SPLK-1002 Splunk Core Certified Power User Exam Questions and Answers

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 correct answer is B. Pivot1.

In Splunk, Pivot is a tool that uses data models to generate reports and dashboard panels without the need for users to write or understand Splunk’s Search Processing Language (SPL)1. Data models enable users of Pivot to create compelling reports and dashboards1. When a Pivot user designs a pivot report, they select the data model that represents the category of event data that they want to work with1. Then they select a dataset within that data model that represents the specific dataset on which they want to report1. This makes Pivot a powerful tool for users who need to create visualizations but do not have a deep understanding of SPL1.

This search uses the transaction command to group events that share a common value for JSESSIONID into transactions1. The transaction command assigns a duration field to each transaction, which is the difference between the latest and earliest timestamps of the events in the transaction1. The search then uses the timechart command to create a time-series chart of the average duration of each transaction1. Therefore, option A is correct because it describes the search accurately. Option B is incorrect because the search does not use the stats command or the pause field. Option C is incorrect because the transaction command does not require the startswith and endswith options, although they can be used to specify how to identify the beginning and end of a transaction1. Option D is incorrect because the transaction command does not have to be the last command in the search pipeline, although it is often used near the end of a search1.

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

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

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

… | where failure>successes

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

The search string below does the following:

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

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

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

It only keeps events where failure is greater than successes.

The correct answer is D. Search.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Arguments are defined within the macro search string by using dollar signs on either side of the argument name, such as arg1 or fragment.

References

Search macro examples

Define search macros in Settings

Use search macros in searches

Splunk ships with the following KMZ files for choropleth maps: States of the United States and Countries of the World. A KMZ file is a compressed file that contains a KML file and other resources. A KML file is an XML file that defines geographic features and their properties. A KMZ file can be used to create choropleth maps in Splunk by using the geom command. A choropleth map is a type of map that shows geographic regions with different colors based on some metric. Splunk ships with two KMZ files that define the geographic regions for choropleth maps:

States of the United States: This KMZ file defines the 50 states of the United States and their boundaries. The name of this KMZ file is us_states.kmz and it is located in the $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/maps/appserver/static/geo directory.

Countries of the World: This KMZ file defines the countries of the world and their boundaries. The name of this KMZ file is world_countries.kmz and it is located in the $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/maps/appserver/static/geo directory.

Splunk does not ship with KMZ files for States and provinces of the United States and Canada or Countries of the European Union. However, you can create your own KMZ files or download them from external sources and use them in Splunk.

The Field Extractor (FX) is a tool that helps you extract fields from your events using a graphical interface or by manually editing the regular expression2. The FX allows you to create field extractions that persist as knowledge objects, which are entities that you create to add knowledge to your data and make it easier to search and analyze2. Field extractions are methods that extract fields from your raw data using various techniques such as regular expressions, delimiters or key-value pairs2. When you create a field extraction using the FX, you can save it as a knowledge object that applies to your data at search time2. You can also manage and share your field extractions with other users in your organization2. Therefore, option C is correct, while options A, B and D are incorrect because they do not describe the use of the FX.

Splunk event types are based on search strings that cannot contain pipes or subsearches.

Extract: “Event type search strings must not contain a pipe (|) and cannot include transforming or filtering commands.”

Thus, only option B is a valid event type definition because it is a simple base search without pipelines or subsearches.

Creating a field alias in Splunk does not modify or remove the original field. Instead, the alias allows the same data to be accessed using a different field name without affecting the original field.

The correct answer is B. Reusable pieces of search processing language.

The explanation is as follows:

Search macros are knowledge objects that allow you to insert chunks of SPL into other searches12.

Search macros can be any part of a search, such as an eval statement or a search term, and do not need to be a complete command12.

You can also specify whether the macro field takes any arguments and define validation expressions for them12.

Search macros can help you make your SPL searches shorter and easier to understand3.

To use a search macro in a search string, you need to put a backtick character () before and after the macro name[^1^][1]. For example, mymacro`.

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.

A delimiter field extraction is a method of extracting fields from data that uses a character or a string to separate fields in each event. A delimiter field extraction can be performed by using the Field Extractor (FX) tool or by editing the props.conf file. A delimiter field extraction can be applied to any file format that uses a delimiter to separate fields, such as CSV, TSV, PSV, etc. A CSV file is a comma-separated values file that uses commas as delimiters. Therefore, a CSV file can be extracted using a delimiter field extraction.

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.

A report that is scheduled to run every 15 minutes but takes 17 minutes to complete is in danger of being skipped or deferred2. This means that Splunk may skip some scheduled runs of the report if they overlap with previous runs that are still in progress or defer them until the previous runs are finished2. This can affect the accuracy and timeliness of the report results and notifications2. Therefore, option A is correct, while options B, C and D are incorrect because they are not consequences of a report taking longer than its schedule interval.

