Splunk Fundamentals 1 Practice Exam

What does the command "| stats count by field" do in a search query?

1. Counts the total number of events.

2. Groups results by the specified field and counts occurrences.

3. Creates statistical graphs from search results.

4. Filters results based on event counts.

The correct answer is: Groups results by the specified field and counts occurrences.

The command "| stats count by field" in a search query groups the results based on the specified field and then counts the occurrences of each unique value within that field. This allows users to see how many events correspond to each distinct value of the specified field, providing insights into the distribution of those values across the dataset. For example, if the field in question is "status," the command would return the count of events for each unique status, such as "success," "failure," and so on. This command is particularly useful for data analysis as it aggregates information in a meaningful way, enabling users to make informed decisions based on the data trends observed in the results. It provides a quick summary and is an essential tool for deriving statistics from the underlying data. While counting the total number of events, creating statistical graphs, or filtering results might seem relevant, they do not accurately describe the primary function of the "| stats count by field" command, which is to group and count occurrences specifically based on one or more fields.