SPLK-1003 Transactions and Event Correlation Practice Question
This SPLK-1003 practice question tests your understanding of transactions and event correlation. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A Splunk administrator is troubleshooting a slow search that uses the transaction command. The search correlates events by 'user_uuid' with a maxspan of 1 hour. The administrator suspects that many orphan events (events that never complete a transaction) are causing performance issues. Which approach can help identify and possibly exclude orphan events from the transaction?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "never"
Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. True only if the statement has zero exceptions — be cautious of options that seem obvious but break down in edge cases.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use the 'keepevicted=true' option and then filter out evicted events in a subsequent search.
Option C is correct because the `keepevicted=true` parameter causes the `transaction` command to output events that were evicted from the transaction window (orphans) with an `evicted` field set to 1. You can then filter out these evicted events in a subsequent search using `where evicted=0`, which isolates only complete transactions and removes the performance overhead of orphan events.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Increase maxspan to allow more events to complete.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing maxspan may include more events but does not specifically address orphans and could worsen performance.
✗
Use the 'mvlist' option to list all user_uuid values.
Why it's wrong here
mvlist is not a valid transaction option.
✓
Use the 'keepevicted=true' option and then filter out evicted events in a subsequent search.
Why this is correct
keepevicted=true preserves events that were not included in any transaction, allowing you to analyze or exclude them.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "never" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Add 'closed_txn=1' to the transaction command to only output complete transactions.
Why it's wrong here
closed_txn is not a valid transaction option.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse `keepevicted` with a way to keep orphan events in the output, when in fact it marks them with an `evicted` field so you can explicitly filter them out, and they may also incorrectly assume `closed_txn` is a valid parameter without knowing its exact syntax (`closed_txn=t`).
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the `transaction` command groups events based on a common field (e.g., `user_uuid`) within a `maxspan` window. Orphan events are those that start a transaction but never complete (e.g., missing the closing event), and they remain in memory until the `maxspan` expires, consuming resources. Using `keepevicted=true` exposes these evicted events with an `evicted` field, allowing you to filter them out in a subsearch or pipeline, which reduces memory pressure and speeds up the search. In real-world scenarios, this is critical when correlating high-volume events like login sessions or API calls where many sessions are abandoned.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the SPLK-1003 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Transactions and Event Correlation — This question tests Transactions and Event Correlation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use the 'keepevicted=true' option and then filter out evicted events in a subsequent search. — Option C is correct because the `keepevicted=true` parameter causes the `transaction` command to output events that were evicted from the transaction window (orphans) with an `evicted` field set to 1. You can then filter out these evicted events in a subsequent search using `where evicted=0`, which isolates only complete transactions and removes the performance overhead of orphan events.
What should I do if I get this SPLK-1003 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "never". Absolute qualifier. True only if the statement has zero exceptions — be cautious of options that seem obvious but break down in edge cases.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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