Splunk SPLK-1002 - Splunk Core Certified Power User Exam

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

The correct answer is A. When a log file has values that are separated by the same character, for example, commas.

The Field Extractor (FX) is a utility in Splunk Web that allows you to create new fields from your events by using either regular expressions or delimiters. The FX provides a graphical interface that guides you through the steps of defining and testing your field extractions1.

The FX supports two field extraction methods: regular expression and delimited. The regular expression method works best with unstructured event data, such as logs or messages, that do not have a consistent format or structure. You select a sample event and highlight one or more fields to extract from that event, and the FX generates a regular expression that matches similar events in your data set and extracts the fields from them1.

The delimited method is designed for structured event data: data from files with headers, where all of the fields in the events are separated by a common delimiter, such as a comma, a tab, or a space. You select a sample event, identify the delimiter, and then rename the fields that the FX finds1.

Therefore, you would select the delimited field extraction method when you have a log file that has values that are separated by the same character, for example, commas. This method will allow you to easily extract the fields based on the delimiter without writing complex regular expressions.

The other options are not correct because they are not suitable for the delimited field extraction method. These options are:

B. When a log file contains empty lines or comments: This option does not indicate that the log file has a structured format or a common delimiter. The delimited method might not work well with this type of data, as it might miss some fields or include some unwanted values.

C. With structured files such as JSON or XML: This option does not require the delimited method, as Splunk can automatically extract fields from JSON or XML files by using indexed extractions or search-time extractions2. The delimited method might not work well with this type of data, as it might not recognize the nested structure or the special characters.

D. When the file has a header that might provide information about its structure or format: This option does not indicate that the file has a common delimiter between the fields. The delimited method might not work well with this type of data, as it might not be able to identify the fields based on the header information.