SPLK-1004 Questions and Answers

The four types of event actions in Splunk are eval, link, change, and clear (Option C). These actions can be used in dashboard panel configurations to dynamically interact with or manipulate event data based on user inputs or other criteria. Eval is used for calculating fields, link for creating hyperlinks, change for modifying field values, and clear for removing field values or other data elements.

Repeating JSON data structures within a single event in Splunk are extracted as multivalue fields (Option C). Multivalue fields allow a single field to contain multiple distinct values, which is common with JSON data structures that include arrays or repeated elements. Splunk's field extraction capabilities automatically recognize and parse these structures, allowing users to work with each value within the multivalue field for analysis and reporting

Distributable streaming commands in Splunk can run on both search heads and indexers (Option D). These commands operate on each event independently and can be distributed across indexers for parallel execution, which enhances search efficiency and scalability. This category includes commands like search, where, eval, and many others that do not require the entire dataset to be available to produce their output.

When the base search of a dashboard panel with post-processing searches is refreshed, the panels with these post-processing searches are refreshed automatically (Option C). Post-processing searches inherit the scope and results of the base search, and when the base search is updated or rerun, the post-processed results are recalculated to reflect the latest data.

The valid syntax for using the split function in Splunk is ... | eval areaCodes = split(phoneNumber, "_") (Option B). The split function divides a string into an array of substrings based on a specified delimiter, in this case, an underscore. The resulting array is stored in the new field areaCodes.

The | makeresults command in Splunk generates a single event containing default fields, with theprimary purpose of creating sample data or a placeholder event for testing and development purposes. The most notable field it generates is _time, but it does not create a specific 'results' field per se. However, it's commonly used to create a base event for further manipulation with eval or other commands in search queries for demonstration, testing, or constructing specific scenarios.

In Splunk, the Admin role (Option D) has the capability to use the Log Event alert action among many other administrative privileges. The Log Event alert action allows Splunk to create an event in an index based on the triggering of an alert, providing a way to log and track alert occurrences over time. The Admin role typically encompasses a wide range of permissions, including the ability to configure and manage alert actions.

The transaction command can be slow in large Splunk deployments because it requires all event data relevant to the transaction to be returned to the search head (Option C). This process can be resource-intensive, especially for transactions that span a large volume of data or time, as it involves aggregating and sorting events across potentially many indexers before the transaction logic can be applied.

To reference a lookup in an alert in Splunk, you would run a search that uses a lookup and then save that search as an alert (Option C). This method integrates the lookup within the search logic, and when the search conditions meet the alert's trigger conditions, the alert is activated. This approach allows the alert to leverage the enriched data provided by the lookup for more accurate and informative alerting.

The Search head (Option B) in Splunk architecture is responsible for initiating and coordinating search activities across a distributed environment. When a search is run, the search head parses the search query, distributes the search tasks to the appropriate indexers (which hold the actual data), and then consolidates the results retrieved by the indexers. The search head is the component that interacts with the user, presenting the final search results

For an event annotation in Splunk, the required field is time (Option B). The time field specifies the point or range in time that the annotation should be applied to in timeline visualizations, making it essential for correlating the annotation with the correct temporal context within the data.

When searching against summary data in Splunk, it's common to reference the name of the saved search or report that populated the summary index. The correct search syntax to retrieve data from the summary index populated by a report named "Linux logins" is index=summary search_name="Linux logins" | top src_ip user (Option B). This syntax uses the search_name field, which holds the name of the saved search or report that generated the summary data, allowing for precise retrieval of the intended summary data.

A cascading input is used as a way to filter other input selections within a dashboard or form (Option C). It enables a dynamic user interface where the selection made in one input (e.g., a dropdown menu) determines the available options in another input. This setup allows for more intuitive and relevant user interactions, as each choice narrows down the subsequent options to ensure they are contextually appropriate.

In Splunk, common default time fields include date_minute, date_year, and date_day, which represent the minute, year, and day parts of event timestamps, respectively. date_zone (Option A) is not recognized as a common default time field in Splunk. The platform typically uses fields like _time and various date_* fields for time-related information but does not use date_zone as a standard time field.

In Splunk Simple XML for dashboards, dynamic drilldowns are configured within the<drilldown>element, not<link>,<condition>, or<pass_token>. To pass multiple fields to another dashboard, you would use a combination of<set>tokens within the<drilldown>element. Each<set>token specifies a field or value to be passed. The correct configuration might look something like this within the<drilldown>element:

$row.field1$

$row.field2$

/app/search/new_dashboard

In this configuration,$row.field1$and$row.field2$are placeholders for the field values from the clicked event, which are assigned to tokenstoken1andtoken2. These tokens can then be used in the target dashboard to receive the values. The<link>element specifiesthe target dashboard. Note that the exact syntax can vary based on the specific requirements of the drilldown and the dashboard configuration.