the transaction command groups events that share the same someuniqefield value into a single transaction, but only if the time span between the first and last event in the transaction does not exceed 1 hour1. If the time span exceeds 1 hour, the transaction command will start a new transaction1.

The search string below returns events from the data model named Application_State.

| datamodel Application_State All_Application_State search

The search string does the following:

It uses the datamodel command to access a data model in Splunk. The datamodel command takes two arguments: the name of the data model and the name of the dataset within the data model.

It specifies the name of the data model as Application_State. This is a predefined data model in Splunk that contains information about web applications.

It specifies the name of the dataset as All_Application_State. This is a root dataset in the data model that contains all events from all child datasets.

It uses the search command to filter and transform the events from the dataset. The search command can use any search criteria or command to modify the results.

Therefore, the search string returns events from the data model named Application_State.

The appendcols command in Splunk is used to connect an additional table of data directly to the right side of the existing table. It appends the results of a subsearch as new fields to the current results, effectively adding columns to the existing table.

The timechart command is used to create a time-series chart of statistical values based on your search results2. You can use the timechart command with a by clause to split the results by one or more fields and create multiple series in the chart2. However, you can only list one field after the by clause when using the timechart command because _time is already implied as the x-axis of the chart2. Therefore, option B is correct, while options A, C and D are incorrect.

The correct answer is D.

A search macro is a way to reuse a piece of SPL code in different searches. A search macro can take arguments, which are variables that can be replaced by different values when the macro is called. A search macro can also contain another search macro within it, which is called a nested macro1.

To represent an argument in a macro definition, you need to use the dollar sign ($) character to enclose the argument name. For example, if you want to create a search macro that takes one argument named “object”, you can use the following syntax:

[my_macro(object)] search sourcetype= object

This will create a search macro named my_macro that takes one argument named object. When you call the macro in a search, you need to provide a value for the object argument, such as:

my_macro(web)

This will replace the object argument with the value web and run the following SPL code:

search sourcetype=web

The other options are not correct because they use quotation marks (’ or ") or percentage signs (%) to represent arguments, which are not valid syntax for macro arguments. These characters will be interpreted as literal values instead of variables.

The correct answer is A. chart, timechart, stats, eventstats.

Transforming commands are commands that change the format of the search results into a table or a chart. They can be used to perform statistical calculations, create visualizations, or manipulate data in various ways1.

Transactions are groups of events that share some common values and are related in some way. Transactions can be defined by using the transaction command or by creating a transaction type in the transactiontypes.conf file2.

Some transforming commands can be used with transactions to create tables or charts based on the transaction fields. These commands include:

chart: This command creates a table or a chart that shows the relationship between two or more fields. It can be used to aggregate values, count occurrences, or calculate statistics3.

timechart: This command creates a table or a chart that shows how a field changes over time. It can be used to plot trends, patterns, or outliers4.

stats: This command calculates summary statistics on the fields in the search results, such as count, sum, average, etc. It can be used to group and aggregate data by one or more fields5.

eventstats: This command calculates summary statistics on the fields in the search results, similar to stats, but it also adds the results to each event as new fields. It can be used to compare events with the overall statistics.

These commands can be applied to transactions by using the transaction fields as arguments. For example, if you have a transaction type named “login” that groups events based on the user field and has fields such as duration and eventcount, you can use the following commands with transactions:

| chart count by user : This command creates a table or a chart that shows how many transactions each user has.

| timechart span=1h avg(duration) by user : This command creates a table or a chart that shows the average duration of transactions for each user per hour.

| stats sum(eventcount) as total_events by user : This command creates a table that shows the total number of events for each user across all transactions.

| eventstats avg(duration) as avg_duration : This command adds a new field named avg_duration to each transaction that shows the average duration of all transactions.

The other options are not valid because they include commands that are not transforming commands or cannot be used with transactions. These commands are:

diff: This command compares two search results and shows the differences between them. It is not a transforming command and it does not work with transactions.

datamodel: This command retrieves data from a data model, which is a way to organize and categorize data in Splunk. It is not a transforming command and it does not work with transactions.

pivot: This command creates a pivot report, which is a way to analyze data from a data model using a graphical interface. It is not a transforming command and it does not work with transactions.

The building block of a data model. Each data model is composed of one or more data model datasets. Each dataset within a data model defines a subset of the dataset represented by the data model as a whole.