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 maxpause option of the transaction command in Splunk is used to specify the maximum time allowed between events in a transaction. If the time between events exceeds the maxpause value, those events are not considered part of the same transaction.

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

Workflow actions allow interaction with external resources.

Extract: “GET workflow actions create an HTTP link using field values. Clicking the link performs an HTTP GET request.”

Thus, creating a GET workflow action retrieves weather data using Zip_Code.

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.

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

Define a GET workflow action

Steps

Navigate to Settings > Fields > Workflow Actions.

Click New to open up a new workflow action form.

Define a Label for the action.

The Label field enables you to define the text that is displayed in either the field or event workflow menu. Labels can be static or include the value of relevant fields.

Determine whether the workflow action applies to specific fields or event types in your data.

Use Apply only to the following fields to identify one or more fields. When you identify fields, the workflow action only appears for events that have those fields, either in their event menu or field menus. If you leave it blank or enter an asterisk the action appears in menus for all fields.

Use Apply only to the following event types to identify one or more event types. If you identify an event type, the workflow action only appears in the event menus for events that belong to the event type.

For Show action in determine whether you want the action to appear in the Event menu, the Fields menus, or Both.

Set Action type to link.

In URI provide a URI for the location of the external resource that you want to send your field values to.

Similar to the Label setting, when you declare the value of a field, you use the name of the field enclosed by dollar signs.

Variables passed in GET actions via URIs are automatically URL encoded during transmission. This means you can include values that have spaces between words or punctuation characters.

Under Open link in, determine whether the workflow action displays in the current window or if it opens the link in a new window.

Set the Link method to get.

Click Save to save your workflow action definition.

When using the Field Extractor (FX) in Splunk to perform field extraction, any consistent character can be used as a delimiter. The Field Extractor allows users to define how fields are separated in the raw event data, and as long as the delimiter is consistent, the FX tool can parse and extract the fields correctly.

In Splunk, macros that accept arguments are defined with placeholders for those arguments in the format example(var1, var2). In the search example(100,200), "100" and "200" are the values passed for var1 and var2 respectively.

The CIM Add-on provides prebuilt data models that standardize and normalize data across different sourcetypes.

Extract: “The Splunk Common Information Model (CIM) Add-on includes a collection of preconfigured data models used to normalize data from various sources.”

Field aliases are applied based on host, source, or sourcetype.

Extract: “Create field aliases by specifying the host, source, or sourcetype that the alias applies to.”

Thus, the correct answer is Sourcetypes.

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 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.

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

To configure a Search Workflow Action to use the same time range as the original search, you need to check the option "Use the same time range as the search that created the field listing." This will ensure the time range is inherited from the original search.

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

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.

When you mouse over and click to add a search term from the Fields sidebar or from an event in your search results, Splunk automatically adds the term to your search string with an implied AND operator2. However, this does not apply to some Boolean operators such as OR, NOT and parentheses (). These operators are not implied when you add a search term and you have to type them manually if you want to use them in your search string2. Therefore, options A, B and D are correct, while option C is incorrect because AND is implied when you add a search term.

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.

Field aliases are used to normalize different field names that contain the same type of data (like IP addresses) across multiple sourcetypes or sources, making the data CIM compliant without re-extracting the fields.

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.

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.

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

In Splunk, Pivot is a tool that allows you to report on a specific data set without using the Splunk Search Processing Language (SPL™)1. You can use a drag-and-drop interface to design and generate pivots that present different aspects of your data in the form of tables, charts, and other visualizations12.

One of the features of Pivot is that it allows you to save your reports1. This can be useful when you want to reuse a report or share it with others1. Therefore, it’s not true that users cannot share visualizations created with Pivot or that they must use SPL to find events in a Pivot12. It’s also not true that users cannot create visualizations with Pivot, as creating visualizations is one of the main functions of Pivot12.

The correct answer is B. Delimiters. This is because the delimiters method is designed for structured event data, such as data from files with headers, where all of the fields in the events are separated by a common delimiter, such as a comma or space. You can select a sample event, identify the delimiter, and then rename the fields that the field extractor finds. You can learn more about the delimiters method from the Splunk documentation1. The other options are incorrect because they are not suitable for comma-separated data. The regular expression method works best with unstructured event data, where you select and highlight one or more fields to extract from a sample event, and the field extractor generates a regular expression that matches similar events and extracts the fields from them. The eval expression is a command that lets you calculate new fields or modify existing fields using arithmetic, string, and logical operations. The table extraction is a feature that lets you extract tabular data from PDF files or web pages. You can learn more about these methods from the Splunk documentation23 .

The delimiter method in the Field Extractor should be used when fields in events are separated consistently by a specific character (such as a comma, tab, or pipe). This method simplifies extraction without requiring complex regular expressions.

The searches A and C show a valid use of a macro. A macro is a reusable piece of SPL code that can be called by using single quotes (‘’). A macro can take arguments, which are passed inside parentheses after the macro name. For example, ‘makeMyField(oldField)’ calls a macro named makeMyField with an argument oldField. The searches B and D are not valid because they use double quotes (“”) instead of single quotes (‘’).

