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

To search for a tag on a specific field, Splunk requires the syntax tag::=.

Extract: “To search for a tag associated with a field, use tag::=.”

Thus, tag::host=prod is correct.

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.

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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.

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

Event types are created from searches, not field extraction.

Extract: “You can create event types by running a search and saving it as an event type, or by using Settings > Event types > New Event Type.”

The Field Extractor is used for field extractions, not for creating event types. Therefore, option C is correct.

The correct answer is C. A macro is a portion of a search that can be reused in multiple places.

A macro is a way to reuse a piece of SPL code in different searches. A macro can be any part of a search, such as an eval statement or a search term, and does not need to be a complete command. A macro can also take arguments, which are variables that can be replaced by different values when the macro is called. A macro can also contain another macro within it, which is called a nested macro1.

To create a macro, you need to define its name, definition, arguments, and description in the Settings > Advanced Search > Search Macros page in Splunk Web or in the macros.conf file. To use a macro in a search, you need to enclose the macro name in backtick characters (`) and provide values for the arguments if any1.

For example, if you have a macro named my_macro that takes one argument named object and has the following definition:

search sourcetype= object

You can use it in a search by writing:

my_macro(web)

This will expand the macro and run the following SPL code:

search sourcetype=web

The benefits of using macros are that they can simplify complex searches, reduce errors, improve readability, and promote consistency1.

The other options are not correct because they describe other types of knowledge objects in Splunk, not macros. These objects are:

A. An event type is a method of categorizing events based on a search. An event type assigns a label to events that match a specific search criteria. Event types can be used to filter and group events, create alerts, or generate reports2.

B. A field alias is a way to associate an additional (new) name with an existing field name. A field alias can be used to normalize fields from different sources that have different names but represent the same data. Field aliases can also be used to rename fields for clarity or convenience3.

D. An alert is a knowledge object that enables you to schedule searches for specific events and trigger actions when certain conditions are met. An alert can be used to monitor your data for anomalies, errors, or other patterns of interest and notify you or others when they occur4.

In Splunk, when using the chart command, the useother parameter can be set to false (f) to remove the 'OTHER' category, which is a bucket that Splunk uses to aggregate low-cardinality groups into a single group to simplify visualization. Here's how the options break down:

A. | chart count over CurrentStanding by Action useother=fThis command correctly sets the useother parameter to false, which would prevent the 'OTHER' category from being displayed in the resulting visualization.

B. | chart count over CurrentStanding by Action usenull=f useother=tThis command has useother set to true (t), which means the 'OTHER' category would still be included, so this is not a correct option.

C. | chart count over CurrentStanding by Action limit=10 useother=fSimilar to option A, this command also sets useother to false, additionally imposing a limit to the top 10 results, which is a way to control the granularity of the chart but also to remove the 'OTHER' category.

D. | chart count over CurrentStanding by Action limit-10This command has a syntax error (limit-10 should be limit=10) and does not include the useother=f clause. Therefore, it would not remove the 'OTHER' category, making it incorrect.

The correct answers to rewrite the syntax to remove the 'OTHER' category are options A and C, which explicitly set useother=f.

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 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.

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.

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.

The correct command to show the total bytes for each unique combination of page and server is index=web | stats sum (bytes) BY page server. In Splunk, the stats command is used to calculate aggregate statistics over the dataset, such as count, sum, avg, etc. When using the BY clause, it groups the results by the specified fields. The correct syntax does not include commas or the word ‘AND’ between the field names. Instead, it simply lists the field names separated by spaces within the BY clause.

The correct answer is B. Root event dataset. This is because root event datasets are defined by a constraint that filters out events that are not relevant to the dataset. A constraint for a root event dataset is a simple search that returns a fairly wide range of data, such as sourcetype=access_combined. Without a constraint, a root event dataset would include all the events in the index, which is not useful for data modeling. You can learn more about how to design data models and add root event datasets from the Splunk documentation1. The other options are incorrect because root transaction datasets and root search datasets have different ways of defining their datasets, such as transaction definitions or complex searches, and root child datasets are not a valid type of root dataset.

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.

In workflow action definitions, field tokens are enclosed with dollar signs to represent field values dynamically.

Extract: “In workflow actions, enclose field names with dollar signs ($fieldname$) to insert their values dynamically into URLs or searches.”

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.

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.

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.

The descriptions of the data models that come with the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) Add-on are documented in the CIM Add-on manual (Option B). This manual provides detailed information about the data models, including their structure, the types of data they are designed to normalize, and how they can be used to facilitate cross-sourcing reporting and analysis.

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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.