Data model datasets have a hierarchical relationship with each other, meaning they have parent-child relationships. Data models can contain multiple dataset hierarchies. There are three types of dataset hierarchies: event, search, and transaction.

The statement that pivot is used for creating reports and dashboards is true. Pivot is a graphical interface that allows you to create tables, charts, and visualizations from data models. Data models are structured datasets that define how data is organized and categorized. Pivot does not create datasets, but uses existing ones.

Data model datasets have a hierarchical relationship with each other, meaning they have parent-child relationships. Data models can contain multiple dataset hierarchies. There are three types of dataset hierarchies: event, search, and transaction.

The statement that fields extracted using the Field Extractor persist as knowledge objects is true. The Field Extractor (FX) is a graphical tool that allows you to extract fields from raw events using regular expressions or delimiters. The fields extracted by the FX are saved as knowledge objects that can be used in future searches or shared with other users.

Field aliases can be applied at the level of event types to rename or alias fields without modifying the raw data. They do not apply to tags, indexes, or sourcetypes directly.

In Splunk, a workflow action that returns an external IP lookup for a field named domain would typically use the GET method. This HTTP method is used to retrieve data from a specified resource, which is appropriate for looking up information based on the domain field.

A workflow action is a link that appears when you click an event field value in your search results1. A workflow action can open a web page or run another search based on the field value1. There are two types of workflow actions: GET and POST1. A GET workflow action appends the field value to the end of a URI and opens it in a web browser1. A POST workflow action sends the field value as part of an HTTP request to a web server1. You can configure a workflow action to open a web page in either the same window or a new window1. Therefore, option D is correct, while options A, B and C are incorrect.

A calculated field in Splunk is designed to automatically add fields at search time using an eval expression. This feature allows users to define new fields based on existing data without needing to manually include an eval command in every search. Calculated fields simplify repeated search tasks by embedding the eval logic directly into the field configuration.

The transaction command in Splunk groups events based on common fields and creates a single transaction event. The timestamp assigned to the transaction is the timestamp of the earliest event in the transaction. This ensures that the transaction reflects the actual start time of the related events rather than the time the transaction is created or ended.

The correct answer is A. When a log file has values that are separated by the same character, for example, commas.

The Field Extractor (FX) is a utility in Splunk Web that allows you to create new fields from your events by using either regular expressions or delimiters. The FX provides a graphical interface that guides you through the steps of defining and testing your field extractions1.

The FX supports two field extraction methods: regular expression and delimited. The regular expression method works best with unstructured event data, such as logs or messages, that do not have a consistent format or structure. You select a sample event and highlight one or more fields to extract from that event, and the FX generates a regular expression that matches similar events in your data set and extracts the fields from them1.

The delimited method is designed for structured event data: data from files with headers, where all of the fields in the events are separated by a common delimiter, such as a comma, a tab, or a space. You select a sample event, identify the delimiter, and then rename the fields that the FX finds1.

Therefore, you would select the delimited field extraction method when you have a log file that has values that are separated by the same character, for example, commas. This method will allow you to easily extract the fields based on the delimiter without writing complex regular expressions.

The other options are not correct because they are not suitable for the delimited field extraction method. These options are:

B. When a log file contains empty lines or comments: This option does not indicate that the log file has a structured format or a common delimiter. The delimited method might not work well with this type of data, as it might miss some fields or include some unwanted values.

C. With structured files such as JSON or XML: This option does not require the delimited method, as Splunk can automatically extract fields from JSON or XML files by using indexed extractions or search-time extractions2. The delimited method might not work well with this type of data, as it might not recognize the nested structure or the special characters.

D. When the file has a header that might provide information about its structure or format: This option does not indicate that the file has a common delimiter between the fields. The delimited method might not work well with this type of data, as it might not be able to identify the fields based on the header information.

The transaction command is a Splunk command that finds transactions based on events that meet various constraints .

Transactions are made up of the raw text (the _raw field) of each member, the time and date fields of the earliest member, as well as the union of all other fields of each member .

The transaction command groups events together by matching one or more fields that have the same value across the events . For example, | transaction clientip will group events that have the same value in the clientip field.

