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Quizzes > Computers & Technology > Programming & Software

Ready to Ace the Splunk Core Certified User Quiz?

Can you nail character prefixes and default selected fields? Dive in!

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art quiz layout with laptop showing Splunk command prefixes default fields tweaks on sky blue background

Ready to level up your log analysis? Dive into our Splunk Core Certified User quiz to validate your core skills. You'll tackle crucial concepts - from which character is used in a search before a command to which of the following fields are default selected fields, and master which command changes the appearance of field values. This free challenge will show where you excel and what to build on. Perfect for IT pros and analytics enthusiasts, it's time to test your knowledge. Take the quiz now and expand your expertise with our cplp certification or try a quick user interface quiz .

What is the default search mode in Splunk Web?
Fast
Smart
Verbose
Normal
Splunk Web defaults to Fast search mode, which optimizes search speed by limiting field discovery. Smart mode balances field discovery and performance, while Verbose discovers all possible fields. Normal is not a designated Splunk search mode. Splunk Search Modes
Which default field holds the event timestamp in Splunk?
_time
timestamp
time
event_time
Splunk automatically populates the _time field with the event's timestamp for indexing and searching. Other fields like timestamp or event_time are not default. This default behavior ensures uniform time-based searches. Default Fields
Which command lists or limits the fields returned in your search results?
fields
table
stats
eventstats
The fields command explicitly includes or excludes specified fields from the search results. Table formats fields into a table but does not limit underlying fields. Stats aggregates data rather than listing them. Fields Command
Which prefix command filters events using a condition?
where
filter
search
lookup
The where command applies conditional expressions to include only matching events post-search. Search treats its arguments as a full Splunk search. Filter is not a valid prefix command. Where Command
Which command creates a time-based aggregation of events?
timechart
chart
stats
trendline
Timechart aggregates events across time intervals and plots a time series. Chart aggregates across specified dimensions without enforcing time bins. Stats is a general aggregation command. Timechart Command
Which command calculates the count of events?
stats count
eval count
count
eventcount
stats count returns the total number of events in the search pipeline. Eval can create new fields but does not count events by itself. There is no standalone count command. Stats Command
Which wildcard matches any single character in Splunk searches?
?
*
+
#
In Splunk search syntax, the ? wildcard matches exactly one character. The * wildcard matches zero or more characters. + and # are not wildcards. Splunk Wildcards
Which default field identifies the host from which events originate?
host
source
sourcetype
index
Splunk sets the host field to the origin machine or source of the data. Source and sourcetype describe the file path or data format, respectively. Index identifies the event store. Default Fields
Which command renames fields in search results?
rename
fieldalias
eval
translate
The rename command changes field names in the output. fieldalias creates alternate names but does not replace the original field. Eval can calculate or transform values but not rename fields. Rename Command
Which command extracts key-value pairs from raw text automatically?
kv
keyval
extract
pair
The kv command extracts structured key-value pairs from unstructured text. Extract is a general parser but kv is optimized for key=value patterns. keyval and pair are not valid commands. kv Command
How do you remove a field named response_time from display?
fields - response_time
remove field=response_time
delete response_time
exclude field=response_time
Using fields - response_time excludes that field from the output. Splunk’s fields command supports inclusion or exclusion with + or -. Other syntaxes are invalid. Fields Command
Which syntax denotes a subsearch in Splunk?
[ search ... ]
{ search ... }
( search ... )
< search ... >
Subsearches are enclosed in square brackets [ ] and are executed first, feeding results to the main search. Parentheses, braces, and angle brackets are not used for subsearches. Subsearches
What is the default index when none is specified?
main
default
primary
splunk_index
When no index is defined, searches default to the main index. The default entry in indexes.conf names it main. There is no default index called primary or default. Indexes Overview
Which stats function returns the sum of a numeric field?
stats sum(field)
stats total(field)
eval sum(field)
aggregate sum(field)
stats sum(field) computes the total sum of the specified numeric field. There is no total function in stats. Eval does transformations but not specialized aggregations. Stats Functions
Which argument sets the earliest time in a Splunk search?
earliest
starttime
begin
from
The earliest argument defines the start time boundary for searches. There are no parameters named starttime or from in Splunk. Understanding time modifiers is essential for precise time-range searches. Time Range Modifiers
Which stats function returns the count of distinct values in a field?
stats dc(field)
stats uniq(field)
