Question 482 of 475
SPLK-1002 Advanced Searching and Statistics Practice Question
A search returns events with fields 'user', 'action', and 'count'. The analyst wants to create a timechart showing the number of distinct users performing 'login' actions per hour. Which search is correct?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse `dc(user)` (distinct count of users) with `count by user` (count of events per user), leading them to pick option D or E, which answer a different question.
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
✓
`... | timechart span=1h dc(user)`
`timechart span=1h dc(user)` computes the distinct count of the 'user' field per 1-hour time bucket, which directly answers the requirement of showing the number of distinct users performing 'login' actions per hour. The `dc()` function in Splunk is the distinct count function, and `timechart` automatically groups events by `_time` into the specified span.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
`... | stats dc(user) by _time span=1h`
Why it's wrong here
stats does not produce a timechart; it will give a table with one row per time bucket but not a timechart visualization.
- ✗
`... | timechart span=1h dc(by user)`
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect syntax: dc(by user) is invalid.
- ✓
`... | timechart span=1h dc(user)`
Why this is correct
Correct: timechart with distinct count of user per hour.
- ✗
`... | eval user=user | timechart span=1h count by user`
Why it's wrong here
This gives count of events per user per hour, not distinct users overall.
- ✗
`... | timechart span=1h sum(count) by user`
Why it's wrong here
This sums the 'count' field per user, not distinct users.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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