hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
SPLK-1001 Practice Question: A user wants to create a Pivot report that counts…
A user wants to create a Pivot report that counts failed login attempts by user and hour. Which data model dataset and fields are most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
Splunk often tests the distinction between dataset purpose and field relevance, trapping candidates who choose a dataset with a plausible field name (like 'status' in Web) but that isn't designed for authentication events.
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
✓
Authentication dataset, fields: user, action, and use _time for hour
The Authentication dataset is specifically designed to store login-related events, and the 'action' field indicates success or failure. Using 'user' and '_time' (extracted to hour via time bucketing) allows counting failed attempts per user per hour. The other datasets either lack the necessary fields or are not focused on authentication events.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Web dataset, fields: user, status, time
Why it's wrong here
Web dataset is for HTTP traffic, not authentication failures.
- ✗
Network_Traffic dataset, fields: user, dest, action
Why it's wrong here
Network_Traffic is for network events.
- ✗
Authentication dataset, fields: user, action, src
Why it's wrong here
src is not required for counting by user and hour.
- ✓
Authentication dataset, fields: user, action, and use _time for hour
Why this is correct
Authentication dataset with action=failure and _time allows counting by user and hour.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SPLK-1001 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-1001 exam.