SPLK-1001 Using Fields and Lookups Practice Question
A user wants to see the list of all fields that are extracted from a specific sourcetype. Which command should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Splunk often tests the distinction between commands that list fields (`fieldsummary`) versus commands that extract or manipulate fields (`rex`, `eval`, `fields`), leading candidates to confuse the purpose of `fields *` (which removes fields) with listing them.
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
✓
| fieldsummary
The `fieldsummary` command provides a summary of all fields extracted from the events in the search results, including their count, distinct count, and percentage of events containing each field. When applied to a specific sourcetype, it lists every field that has been extracted from that sourcetype, making it the correct tool for this task.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
| rex field=_raw ...
Why it's wrong here
rex extracts specific fields.
- ✗
| fields *
Why it's wrong here
Shows all fields in each event, not a distinct list.
- ✗
| eval fields=...
Why it's wrong here
eval doesn't list fields.
- ✓
| fieldsummary
Why this is correct
fieldsummary provides a summary of fields, including names.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on SPLK-1001
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A Splunk user wants to see a list of all fields that are extracted from events of sourcetype 'apache_access'. They need to know which fields are available for use in searches and lookups. Which command should they use to discover all fields automatically extracted by Splunk for that sourcetype?
easy- ✓ A.Use the search 'sourcetype=apache_access | fields' to list all fields in a few sample events
- B.Use the 'extract' command with no arguments to show all extracted fields
- C.Use the 'regex' command with a capturing group to identify fields
- D.Use the 'inputlookup' command to display field names
Why A: The `| fields` command, when used without arguments, lists all fields present in the search results. By searching `sourcetype=apache_access` and piping to `| fields`, Splunk returns a table of all extracted fields (both default and custom) from the events of that sourcetype, allowing the user to see which fields are available for searches and lookups.
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.