stats distinct(field)
stats unique(field)
The dc() function in stats returns the distinct count of values in the specified field. Splunk does not support uniq() or unique() as stats functions. Distinct Count
Which command calculates the average of a numeric field?
stats avg(field)
stats mean(field)
eventstats avg(field)
eval avg(field)
stats avg(field) computes the arithmetic average of the field across events. eventstats avg(field) appends the average value to each event rather than summarizing. There is no mean() function. Stats Functions
Which command merges two result sets based on a common field?
join
merge
combine
union
The join command merges search results on a matching field. Union and combine are not valid Splunk commands, and merge is not used for field-based joins. Join Command
What does the rex command do in Splunk searches?
Extracts fields using regular expressions
Evaluates mathematical expressions
Renders charts
Searches external data
rex uses regular expressions to extract named fields from _raw text. It does not evaluate math or render visualizations. Understanding rex is key for advanced field extraction. rex Command
Which command would you use to enrich events with external lookup data?
lookup
inputlookup
collect
append
lookup enriches events by matching fields against an external CSV or KV store lookup table. inputlookup simply reads the entire lookup table. collect writes events to an index. Lookup Tutorial
Which command sorts search results by a specified field?
sort
order
arrange
rank
The sort command orders events by the specified field in ascending or descending order. There is no order or arrange command in Splunk. rank provides ranking but not full sorting. Sort Command
Which eval function transforms text to uppercase?
upper(field)
touppercase(field)
uppercase(field)
capitalize(field)
eval upper(field) returns the uppercase version of a string field. There are no functions named touppercase or uppercase. capitalize only affects the first character. Eval Functions
How do you remove events where the status field is null?
where isnotnull(status)
where status!=null
filter status=*
search status!=null
where isnotnull(status) filters out events with null or missing status. Using !=null is not valid syntax. filter is not a Splunk command. Where Command
What is the default result limit for a subsearch?
10,000
5,000
1,000
100,000
Subsearches return up to 10,000 results by default. This limit prevents performance issues. You can adjust maxout and maxsearches in limits.conf. Subsearch Limits
Which props.conf setting controls automatic key-value extraction?
KV_MODE
EXTRACT_KV
AUTO_KV
KV_AUTO
KV_MODE in props.conf enables or disables automatic key-value field extraction. Other names are not recognized by Splunk. Correct configuration is required for inline field extraction. props.conf Settings
Which command groups results by multiple fields?
stats count by field1, field2
chart count over field1, field2
table field1, field2
groupby field1, field2
stats count by field1, field2 aggregates event counts grouped by both fields. chart does aggregations but does not use 'over' syntax. There is no groupby command. Stats Grouping
What does the eventstats command do?
Calculates statistics and adds them to each event
Creates summary indexes
Extracts timestamp fields
Filters events
eventstats computes statistics like stats but retains all events and adds fields to them. It does not create summary indexes or extract timestamps. eventstats Command
Which command reads an existing lookup table into search results?
inputlookup
lookup
outputlookup
readlookup
inputlookup returns all rows from a lookup table as events. lookup enriches existing events. outputlookup writes results to a lookup. readlookup is not a Splunk command. inputlookup Command
Which command displays only the first N events?
head N
top N
limit N
first N
head N returns the first N results from the pipeline. top N returns the most frequent values of a field. There are no limit or first commands. head Command
Which mode does rex use to perform sed-style substitutions?
mode=sed
mode=replace
type=sed
sub=sed
rex mode=sed applies sed-style regex substitutions on _raw text. You must specify mode=sed explicitly. Other parameters are invalid. rex Command
Which regex in rex extracts an IPv4 address into a field named client_ip?
rex field=_raw "(?\d{1,3}(?:\.\d{1,3}){3})"
rex field=client_ip "\d{1,3}(\.\d{1,3}){3}"
rex client_ip=_raw "(?P\d+\.\d+\.\d+\.\d+)"
rex field=_raw "client_ip=(?\d+\.\d+\.\d+\.\d+)"
The syntax (?...) names the capture group, and the non-capturing group (?:...) handles repetition. Other options misplace field names or use invalid group syntax. rex regex examples
What does the collect command do in a Splunk search?
Writes search results to a summary index
Collects events for indexing
Aggregates inline data
Generates lookup files
collect writes the current search results into a specified summary index. It does not create lookup files or inline aggregations. This command is used for summary indexing. collect Command
Which file in Splunk configuration maps sourcetypes to transforms?
props.conf
transforms.conf
inputs.conf
outputs.conf
props.conf defines how incoming data (sourcetype) is processed and references transforms. transforms.conf defines the actual transformations. Inputs.conf and outputs.conf configure data routing. props.conf Reference
What is required for running tstats on a dataset?
An accelerated data model or metrics index
A summary index
A lookup table
A KV store collection
