Splunk SPLK-4001 Splunk O11y Cloud Certified Metrics User Exam Exam Practice Test

According to the web search results, properties are key-value pairs that you can assign to dimensions of existing metric time series (MTS) in Splunk Observability Cloud1. Properties provide additional context and information about the metrics, such as the environment, role, or owner of the dimension. For example, you can add the property use: QA to the host dimension of your metrics to indicate that the host that is sending the data is used for QA.

To add properties to MTS, you can use either the API or the UI. The API allows you to programmatically create, update, delete, and list properties for dimensions using HTTP requests2. The UI allows you to interactively create, edit, and delete properties for dimensions using the Metric Metadata page under Settings3. Therefore, option A and D are correct.

The most likely root cause of the issue is D. The detector has a muting rule.

A muting rule is a way to temporarily stop a detector from sending notifications for certain alerts, without disabling the detector or changing its alert conditions. A muting rule can be useful when you want to avoid alert noise during planned maintenance, testing, or other situations where you expect the metrics to deviate from normal1

When a detector has a muting rule, it will still generate alerts within the Splunk Observability UI, but it will not send email notifications or any other types of notifications that you have configured for the detector. You can see if a detector has a muting rule by looking at the Muting Rules tab on the detector page. You can also create, edit, or delete muting rules from there1

To learn more about how to use muting rules in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to this documentation1.

According to the Splunk O11y Cloud Certified Metrics User Track document1, cloning a detector creates a copy of the detector that you can modify without affecting the original detector. You can change the metric, filter, and signal settings of the cloned detector. However, the new signals that you add to the cloned detector will not be reflected in the original detector, nor in the original chart that the detector was based on. Therefore, option D is correct.

Option A is incorrect because the new signals will not be reflected in the original detector. Option B is incorrect because the new signals will not be reflected in the original chart. Option C is incorrect because you can monitor all of the new signals that you add to the cloned detector.

According to the Splunk Test Blueprint - O11y Cloud Metrics User document1, one of the metrics concepts that is covered in the exam is analytic functions. Analytic functions are mathematical operations that can be applied to metrics to transform, aggregate, or analyze them.

The Splunk O11y Cloud Certified Metrics User Track document2 states that one of the recommended courses for preparing for the exam is Introduction to Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring, which covers the basics of metrics monitoring and visualization.

In the Introduction to Splunk Infrastructure Monitoring course, there is a section on Analytic Functions, which explains that analytic functions can be used to perform calculations on metrics, such as sum, average, min, max, count, etc. The document also provides examples of how to use analytic functions in charts and dashboards.

One of the analytic functions that can be used is Sum Aggregation, which calculates the sum of values present in the input time series across the entire environment or per group. The document gives an example of how to use Sum Aggregation to calculate the total CPU usage across all hosts in a group by using the following syntax:

sum(cpu.utilization) by hostgroup

One reason a user of Splunk Observability Cloud would want to subscribe to an alert is C. To receive an email notification when a detector is triggered.

A detector is a component of Splunk Observability Cloud that monitors metrics or events and triggers alerts when certain conditions are met. A user can create and configure detectors to suit their monitoring needs and goals1

A subscription is a way for a user to receive notifications when a detector triggers an alert. A user can subscribe to a detector by entering their email address in the Subscription tab of the detector page. A user can also unsubscribe from a detector at any time2

When a user subscribes to an alert, they will receive an email notification that contains information about the alert, such as the detector name, the alert status, the alert severity, the alert time, and the alert message. The email notification also includes links to view the detector, acknowledge the alert, or unsubscribe from the detector2

To learn more about how to use detectors and subscriptions in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to these documentations12.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/alerts-detectors-notifications/detectors.html 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/alerts-detectors-notifications/subscribe-to-detectors.html

The correct answer is B. A set of data points that all have the same metric name and list of dimensions.