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.

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

The 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.

The correct answer is D. An argument can be passed to the inner macro by nesting parentheses.

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

To pass an argument to the inner macro, you need to use parentheses to enclose the argument value and separate it from the outer macro argument. For example, if you have a search macro named outer_macro (1) that contains another search macro named inner_macro (2), and both macros take one argument each, you can pass an argument to the inner macro by using the following syntax:

outer_macro (argument1, inner_macro (argument2))

This will replace the argument1 and argument2 with the values you provide in the search string. For example, if you want to pass “foo” as the argument1 and “bar” as the argument2, you can write:

outer_macro ("foo", inner_macro ("bar"))

This will expand the macros with the corresponding arguments and run the SPL code contained in them.

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

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.

The correct answer is C. Events where values of field A are equal to values of field B.

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 field A match the values for the field B, you can use the following syntax:

| where A=B

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

The other options are not correct because they use different syntax or fields that are not related to the where command. These options are:

A. Events that contain the string value where A=B: This option uses the string value where A=B as a search term, which is not valid syntax for the where command. This option will return events that have the literal text “where A=B” in them.

B. Events that contain the string value A=B: This option uses the string value A=B as a search term, which is not valid syntax for the where command. This option will return events that have the literal text “A=B” in them.

D. Events where field A contains the string value B: This option uses quotation marks around the value B, which is not valid syntax for comparing fields with the where command. Quotation marks are used to enclose phrases or exact matches in a search2. This option will return events where the field A contains the string value “B”.

When using a field value variable with a Workflow Action, the exclamation mark (!) will escape the data. A Workflow Action is a custom action that performs a task when you click on a field value in your search results. A Workflow Action can be configured with various options, such as label name, base URL, URI parameters, post arguments, app context, etc. A field value variable is a placeholder for the field value that will be used to replace the variable in the URL or post argument of the Workflow Action. A field value variable is written as fieldn​ame, where field_name is the name of the field whose value will be used. However, if the field value contains special characters that need to be escaped, such as spaces, commas, etc., you can use the exclamation mark (!) before and after the field value variable to escape the data. For example, if you have a field value variable host, you can write it as !$host! to escape any special characters in the host field value.

Therefore, option B is the correct answer.

To use a search macro in a search string, you need to place a back tick character (`) before and after the macro name1. You also need to use the same number of arguments as defined in the macro2. The macro weekly sales (2) has two arguments: Price and AmountSold. Therefore, you need to provide two values for these arguments when you call the macro.

The option A is incorrect because it uses parentheses instead of back ticks around the macro name. The option B is incorrect because it uses underscores instead of spaces in the macro name. The option D is incorrect because it uses spaces instead of commas to separate the argument values.

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

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

The eval command is used to create new fields or modify existing fields based on an expression2. The sort command is used to sort the results by one or more fields in ascending or descending order2. If you want to convert numeric field values to strings and also sort on those values, you should use the sort command first, then use the eval command to convert the values to strings2. This way, the sort command will use the original numeric values for sorting, rather than the converted string values which may not sort correctly. Therefore, option C is correct, while options A, B and D are incorrect.

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 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.

In Splunk, a variable for a macro is defined by placing the variable name inside dollar signs, like this: $variable name$. This syntax allows the macro to dynamically replace the variable with the appropriate value when the macro is invoked within a search. Using this method ensures that the search strings can be dynamically adjusted based on the variable's value at runtime.

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.

The correct answer is D. eval.

A calculated field is a field that is added to events at search time by using an eval expression. A calculated field can use the values of two or more fields that are already present in the events to perform calculations. A calculated field 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.

A calculated field is a shortcut for performing repetitive, long, or complex transformations using the eval command. The eval command is used to create or modify fields by using expressions. The eval command can perform mathematical, string, date and time, comparison, logical, and other operations on fields or values2.

For example, if you want to create a new field named total that is the sum of two fields named price and tax, you can use the eval command as follows:

| eval total=price+tax

However, if you want to use this new field in multiple searches, reports, or dashboards, you can create a calculated field instead of writing the eval command every time. To create a calculated field with Splunk Web, you need to go to Settings > Fields > Calculated Fields and enter the name of the new field (total), the name of the sourcetype (sales), and the eval expression (price+tax). This will create a calculated field named total that will be added to all events with the sourcetype sales at search time. You can then use the total field like any other extracted field without writing the eval expression1.

The other options are not correct because they are not related to calculated fields. These options are:

A. transaction: This command is used to group events that share some common values into a single record, called a transaction. A transaction can span multiple events and multiple sources, and can be useful for correlating events that are related but not contiguous3.

B. lookup: This command is used to enrich events with additional fields from an external source, such as a CSV file or a database. A lookup can add fields to events based on the values of existing fields, such as host, source, sourcetype, or any other extracted field.

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

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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.