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

The fillnull command can be used to replace null values in specific fields. The correct equivalent expression for the given eval statement would involve using fillnull twice, once for field1 to replace null values with 0, and once for field2 to replace null values with "NO-VALUE".

References:

Splunk Docs - fillnull command

Highlighted search terms indicate matching search results in Splunk, which means that they show which parts of your events match your search string2. For example, if you search for error OR fail, Splunk will highlight error or fail in your events to show which events match your search string2. Therefore, option D is correct, while options A, B and C are incorrect because they are not indicated by highlighted search terms.

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.

A POST workflow action in Splunk is designed to send data to an external web service by using HTTP POST requests. This type of workflow action can pass a combination of clear text strings and variables derived from the search results or event data. The clear text strings might include static text or predefined values, while the variables are dynamic elements that represent specific fields or values extracted from the Splunk events. This flexibility allows for constructing detailed and context-specific requests to external systems, enabling various integration and automation scenarios. The POST request can include both types of data, making it versatile for different use cases.

An event type in Splunk is defined by a search string that returns a specific set of events. The search string index=games sourcetype=score player=* score>9999 is valid because it filters events based on specific criteria directly within the main search command. This search will find all events in the games index with a sourcetype of score, where the player field exists, and the score is greater than 9999. This specificity and direct filtering make it suitable for defining an event type.

References:

Splunk Docs: Create event types

Splunk Answers: Defining event types

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.

In Splunk, a macro can accept arguments, and the correct syntax for a macro that takes two arguments is macro_name(argument1, argument2). In this case, the macro is called samplemacro, and it accepts two arguments, so the correct format would be samplemacro(1,2). This syntax allows for passing dynamic values into the macro, which can then be used to modify the search dynamically based on the arguments provided.

References:

Splunk Docs - Macros

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.

https://docs.splunk.com/Splexicon:Datamodeldataset

Field aliases in Splunk are alternate names assigned to fields. These can be particularly useful for normalizing data from different sources or simply for making field names more intuitive. Once an alias is created for a field, it can be used across various Splunk knowledge objects, enhancing their flexibility and utility.

A. Calculated fields, lookups, event types, and tags: This is the correct answer. Field aliases can indeed be referenced in calculated fields, lookups, event types, and tags within Splunk. When you create an alias for a field, that alias can then be used in these knowledge objects just like any standard field name.

Calculated fields: These are expressions that can create new field values based on existing data. You can use an alias in a calculated field expression to refer to the original field.

Lookups: These are used to enrich your event data by referencing external data sources. If you've created an alias for a field that matches a field in your lookup table, you can use that alias in your lookup configurations.

Event types: These are classifications for events that meet certain search criteria. You can use field aliases in the search criteria for defining an event type.

Tags: These allow you to assign meaningful labels to data, making it easier to search and report on. You can use field aliases in the search criteria that you tag.

The Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) is an app that contains a set of predefined data models that apply a common structure and naming convention to data from any source. The CIM enables you to use data from different sources in a consistent and coherent way. The CIM contains 28 pre-configured datasets that cover various domains such as authentication, network traffic, web, email, etc. The data models included in the CIM are configured with data model acceleration turned on by default, which means that they are optimized for faster searches and analysis. Data model acceleration creates and maintains summary data for the data models, which reduces the amount of raw data that needs to be scanned when you run a search using a data model.

Splunk Core Certified Power User Track, page 10. : Splunk Documentation, About the Splunk Common Information Model.

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 search modes determine how Splunk processes your search and displays your results2. There are three search modes: Fast, Smart and Verbose2. The search mode that automatically returns all extracted fields in the fields sidebar is Verbose2. The Verbose mode shows all the fields that are extracted from your events, including default fields, indexed fields and search-time extracted fields2. The fields sidebar is a panel that shows the fields that are present in your search results2. Therefore, option C is correct, while options A and B are incorrect because they are not search modes that automatically return all extracted fields in the fields sidebar.

https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/8.0.2/SearchReference/Eval

The eval command calculates an expression and puts the resulting value into a search results field.

If the field name that you specify does not match a field in the output, a new field is added to the search results.

If the field name that you specify matches a field name that already exists in the search results, the results of the eval expression overwrite the values in that field.

The timechart command in Splunk requires the _time field to be present in the dataset because it uses time as the primary axis for charting data. The _time field represents the time of events and is essential for commands that generate visualizations based on time, such as timechart. This command groups the events into time intervals and performs statistical functions on those time intervals. Without the _time field, the timechart command will not function properly.

