SPLK-1002 Basic Searching and Transforming Commands Practice Question
This SPLK-1002 practice question tests your understanding of basic searching and transforming commands. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 security analyst needs to find the number of failed login attempts per user in the last hour. The events contain a field 'result' with value 'failure'. Which search is correct?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
index=security source=login result=failure | stats count by user
The `stats count by user` command correctly groups events by the `user` field and counts the number of events per user, which directly answers the question of failed login attempts per user. The search first filters events with `index=security`, `source=login`, and `result=failure`, then uses `stats` to aggregate the count per user. This is the most efficient and precise way to produce a table of user-to-failure-count mappings.
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.
✗
index=security source=login result=failure | top user
Why it's wrong here
top shows only top users, not all users.
✗
index=security source=login result=failure | timechart count by user
Why it's wrong here
timechart adds a time axis, not needed.
✗
index=security source=login result=failure | chart count by user
Why it's wrong here
chart works but less standard for simple aggregation.
✓
index=security source=login result=failure | stats count by user
Why this is correct
Correctly groups by user and counts events.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Splunk often tests the distinction between `stats`, `chart`, and `timechart` by presenting a scenario where a simple aggregation is needed, and candidates mistakenly choose `chart` or `timechart` because they think any visualization command is required, when in fact `stats` is the correct non-visual aggregation command.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
top shows only top users, not all users.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `stats` command in Splunk uses a map-reduce architecture: it first distributes the counting across indexers (map phase) and then aggregates results on the search head (reduce phase). When using `stats count by user`, Splunk automatically handles field extraction and null values, ensuring that every unique value of `user` gets a count, even if some users have zero events (though zero-count users are not shown by default). In contrast, `chart` and `timechart` are wrappers around `stats` that add extra formatting or time-binning, which can introduce performance overhead and unexpected behavior when the time range is already fixed.
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-1002 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.
Basic Searching and Transforming Commands — This question tests Basic Searching and Transforming Commands — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: index=security source=login result=failure | stats count by user — The `stats count by user` command correctly groups events by the `user` field and counts the number of events per user, which directly answers the question of failed login attempts per user. The search first filters events with `index=security`, `source=login`, and `result=failure`, then uses `stats` to aggregate the count per user. This is the most efficient and precise way to produce a table of user-to-failure-count mappings.
What should I do if I get this SPLK-1002 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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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