tstats queries indexed fields from accelerated data models or metrics indexes for high performance. It does not operate on summary indexes or lookups. tstats Requirements
Which command parses JSON objects in event data?
spath
jsonparse
extract kv
parseJSON
spath automatically parses JSON or XML fields into searchable fields. There is no jsonparse or parseJSON command. kv only handles key=value pairing. spath Command
How can you display the duration of each event in seconds?
eval duration=_time-
stats duration=_time-
timechart span=1s duration
where duration>0
Using eval lets you calculate a new field duration by subtracting timestamp fields. Stats does aggregations, not per-event calculation. Eval Command
Which setting in limits.conf controls subsearch maximum time?
maxtime
maxsubsearch
search_timeout
subsearch_time_limit
maxtime in limits.conf sets the maximum runtime for subsearches. Other names are not valid. This prevents runaway subsearch performance issues. limits.conf Reference
Which command allows you to accumulate log data across different hosts?
collect index=summary hostfield=host
merge host
union host
append hosts
collect can write events into a summary index across hosts using hostfield. merge, union, and append syntax do not support this operation. collect Command
Which configuration file sets up data forwarding destinations?
outputs.conf
inputs.conf
props.conf
transforms.conf
outputs.conf defines forwarder targets, ports, and protocols. inputs.conf configures data inputs. props.conf and transforms.conf handle event parsing. outputs.conf Reference
How do you configure Splunk to ignore the first line of a multiline event?
props.conf LINE_BREAKER and SHOULD_LINEMERGE settings
inputs.conf ignore_first_line=true
transforms.conf first_line=skip
props.conf skipHeader=true
You adjust LINE_BREAKER to split events correctly and set SHOULD_LINEMERGE=false to prevent merging. There is no ignore_first_line parameter. Multiline Settings
What is the default maximum size for an indexed event?
10,000 bytes
1,000 bytes
64,000 bytes
100,000 bytes
Splunk by default indexes up to 10,000 bytes per event to prevent extremely large event segments. You can adjust this in limits.conf. limits.conf Event Size
Which command would you use to calculate a running total over time?
streamstats sum(count) as cumulative
stats sum(count) as cumulative
timechart sum(count) cumulative
eventstats cumulative=count
streamstats computes cumulative metrics per event as it streams through the pipeline. stats only summarizes overall results, not per-event running totals. streamstats Command
How do you limit a lookup to only match the first value per field?
lookup local=true
lookup maxmatch=1
lookup first=true
lookup unique=true
Using local=true restricts the lookup to return one match per event from the local lookup table. maxmatch is a search command argument rather than lookup parameter. lookup Options
Which setting in inputs.conf specifies the sourcetype of incoming data?
sourcetype
type
datatype
format
The sourcetype attribute in inputs.conf defines how Splunk interprets the data format. There is no type or datatype parameter. Correct sourcetype configuration ensures proper parsing. inputs.conf Reference
Why is tstats generally faster than stats when querying large datasets?
It queries indexed summary fields rather than raw events
It uses parallel processing across cluster peers
It bypasses user authentication
It loads data into memory before searching
tstats operates on indexed data from accelerated data models or metrics indexes, which reduces the amount of scanned raw data. Stats works on unindexed raw events, making it slower for large datasets. tstats vs stats
How can you optimize a search that uses multiple field extractions?
Pre-configure field extractions in props.conf to shift work to indexing
Use rex in every search for dynamic extraction
Disable event breaking to reduce extractions
Increase search concurrency
Moving regex field extractions to props.conf at index time offloads extraction overhead from search time. Using rex in each search is less efficient, and adjusting concurrency does not reduce extraction costs. Index-time Extraction
In Splunk, what is the purpose of the summary index rollover policy?
To manage disk usage by rolling summary data over based on size or time
To archive raw event data automatically
To refresh accelerated data models
To rotate lookup files
The rollover policy for summary indexes ensures older summary data is archived or deleted to control disk usage. It is unrelated to raw events, data models, or lookups. Summary Indexing
Which Splunk feature provides accelerated search lookups by storing pre-computed results?
Data model acceleration
Summary indexing
KV store lookups
Summary reports
Data model acceleration uses summary-based acceleration to speed up pivot and tstats searches by storing pre-computed data. Summary indexing is a separate feature for historical data aggregation. Acceleration Overview
How do you troubleshoot a slow Splunk search that uses subsearches?
Check subsearch result limits and use tstats or optimize base search
Increase dispatch.timeout in web.conf
Disable field extraction completely
Use more wildcard searches
Slow subsearches often exceed default limits or run on raw data; optimizing the base search, leveraging tstats, or raising subsearch limits can help. Changing dispatch timeouts or using wildcards can worsen performance. Optimize Subsearch
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand search command prefixes -