References:

Splunk Docs - timechart command

The fillnull command in Splunk is used to handle missing data within search results. It plays a crucial role in data normalization and preparation, especially before performing statistical analyses or visualizations.

A. Replace empty values with a specified value: This is the correct answer. The fillnull command is specifically designed to replace null values (empty values) with a specified default value. This is particularly useful in ensuring consistency within your data, especially when performing operations that require numerical values or when you want to distinguish between genuinely missing data and zeroes, for instance.

Example Usage: ... | fillnull value=0 This command would replace all null values in the search results with 0.

The correct answer is D. | eval notNULL = “” fillnull value=0 notNULL

Option A is incorrect because it is missing a comma between the “0” and the notNULL in the if function. The correct syntax for the if function is if (condition, true_value, false_value).

Option B is incorrect because it is missing the false_value argument in the if function. The correct syntax for the if function is if (condition, true_value, false_value).

Option C is incorrect because it uses the nullfill command, which only replaces null values, not empty strings. The nullfill command is equivalent to fillnull value=null.

Option D is correct because it uses the eval command to assign an empty string to the notNULL field, and then uses the fillnull command to replace the empty string with a zero. The fillnull command can replace any value with a specified replacement, not just null values.

In Splunk, a field alias is used to create an alternative name for an existing field, making it easier to refer to data in a consistent manner across different searches and reports. Field aliases can be applied to both calculated fields and extracted fields. Calculated fields are those that are created using eval expressions, while extracted fields are typically those parsed from the raw data at index time or search time. This flexibility allows users to streamline their searches by using more intuitive field names without altering the underlying data. Field aliases cannot be applied to data in a lookup table, specific individual fields within a dataset, or directly to a host, source, or sourcetype.

Using the export function, you can export search results as XML or JSON2. The export function allows you to save your search results in a structured format that can be used by other applications or tools2. You can use the output_mode parameter to specify whether you want to export your results as XML or JSON2. Therefore, options A and B are correct, while options C and D are incorrect because they are not formats that you can export your search results as.

A macro is a way to save a segment of a search string as a variable and reuse it in other searches2. A macro can be followed by a pipe, which is a symbol that separates commands in a search pipeline2. A pipe may always follow a macro, regardless of who owns the macro, where the macro is defined or how the macro is shared2. For example, if you have a macro called us_sales that returns events from the US region, you can use it in a search like this: us_sales | stats sum(price) by product2. This search will use the macro to filter the events and then calculate the total price for each product2. Therefore, option A is correct, while options B, C and D are incorrect because they are not conditions that affect whether a pipe can follow a macro.

In Splunk, the order of operations for Boolean logic in the where command follows this sequence:

Parentheses: Operations inside parentheses are evaluated first.

NOT: The NOT operator is evaluated after parentheses.

AND: The AND operator is evaluated next.

OR: Finally, the OR operator is evaluated last.

This order ensures that expressions within parentheses are given priority, followed by negations (NOT), conjunctions (AND), and finally disjunctions (OR).

References:

Splunk Docs - where command

The Common Information Model (CIM) add-on in Splunk applies preconfigured data models to data at search time. This means that when a search is executed, the CIM add-on uses its predefined data models to normalize and map the relevant data to a common format. This approach ensures that data is interpreted and analyzed consistently across various datasets without modifying the data at index time.

References:

Splunk Docs: About the Common Information Model

Splunk Answers: CIM Add-on Data Models

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.

When using the Field Extractor (FX) tool in Splunk and the tool fails to extract a value from all appropriate events, there are specific steps you can take to improve the extraction process. These steps involve interacting with the FX tool and possibly adjusting the extraction method:

A. Select an additional sample event with the Field Extractor (FX) and highlight the missing value in the event. This approach allows Splunk to understand the pattern better by providing more examples. By highlighting the value in another event where it wasn't extracted, you help the FX tool to learn the variability in the data format or structure, improving the accuracy of the field extraction.

D. Edit the regular expression manually. Sometimes the FX tool might not generate the most accurate regular expression for the field extraction, especially when dealing with complex log formats or subtle nuances in the data. In such cases, manually editing the regular expression can significantly improve the extraction process. This involves understanding regular expression syntax and how Splunk extracts fields, allowing for a more tailored approach to field extraction that accounts for variations in the data that the automatic process might miss.

