SPLK-1001 Search Pipeline Order Practice Question
An administrator wants to count events by status code and show only codes with more than 100 events. Which search correctly accomplishes this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Splunk often tests the order of operations in the search pipeline, specifically that `where` cannot reference a field created by a later command, leading candidates to incorrectly place the filter before the aggregation.
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
✓
| stats count by status | where count > 100
It uses `stats count by status` to count events per status code, creating a field named 'count', then filters with `where count > 100`. Option C is also correct, achieving the same result by renaming the count field to 'cnt' before filtering. Both follow the standard Splunk pipeline pattern of aggregating then filtering. Options B and D are incorrect: B uses an unnecessary `eval` and `sum(count)` which is inefficient; D places `where count > 100` before `stats`, so `count` does not exist yet, causing an error or no filtering.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
| stats count by status | where count > 100
Why this is correct
Correct: `stats count by status` creates a count per status, then `where count > 100` filters correctly.
- ✗
| eval count=1 | stats sum(count) by status | where count > 100
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: `eval count=1` then `stats sum(count) by status` works but is unnecessarily complex and less efficient; the standard pattern is to use `stats count`.
- ✓
| stats count as cnt by status | where cnt > 100
Why this is correct
Correct: Same as A but renames count to 'cnt' – also a valid approach.
- ✗
| where count > 100 | stats count by status
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: `where count > 100` before stats: no field 'count' exists yet, so the filter does not work as intended.
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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.