SPLK-1002 Advanced Searching and Statistics Practice Question
An administrator wants to correlate events from the same session but the events span up to 30 minutes apart. The transaction command is being considered. Which transaction option is most appropriate to ensure sessions are correctly grouped without artificially high memory usage?
⚠ Common exam trap
Splunk often tests the misconception that `maxspan` alone is sufficient to control memory usage, when in fact `maxpause` is critical to close transactions during idle periods and prevent excessive memory consumption.
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
✓
| transaction sessionid maxspan=30m maxpause=5m
The `maxspan=30m` ensures events spanning up to 30 minutes are grouped into the same transaction, while `maxpause=5m` prevents the transaction from remaining open indefinitely by closing it after 5 minutes of inactivity. This combination correctly groups sessions without keeping the transaction open for the full 30 minutes, which would artificially increase memory usage by holding events in the buffer.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
| transaction sessionid maxspan=30m
Why it's wrong here
Missing maxpause; events far apart in time might not group correctly
- ✓
| transaction sessionid maxspan=30m maxpause=5m
Why this is correct
Correctly defines time window and pause to group sessions
- ✗
| transaction sessionid maxevents=100
Why it's wrong here
Limits events per transaction but doesn't enforce time boundaries
- ✗
| transaction sessionid maxspan=30m keepevicted=true
Why it's wrong here
Keepevicted is for debugging, not required
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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