The correct answer is B. Use the field values in an HTTP error event to create a new ticket in an external system.

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 example that would use a POST workflow action is B. Use the field values in an HTTP error event to create a new ticket in an external system. This example requires sending an HTTP POST request to the URI of the external system with the field values from the event as arguments.

The other examples would use different types of workflow actions. These examples are:

A. Perform an external IP lookup based on a domain value found in events: This example would use a GET workflow action to create a link to an external IP lookup service with the domain value as a parameter.

C. Launch secondary Splunk searches that use one or more field values from selected events: This example would use a Search workflow action to run another Splunk search with the field values from the event as search terms.

D. Open a web browser to look up an HTTP status code: This example would also use a GET workflow action to create a link to a web page that explains the meaning of the HTTP status code.

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.

https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/8.1.1/SearchReference/ConditionalFunctions

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.

The chart command with sum(price) by product, region will return a table where the total revenue (price) is aggregated (sum) for each product and sales region. This is the correct way to aggregate data in Splunk.

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.

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.

In this search, count will appear on the y-axis2. This search uses the chart command to create a chart of the count of events over host for events that have status not equal to 2002. The chart command creates a table with one column for each value of the field after the over clause and one row for each value of the field after the by clause (if any)2. The values in the table are calculated by applying the function before the over clause to the events in each group2. In this case, the chart command creates a table with one column for each host and one row for the count of events for each host. The y-axis of the chart shows the values of the count function applied to each host. Therefore, option C is correct, while options A and B are incorrect because they appear on the x-axis or as labels of the chart.

During the validation step of the Field Extractor workflow, you can remove values that aren’t a match for the field you want to define2. The validation step allows you to review and edit the values that have been extracted by the FX and make sure they are correct and consistent2. You can remove values that aren’t a match by clicking on them and selecting Remove Value from the menu2. This will exclude them from your field extraction and update the regular expression accordingly2. Therefore, option A is correct, while options B and C are incorrect because they are not actions that you can perform during the validation step of the Field Extractor workflow.

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.

To create a tag, the user must have the tag capability associated with their user role. The tag capability allows the user to create, edit, and delete tags. The user does not need to identify a field:value pair, have the Power role, or be able to edit the sourcetype the tag applies to.ReferencesSee Define and manage tags in Settings and [About capabilities] in the Splunk Documentation.

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

Search macros with arguments must include the number of arguments in parentheses.

Extract: “If your macro includes arguments, append the number of arguments to the macro name. For example, mymacro(2).”

Thus, samplemacro(2) is correct.

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 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 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.

When using the transaction command in Splunk, the default maximum span between events is set to unlimited. This is indicated by the default value of maxspan=-1, which corresponds to an “all time” time range.

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.

In this case, the outer join is applied, which means that all rows from the outer (left) table will be included, even if there are no matching rows in the inner (right) table. The result will include all five rows from the outer table, with the matched data from the inner table where employeeNumber matches. Rows without matching employeeNumber values will have null values for the fields from the inner table.

The Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) Add-on is a foundational component for many Splunk apps, providing a common framework for data normalization and field extraction. This add-on includes a set of pre-configured data models that are essential for consistent reporting, searching, and correlation across various types of data. These data models help standardize field names and event structures, ensuring that data from disparate sources can be queried in a uniform way. While the CIM Add-on facilitates the use of standardized sourcetypes and supports data validation, the primary feature it offers is the set of pre-configured data models which are crucial for maintaining consistency across different datasets.

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 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 models and pivot are both knowledge objects in Splunk that allow you to analyze and visualize your data in different ways. 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. Pivot is a user interface that allows you to create data visualizations that present different aspects of a data model. Pivot does not require users to input SPL searches on data models, but rather lets them select options from menus and forms. Data models are not created out of datasets called pivots, but rather pivots are created from datasets in data models.

This is because event types are added to events as a field named eventtype, and you can use this field as a search term to find events that match a specific event type. For example, eventtype=successful_purchases returns all events that have been categorized as successful purchases by the event type definition. The other options are incorrect because they either use a different field name (tag), a different syntax (Event Type:: or event type—), or have a typo (success ful_purchases). You can learn more about how to use event types in searches from the Splunk documentation1.

In Splunk, calculated fields allow you to create new fields using expressions that can transform or combine the values of existing fields. Although all options provided might seem viable, when selecting only one option that is most representative of a calculated field, we typically refer to:

D. Extracted fields: Calculated fields are often based on fields that have already been extracted from your data. Extracted fields are those that Splunk has identified and pulled out from the event data based on patterns, delimiters, or other methods such as regular expressions or automatic extractions. These fields can then be used in expressions to create calculated fields.