Options B and C are not typically related to improving field extraction within the Field Extractor tool. Re-ingesting data (B) does not directly impact the extraction process, and changing to a delimited extraction method (C) is not always applicable, as it depends on the specific data format and might not resolve the issue of missing values across events.

The fillnull command replaces null values in one or more fields with a specified value. The values option allows you to specify a comma-separated list of values to fill the null values in the corresponding fields. The fields option allows you to specify a comma-separated list of fields to apply the fillnull command to. The eval statement in the question uses the if and isnull functions to check if field1 and field2 have null values and replace them with 0 and “NO-VALUE” respectively. The equivalent expression using fillnull is to use the values option to specify 0 and “NO-VALUE” and the fields option to specify field1 and field22

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

Event types in Splunk are saved searches that categorize data, making it easier to search for specific patterns or criteria within your data. When saving an event type, the search must essentially filter events based on criteria without performing operations that transform or aggregate the data. Here's a breakdown of the options:

A. The search index-server_472 sourcetype-BETA_494 code-488 | stats count by code performs an aggregation operation (stats count by code), which makes it unsuitable for saving as an event type. Event types are meant to categorize data without aggregating or transforming it.

B. The search index=server_472 sourcetype=BETA_494 code=488 [ | inputlookup append=t servercode.csv] includes a subsearch and input lookup, which is typically used to enrich or filter events based on external data. This complexity goes beyond simple event categorization.

C. The search index=server_472 sourcetype=BETA_494 code=488 | stats where code > 200 includes a filtering condition within a transforming command (stats), which again, is not suitable for defining an event type due to the transformation of data.

D. The search index=server_472 sourcetype=BETA_494 code-488 is the correct answer as it purely filters events based on index, sourcetype, and a code field condition without transforming or aggregating the data. This is what makes it suitable for saving as an event type, as it categorizes data based on specific criteria without altering the event structure or content.

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.

https://docs.splunk.com/Splexicon:Datamodeldataset

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’.

References:

where command usage

The time range specified for a historical search defines the amount of data fetched from the index matching that time range2. A historical search is a search that runs over a fixed period of time in the past2. When you run a historical search, Splunk searches the index for events that match your search string and fall within the specified time range2. Therefore, option B is correct, while options A and C are incorrect because they are not what the time range defines for a historical search.

Splunk alerts can be based on searches that run in real-time or on a regular schedule3. An alert is a way to monitor your data and get notified when certain conditions are met3. You can create an alert by specifying a search and a triggering condition3. You can also specify how often you want to run the search and how you want to receive the alert notifications3. You can run the alert search in real-time, which means that it continuously monitors your data as it streams into Splunk3. Alternatively, you can run the alert search on a regular schedule, which means that it runs at fixed intervals such as every hour or every day3. Therefore, options A and B are correct, while option C is incorrect because it is not a way to run an alert search.

If a search returns statistics, it can be viewed as a chart2. Statistics are tabular data that show the relationship between two or more fields2. You can create statistics by using commands such as stats, chart or timechart2. You can view statistics as a chart by selecting the Visualization tab in the Search app and choosing a chart type such as column, line or pie2. Therefore, option B is correct, while options A, C and D are incorrect because they are not types of data that can be viewed as a chart.

The correct answer is B. Calculated fields can be chained together to create more complex fields.

Calculated fields are fields that are added to events at search time by using eval expressions. They can be used to perform calculations with the values of two or more fields already present in those events. Calculated fields can be defined with Splunk Web or in the props.conf file. They can be used in searches, reports, dashboards, and data models like any other extracted field1.

Calculated fields can also be chained together to create more complex fields. This means that you can use a calculated field as an input for another calculated field. For example, if you have a calculated field named total that sums up the values of two fields named price and tax, you can use the total field to create another calculated field named discount that applies a percentage discount to the total field. To do this, you need to define the discount field with an eval expression that references the total field, such as:

discount = total * 0.9

This will create a new field named discount that is equal to 90% of the total field value for each event2.

References:

About calculated fields

Chaining calculated fields

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.

The eval command ‘if’ function requires the following three arguments (in order): boolean expression, result if true, result if false. The eval command is a search command that allows you to create new fields or modify existing fields by performing calculations or transformations on them. The eval command can use various functions to perform different operations on fields. The ‘if’ function is one of the functions that can be used with the eval command to perform conditional evaluations on fields. The ‘if’ function takes three arguments: a boolean expression that evaluates to true or false, a result that will be returned if the boolean expression is true, and a result that will be returned if the boolean expression is false. The ‘if’ function returns one of the two results based on the evaluation of the boolean expression.

https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/8.1.0/SearchReference/ConversionFunctions#tostring.28X.2CY.29

The tostring function in the eval command converts a numeric value to a string value. It can take an optional second argument that specifies the format of the string value. Some of the possible formats are:

hex: converts the numeric value to a hexadecimal string.

commas: adds commas to separate thousands in the numeric value.

duration: converts the numeric value to a human-readable duration string, such as “2h 3m 4s”.