The transaction command is used to group events into transactions based on some common characteristics, such as fields, time, or both. The transaction command can also specify start and end constraints for the transactions, such as a field value that indicates the beginning or the end of a transaction. The stats command is used to calculate summary statistics on the events, such as count, sum, average, etc. The stats command cannot group events based on start and end constraints, but only on fields or time buckets. Therefore, the transaction command should be used instead of the stats command when you need to group events based on start and end constraints.

A macro is a way to save a commonly used search string as a variable that you can reuse in other searches1. When you create a macro, you can define arguments that are placeholders for values that you specify at execution time1. The argument values are used to resolve the search string when the macro is invoked, not when it is created1. Therefore, statements B and C are true, while statements A and D are false.

When using the Field Extractor (FX) in Splunk for regex field extraction, it's important to select the context in which you want to perform the extraction. The context is essentially the subset of data you're focusing on for your field extraction task.

D. Sourcetype or source: This is the correct option. In the initial steps of using the Field Extractor tool, you're prompted to choose a data type for your field extraction. The options available are typically based on the nature of your data and how it's organized in Splunk. "Sourcetype" refers to the kind of data you're dealing with, a categorization that helps Splunk apply specific processing rules. "Source" refers to the origin of the data, like a specific log file or data input. By selecting either a sourcetype or source, you're narrowing down the dataset on which you'll perform the regex extraction, making it more manageable and relevant.

This is because an event type is a knowledge object that assigns a user-defined name to a set of events that match a specific search criteria. For example, you can create an event type named successful_purchase for events that have sourcetype=access_combined, status=200, and action=purchase. Then, you can use eventtype=successful_purchase as a search term to find those events. You can also use event types to create alerts, reports, and dashboards. You can learn more about event types from the Splunk documentation1. The other options are incorrect because they do not describe what an event type is. A log level measurement is a field that indicates the severity of an event, such as info, warn, or error. A knowledge object that is applied before fields are extracted is a source type, which identifies the format and structure of the data. Either a log, a metric, or a trace is a type of data that Splunk can ingest and analyze, but not an event type.

The correct answer is A. Field alias123.

In Splunk, a field alias is a knowledge object that you can use to assign an alternate name to a field3. This can be particularly useful when you want to normalize your data to comply with the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM)12.

The CIM provides a methodology for normalizing values to a common field name1. It acts as a search-time schema to define relationships in the event data while leaving the raw machine data intact2. By using field aliases, you can map vendor fields to common fields that are the same for each data source in a given domain4. This allows you to correlate events from different source types by normalizing these different occurrences to a common structure and naming convention1.

The correct answer is B. The value for the productName field because it appears first.

The coalesce function is an eval function that takes an arbitrary number of arguments and returns the first value that is not null. A null value means that the field has no value at all, while an empty value means that the field has a value, but it is “” or zero-length1.

The coalesce function can be used to combine fields that have different names but represent the same data, such as IP address or user name. The coalesce function can also be used to rename fields for clarity or convenience2.

The syntax for the coalesce function is:

coalesce(,,…)

The coalesce function will return the value of the first field that is not null in the argument list. If all fields are null, the coalesce function will return null.

For example, if you have a set of events where the IP address is extracted to either clientip or ipaddress, you can use the coalesce function to define a new field called ip, that takes the value of either clientip or ipaddress, depending on which is not null:

| eval ip=coalesce(clientip,ipaddress)

In your example, you have a set of events where the product name is extracted to either productName or productid, and you use the coalesce function to define a new field called productINFO, that takes the value of either productName or productid, depending on which is not null:

| eval productINFO=coalesce(productName,productid)

If both productName and productid fields have values for a given event, the coalesce function will return the value of the productName field because it appears first in the argument list. The productid field will be ignored by the coalesce function.

Therefore, the value for the productName field will be used to populate the productINFO field if both fields have values for a given event.

The transaction command allows you to correlate events across multiple sources. The transaction command is a search command that allows you to group events into transactions based on some common characteristics, such as fields, time, or both. A transaction is a group of events that share one or more fields that relate them to each other. A transaction can span across multiple sources or sourcetypes that have different formats or structures of data. The transaction command can help you correlate events across multiple sources by using the common fields as the basis for grouping. The transaction command can also create some additional fields for each transaction, such as duration, eventcount, startime, etc.

