SPLK-1001 Basic Searching and Transforming Commands Practice Question
An analyst runs a search that returns 10,000 events. They want to see the distribution of the 'status' field across the 'method' field. Which command should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Splunk often tests the subtle difference between `stats` and `chart` commands, and the trap here is that candidates may confuse the valid syntax of `chart` (which requires `by` or `over` but not both in the same clause) with the simpler `stats` syntax, leading them to choose option D despite its invalid syntax.
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, method
The `stats count by status, method` command groups events by both the 'status' and 'method' fields, then counts the number of events in each combination, producing a table that shows the distribution of status values across method values. This directly answers the requirement to see how the 'status' field is distributed across the 'method' field.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
top method by status
Why it's wrong here
Only shows top combinations, not full distribution.
- ✓
stats count by status, method
Why this is correct
Produces a table of counts for each pair.
- ✗
pivot status method
Why it's wrong here
Requires a data model.
- ✗
chart count over status by method
Why it's wrong here
Invalid syntax.
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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.