    Recognize which character (such as the pipe "|") is used in a search before a command and how it structures query flow.

  2. Identify default selected fields -

    Determine which fields Splunk returns by default (for example _time, host, source) to streamline data exploration.

  3. Apply field appearance commands -

    Select and use the appropriate command (e.g., eval, rename) to modify or format field values in search results.

  4. Construct effective Splunk queries -

    Combine commands and filters to build precise searches that return relevant data quickly.

  5. Interpret and refine search results -

    Analyze query output, spot patterns or anomalies, and adjust searches for deeper insights.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Pipe Symbol for Command Prefixes -

    In Splunk searches, the pipe character (|) is the answer to "which character is used in a search before a command." Think of it as a conveyor belt that hands off results from one command to the next - your mental mnemonic can be "Pipe It Along." Official Splunk docs confirm that any command following the initial search must start with this symbol to execute properly.

  2. Default Selected Fields -

    When the quiz asks "which of the following fields are default selected fields," remember Splunk always includes _time, host, source, and sourcetype by default. These fields give you essential event context without having to explicitly extract them each time (Splunk Docs: "Fields List"). A handy trick: think "THSS" (Time, Host, Source, Sourcetype) as your core field quartet.

  3. Using fieldformat to Tweak Appearance -

    To answer "which command changes the appearance of field values," look no further than fieldformat. Unlike eval, fieldformat modifies only how values display, preserving the original data. For example, fieldformat bytes=round(bytes/1024,2)." KB" will show kilobytes neatly in dashboards.

  4. Stats Command for Aggregations -

    Stats is a transformation command that summarizes event data - perfect for the Splunk Core Certified User quiz's aggregation questions. Use syntax like stats count by host to see how many events came from each host. A simple memory trick is "Stats Stacks Summaries."

  5. Search Modes: Fast, Smart, and Verbose -

    Splunk's search UI offers three modes - fast, smart, and verbose - to balance speed versus detail. Fast mode skips field discovery for quicker results, smart uses selected fields, and verbose pulls in everything; picking the right mode can be the difference between a swift answer on your quiz and a sluggish search. Remember "FSV" to choose the best fit for performance versus insight.

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