Child datasets can be added to root datasets to narrow down the search. Datasets are collections of events that represent your data in a structured and hierarchical way. Datasets can be created by using commands such as datamodel or pivot. Datasets can have different types, such as events, search, transaction, etc. Datasets can also have different levels, such as root or child. Root datasets are base datasets that contain all events from a data model or an index. Child datasets are derived datasets that contain a subset of events from a parent dataset based on some constraints, such as search terms, fields, time range, etc. Child datasets can be added to root datasets to narrow down the search and filter out irrelevant events.

The explanation is as follows:

The transaction command is used to find transactions based on events that meet various constraints12.

Transactions are made up of the raw text (the _raw field) of each member, the time and date fields of the earliest member, as well as the union of all other fields of each member1.

The startswith option is used to define the first event in a transaction by specifying a search term or an expression that matches the event13.

For example, | transaction clientip JSESSIONID startswith="view" will create transactions based on the clientip and JSESSIONID fields, and the first event in each transaction will contain the term “view” in the _raw field2.

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The correct answer is D. Event types do not include a time range.

The explanation is as follows:

Event types are a categorization system that help you make sense of your data by matching events with the same search string1. Event types are applied to events at search time and can be used as search terms or filters12.

Saved reports are results saved from a search action that can show statistics and visualizations of events3. Saved reports can be run anytime, and they fetch fresh results each time they are run34. Saved reports can be shared with other users and added to dashboards4.

The main difference between event types and saved reports is that event types do not include a time range, while saved reports do14. This means that event types can match events from any time period, while saved reports are limited by the time range specified when they are created or run14.

Macros in Splunk are defined with the number of arguments inside parentheses after the macro name. For two arguments, the syntax is samplemacro(2). This defines a macro accepting two arguments.

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The correct answers are B. duration and D. transaction id.

The explanation is as follows:

The transaction command is a Splunk command that finds transactions based on events that meet various constraints12.

Transactions are made up of the raw text (the _raw field) of each member, the time and date fields of the earliest member, as well as the union of all other fields of each member12.

The transaction command adds some fields to the raw events that are part of the transaction123. These fields are:

duration: The difference, in seconds, between the timestamps for the first and last events in the transaction123.

eventcount: The number of events in the transaction123.

transaction_id: A unique identifier for each transaction3. This field is useful for filtering or joining transactions3.

Therefore, the fields that the transaction command adds to the raw events are duration and transaction_id, which are options B and D in your question.

The correct answer is D. Search.

A workflow action is a knowledge object that enables a variety of interactions between fields in events and other web resources. Workflow actions can create HTML links, generate HTTP POST requests, or launch secondary searches based on field values1.

There are three types of workflow actions that can be set up using Splunk Web: GET, POST, and Search2.

GET workflow actions create typical HTML links to do things like perform Google searches on specific values or run domain name queries against external WHOIS databases2.

POST workflow actions generate an HTTP POST request to a specified URI. This action type enables you to do things like creating entries in external issue management systems using a set of relevant field values2.

Search workflow actions launch secondary searches that use specific field values from an event, such as a search that looks for the occurrence of specific combinations of ipaddress and http_status field values in your index over a specific time range2.

Therefore, the workflow action type that performs a secondary search is Search.

The timeline is a graphical representation of your search results that shows the distribution of events over time2. You can use the timeline to zoom in or out of a specific time range or to select one or more bars on the timeline to filter your results by that time range2. However, these actions will not re-run the search, but rather refine the existing results based on the selected time range2. Therefore, options B, C and D are correct, while option A is incorrect because zooming out will re-run the search with a broader time range.

Selected fields are fields that you choose to display in your search results by clicking on them in the Fields sidebar or by using the fields command2. Selected fields are displayed below each event in the search results, along with their values2. Therefore, option A is correct, while options B, C and D are incorrect because they are not places where selected fields are displayed.

Event types are custom categories of events that are based on search criteria. Event types can be used to label events with meaningful names, such as error, success, login, logout, etc. Event types can also be used to create transactions, alerts, reports, dashboards, etc. Event types can be created in two ways:

By going to the Settings menu and clicking Event Types > New. This will open a form where you can enter the name, description, search string, app context, and tags for the event type.

By selecting an event in search results and clicking Event Actions > Build Event Type. This will open a dialog box where you can enter the name and description for the event type. The search string will be automatically populated based on the selected event.

Event types cannot be created by using the searchtypes command in the search bar, as this command does not exist in Splunk. Event types can also be created by editing the event_type stanza in the transforms.conf file, not the props.conf file.