SPLK-1002 Advanced Searching and Statistics Practice Question
A search analyst wants to calculate the average transaction time for each user and then find users whose average transaction time exceeds the overall average. Which approach is most efficient?
⚠ Common exam trap
Splunk often tests the distinction between `eventstats` and `appendpipe`, where candidates mistakenly choose `appendpipe` thinking it adds a global aggregate, but it actually runs a subsearch that is less efficient and can produce incorrect results if not used carefully.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use stats by user, then eventstats to add overall avg, then where
It first uses `stats by user` to compute per-user average transaction times, then uses `eventstats` to append the overall average across all users to each row, allowing a direct `where` comparison. This approach is efficient because `eventstats` adds the global aggregate without requiring a separate subsearch or additional data pass, minimizing resource usage.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use eventstats to add overall average, then stats by user, then where condition
Why it's wrong here
eventstats on raw events is more resource-intensive.
- ✗
Use stats by user to get avg, then appendpipe to add overall avg, then eval
Why it's wrong here
appendpipe processes results after stats, but requires two passes.
- ✗
Use transaction to group events, then stats
Why it's wrong here
Transaction command is heavy and not needed.
- ✓
Use stats by user, then eventstats to add overall avg, then where
Why this is correct
Efficient: stats reduces data, eventstats adds overall average.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SPLK-1002 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Splunk certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SPLK-1002 exam.