For example, you might have an extracted field for the time in seconds, and you want to create a calculated field for the time in minutes. You would use the extracted field in a calculation to create the new field.

It's important to note that although fields generated within a search string (A) and regular expressions (C) can also be used in the calculation of a new field, and lookup tables (B) can be used to enrich data, option D is typically what one refers to when discussing calculated fields, as it implies a direct transformation or calculation based on fields that have been extracted from the raw data.

In Splunk, a data model's root dataset is the foundational element upon which the rest of the data model is built. The root dataset can be of various types, including search, transaction, or event-based datasets. One of the key features of the root dataset is that it automatically inherits the knowledge objects associated with its base search. These knowledge objects include field extractions, lookups, aliases, and calculated fields that are defined for the base search, ensuring that the root dataset has all necessary contextual information from the outset. This allows users to build upon this dataset with additional child datasets and objects without having to redefine the base search’s knowledge objects.

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 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 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 type of workflow action that sends field values to an external resource (e.g. a ticketing system) is POST. A POST workflow action allows you to send a POST request to a URI location with field values or static values as arguments. For example, you can use a POST workflow action to create a ticket in an external system with information from an event.

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].

This search will run the third_party_outages macro and pass the arguments EMEA and -24h to the macro definition. A search macro is a reusable chunk of SPL that can be inserted into other searches. A search macro can take arguments that are used to resolve the search string at execution time. The syntax for using a search macro is macro_name (argument1, argument2, ...).ReferencesSee Use search macros in searches and Search macro examples in the Splunk Documentation.

The search below would limit an “alert” tag to the “host” field.

tag::host=alert

The search does the following:

It uses tag syntax to filter events by tags. Tags are custom labels that can be applied to fields or field values to provide additional context or meaning for your data.

It specifies tag::host=alert as the tag filter. This means that it will only return events that have an “alert” tag applied to their host field or host field value.

It uses an equal sign (=) to indicate an exact match between the tag and the field or field value.

 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 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.

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.

The correct answer is B. Event category tags. This is because the CIM add-on contains a collection of preconfigured data models that you can apply to your data at search time. Each data model in the CIM consists of a set of field names and tags that define the least common denominator of a domain of interest. Event category tags are used to classify events into high-level categories, such as authentication, network traffic, or web activity. You can use these tags to filter and analyze events based on their category. You can learn more about event category tags from the Splunk documentation12. The other options are incorrect because they are not included with the CIM add-on. Search macros are reusable pieces of search syntax that you can invoke from other searches. They are not specific to the CIM add-on, although some Splunk apps may provide their own search macros. Workflow actions are custom links or scripts that you can run on specific fields or events. They are also not specific to the CIM add-on, although some Splunk apps may provide their own workflow actions. tsidx files are index files that store the terms and pointers to the raw data in Splunk buckets. They are part of the Splunk indexing process and have nothing to do with the CIM add-on.

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.

The recommended approach when using the Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) add-on to normalize data is A. Consult the CIM data model reference tables. This is because the CIM data model reference tables provide detailed information about the fields and tags that are expected for each dataset in a data model. By consulting the reference tables, you can determine which data models are relevant for your data source and how to map your data fields to the CIM fields. You can also use the reference tables to validate your data and troubleshoot any issues with normalization. You can find the CIM data model reference tables in the Splunk documentation1 or in the Data Model Editor page in Splunk Web2. The other options are incorrect because they are not related to the CIM add-on or data normalization. The authentication command is a custom command that validates events against the Authentication data model, but it does not help you to normalize other types of data. The correlation command is a search command that performs statistical analysis on event fields, but it does not help you to map your data fields to the CIM fields. The CIM event type reference tables do not exist, as event types are not part of the CIM add-on.

https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/8.0.2/Knowledge/CreateworkflowactionsinSplunkWeb

https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/8.0.2/Search/Abouttransactions

In other cases, it's usually better to use the stats command, which performs more efficiently, especially in a distributed environment. Often there is a unique ID in the events and stats can be used.

The fillnull command replaces null values with 0 by default, if the value argument is not specified. You can use the value argument to specify a different value to replace null values with, such as N/A or NULL.

https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/8.1.0/SearchReference/Chart

https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/8.1.0/SearchReference/Stats

The correct answer is C. Distributable streaming. This is because the eval command is a type of command that can run on the indexers before the results are sent to the search head. This reduces the amount of data that needs to be transferred and improves the search performance. Distributable streaming commands can operate on each event or result individually, without depending on other events or results. You can learn more about the types of commands and how they affect search performance from the Splunk documentation1.