Therefore, the formats A, B, and D can be used with the tostring function.

Search workflow actions are custom actions that run a search when you click on a field value in your search results. Search workflow actions can be configured with various options, such as label name, search string, time range, app context, etc. One of the options is to define the time range of the search when creating the workflow action. You can choose from predefined time ranges, such as Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, etc., or specify a custom time range using relative or absolute time modifiers. Search workflow actions do not run as real-time searches by default, but rather use the same time range as the original search unless specified otherwise. Search workflow actions cannot be configured as scheduled searches, as they are only triggered by user interaction. Search workflow actions can be configured with any valid search string that includes any search command, such as transaction.

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.

As mentioned before, a calculated field is a field that you create based on the value of another field or fields2. A calculated field can be based on extracted fields, which are fields that are extracted from your raw data using various methods such as regular expressions, delimiters or key-value pairs2. Therefore, option B is correct, while options A, C and D are incorrect because they are not types of fields that a calculated field can be based on.

The Field Extractor (FX) is a tool that helps you extract fields from your events using a graphical interface2. You can create a report using a custom field extracted by the FX and share it with other users in your organization2. However, if another user runs the shared report and no results are returned, there could be two possible reasons. One reason is that the extraction is private, which means that only you can see and use the extracted field2. To make the extraction available to other users, you need to make it global or app-level2. Therefore, option C is correct. Another reason is that the other user does not have access to the index where the events are stored2. To fix this issue, you need to grant the appropriate permissions to the other user for the index2. Therefore, option D is correct. Options A and B are incorrect because they are not related to the field extraction or the report.

After manually editing a regular expression (regex) that was created using the Field Extractor (FX) UI, it is no longer possible to edit the field extraction in the FX UI. The FX UI is a tool that helps you extract fields from your data using delimiters or regular expressions. The FX UI can generate a regex for you based on your selection of sample values or you can enter your own regex in the FX UI. However, if you edit the regex manually in the props.conf file, the FX UI will not be able to recognize the changes and will not let you edit the field extraction in the FX UI anymore. You will have to use the props.conf file to make any further changes to the field extraction. Changes made manually cannot be reverted in the FX UI, as the FX UI does not keep track of the changes made in the props.conf file. It is possible to manually edit a regex that was created using the FX UI, as long as you do it in the props.conf file.

Therefore, only statement B is true about manually editing a regex.

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.

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.

To create a macro that accepts arguments, you must include the number of arguments in parentheses at the end of the macro name1. For example, my_macro(3) is a macro that accepts three arguments. The number of arguments in the macro name must match the number of arguments in the definition1. Therefore, option A is correct, while options B, C and D are incorrect.

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 eval command supports a number of functions that you can use in your expressions to perform calculations, conversions, string manipulations and more2. One of the eval command functions is tostring(), which converts a numeric value to a string value2. Therefore, option D is correct, while options A, B and C are incorrect because they are not valid eval command functions.

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 Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) add-on is a collection of pre-built data models and knowledge objects that help you normalize your data from different sources and make it easier to analyze and report on it3. The CIM add-on includes pre-configured data models that cover various domains such as Alerts, Email, Database, Network Traffic, Web and more3. Therefore, option B is correct. The CIM add-on also includes fields and event category tags that define the common attributes and labels for the data models3. Therefore, option C is correct. The CIM add-on does not include custom visualizations or automatic data model acceleration. Therefore, options A and D are incorrect.

The Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) add-on is a Splunk app that contains data models to help you normalize data from different sources and formats. The CIM add-on defines a common and consistent way of naming and categorizing fields and events in Splunk. This makes it easier to correlate and analyze data across different domains, such as network, security, web, etc. The CIM add-on does not use machine learning to normalize data, but rather relies on predefined field names and values. The CIM add-on does not contain dashboards that show how to map data, but rather provides documentation and examples on how to use the data models. The CIM add-on is not automatically installed in a Splunk environment, but rather needs to be downloaded and installed from Splunkbase.

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.

