Splunk Core Certified User Practice Exam

Which two columns are populated by the top command in returned data?

1. Sum and average

2. Count and percent

3. Total and mean

4. Frequency and ratio

The correct answer is: Count and percent

The top command in Splunk is used to display the most frequently occurring values in a specified field, along with the associated counts of those occurrences. The two columns that are populated by this command are the count of occurrences for each unique value and the percentage of the total that each value represents, which is how they are reflected in the returned data. Count shows how many times each distinct value appears in the dataset, while percent provides a relative measure, indicating what portion of the total that count represents. This dual representation allows users to quickly assess not only the frequency of each value but also its significance in relation to the overall data. The other options do not accurately represent the outputs of the top command, as they refer to statistical measures that are not part of the results produced by this command in Splunk. For instance, sum and average pertain to aggregating numerical data, which does not align with the behavior of the top command focusing on frequency distributions. Similarly, total and mean, as well as frequency and ratio, also do not correspond to the columns generated by the command.