Auto-Extracted fields in Splunk Data Models are derived directly from the indexed data based on the existing fields within the events. These fields are identified and extracted by Splunk automatically, without the need for explicit field extractions configured by the user. Understanding the characteristics of Auto-Extracted fields is crucial for effectively managing Data Models and utilizing them in Pivot tables for analysis.

A. Auto-Extracted fields can be hidden in Pivot. This is true. When building a Data Model, you have the option to hide certain fields from appearing in Pivot, making the Pivot table cleaner and more focused on the fields that are most relevant for analysis. This helps in reducing clutter and focusing on the data that matters most to the users.

B. Auto-Extracted fields can have their data type changed. This statement is not typically accurate for Auto-Extracted fields. The data type of an Auto-Extracted field is determined by Splunk based on the field's content in the indexed data. While you can assign a type to a field when you manually create a field in a data model, the inherent data type of Auto-Extracted fields is not something that is changed within the Data Model itself.

C. Auto-Extracted fields can be given a friendly name for use in Pivot. This is correct. Within Data Models, you can assign a more user-friendly, descriptive name to an Auto-Extracted field. This feature is particularly useful in making Data Models more intuitive and easier to use for those who may not be familiar with the original field names or when the original field names are not descriptive or user-friendly.

D. Auto-Extracted fields can be added if they already exist in the dataset with constraints. This is true. Auto-Extracted fields are based on fields that already exist in the data. When you define a dataset within a Data Model, you can apply constraints to narrow down the events that the dataset includes. The Auto-Extracted fields are then identified from this constrained dataset. This means that the fields must already be present in the data that meets the dataset's constraints to be available for auto-extraction.

In summary, Auto-Extracted fields in Splunk Data Models offer a flexible and efficient way to utilize existing data fields within Pivot tables, with options to rename them for clarity and hide unnecessary fields to streamline data analysis.

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.

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 transaction command is a search command that creates a single event from a group of events that share some common characteristics. The transaction command can group events based on fields, time, or both. The transaction command can also create some additional fields for each transaction, such as duration, eventcount, startime, etc. The transaction command does not group a set of transactions based on time, but rather groups a set of events into a transaction based on time. The transaction command does not separate two events based on one or more values, but rather joins multiple events based on one or more values. The transaction command does not return the number of credit card transactions found in the event logs, but rather creates transactions from the events that match the search criteria.

Data model acceleration is a feature that speeds up searches on data models by creating and storing summaries of the data model datasets1. To enable data model acceleration, you must have administrative permissions or the accelerate_datamodel capability1. Therefore, option D is correct. Accelerated data models cannot be edited unless you disable the acceleration first1. Therefore, option B is correct. Private data models cannot be accelerated because they are not visible to other users1. Therefore, option C is correct. Root events can be accelerated as long as they are not based on a search string1. Therefore, option A is incorrect.

The Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) add-on helps you normalize your data from different sources and make it easier to analyze and report on it3. One of the functionalities that the CIM add-on relies on to normalize fields with different names is field aliases3. Field aliases allow you to assign an alternative name to an existing field without changing the original field name or value2. By using field aliases, you can map different field names from different sources or sourcetypes to a common field name that conforms to the CIM standard3. Therefore, option B is correct, while options A, C and D are incorrect.

The search string below creates a table of the total count of mysterymeat corndogs split by user.

| stats count by user | where corndog=mysterymeat

The search string does the following:

It uses the stats command to calculate the count of events for each value of the user field. The stats command creates a table with two columns: user and count.

It uses the where command to filter the results by the value of the corndog field. The where command only keeps the rows where corndog equals mysterymeat.

Therefore, the search string creates a table of the total count of mysterymeat corndogs split by user.

 The data model command allows you to run searches on data models that have been accelerated1. The syntax for using the data model command is | datamodel [search ]1. Therefore, option A is the correct way to use the data model command to search fields in the data model within the web dataset. Options B and C are incorrect because they do not follow the syntax for the data model command. Option D is incorrect because it does not use the data model command at all.

The eval command is used to create new fields or modify existing fields based on an expression2. The eval command can perform various actions such as calculations, conversions, string manipulations and more2. One of the actions that the eval command can perform is to create or replace an existing field with a new value based on an expression2. For example, | eval status=if(status="200","OK","ERROR") will create or replace the status field with either OK or ERROR depending on the original value of status2. Therefore, option B is correct, while options A, C and D are incorrect because they are not actions that the eval command can perform.

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.