A metric time series (MTS) is a collection of data points that have the same metric and the same set of dimensions. For example, the following sets of data points are in three separate MTS:

MTS1: Gauge metric cpu.utilization, dimension “hostname”: “host1” MTS2: Gauge metric cpu.utilization, dimension “hostname”: “host2” MTS3: Gauge metric memory.usage, dimension “hostname”: “host1”

A metric is a numerical measurement that varies over time, such as CPU utilization or memory usage. A dimension is a key-value pair that provides additional information about the metric, such as the hostname or the location. A data point is a combination of a metric, a dimension, a value, and a timestamp1

The alert recipients tab specifies where notification messages should be sent when alerts are triggered or cleared. The options that can be used are:

Invoke a webhook URL. This option allows you to send a HTTP POST request to a custom URL that can perform various actions based on the alert information. For example, you can use a webhook to create a ticket in a service desk system, post a message to a chat channel, or trigger another workflow1

Send an SMS message. This option allows you to send a text message to one or more phone numbers when an alert is triggered or cleared. You can customize the message content and format using variables and templates2

Send to email addresses. This option allows you to send an email notification to one or more recipients when an alert is triggered or cleared. You can customize the email subject, body, and attachments using variables and templates. You can also include information from search results, the search job, and alert triggering in the email3

Therefore, the correct answer is A, C, and D.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/latest/Alert/Webhooks 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/latest/Alert/SMSnotification 3: https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/latest/Alert/Emailnotification

The correct answer is B. /etc/otel/collector/

According to the web search results, the Splunk distribution of the OpenTelemetry Collector stores the configuration files on Linux machines in the /etc/otel/collector/ directory by default. You can verify this by looking at the first result1, which explains how to install the Collector for Linux manually. It also provides the locations of the default configuration file, the agent configuration file, and the gateway configuration file.

To learn more about how to install and configure the Splunk distribution of the OpenTelemetry Collector, you can refer to this documentation2.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/opentelemetry/install-linux-manual.html 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/opentelemetry.html

The correct answers are A and D.

According to the Get started with Splunk Observability Cloud document1, one of the topics that is covered in the Getting Data into Splunk Observability Cloud course is global and local data links. Data links are shortcuts that provide convenient access to related resources, such as Splunk Observability Cloud dashboards, Splunk Cloud Platform and Splunk Enterprise, custom URLs, and Kibana logs.

The document explains that there are two types of data links: global and local. Global data links are available on all dashboards and charts, while local data links are available on only one dashboard. The document also provides the following information about local data links:

Anyone with write permission for a dashboard can add local data links that appear on that dashboard.

Local data links can have either a Splunk Observability Cloud internal destination or an external destination, such as a custom URL or a Kibana log.

Only Splunk Observability Cloud administrators can delete local data links.

Therefore, based on this document, we can conclude that A and D are true statements about local data links. B and C are false statements because:

B is false because local data links can have an external destination as well as an internal one.

C is false because anyone with write permission for a dashboard can create local data links, not just administrators.

The best practices for creating detectors are:

View data at highest resolution. This helps to avoid missing important signals or patterns in the data that could indicate anomalies or issues1

Have a consistent value. This means that the metric or dimension used for detection should have a clear and stable meaning across different sources, contexts, and time periods. For example, avoid using metrics that are affected by changes in configuration, sampling, or aggregation2

View detector in a chart. This helps to visualize the data and the detector logic, as well as to identify any false positives or negatives. It also allows to adjust the detector parameters and thresholds based on the data distribution and behavior3

Have a consistent type of measurement. This means that the metric or dimension used for detection should have the same unit and scale across different sources, contexts, and time periods. For example, avoid mixing bytes and bits, or seconds and milliseconds.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/detectors.html#Best-practices-for-detectors 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/detectors.html#Best-practices-for-detectors 3: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/detectors.html#View- detector-in-a-chart : https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/detectors.html#Best-practices-for-detectors

The correct answer is D. Each data marker represents the sum of API calls in the hour leading up to the data marker.

The metric demo.trans.count is a cumulative counter metric, which means that it represents the total number of API calls since the start of the measurement. A cumulative counter metric can be used to measure the rate of change or the sum of events over a time period1

The chart below shows the metric demo.trans.count with a one-hour rollup and a line chart type. A rollup is a way to aggregate data points over a specified time interval, such as one hour, to reduce the number of data points displayed on a chart. A line chart type connects the data points with a line to show the trend of the metric over time2

Each data marker on the chart represents the sum of API calls in the hour leading up to the data marker. This is because the rollup function for cumulative counter metrics is sum by default, which means that it adds up all the data points in each time interval. For example, the data marker at 10:00 AM shows the sum of API calls from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM3

To learn more about how to use metrics and charts in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to these documentations123.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/metrics.html#Metric-types 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/charts.html#Data-resolution-and-rollups-in-charts 3: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/charts.html#Rollup-functions-for-metric-types

The possible ways to add a link to an existing dashboard from an alert are:

Build a global data link. A global data link is a feature that allows you to create a link from any dimension value in any chart or table to a dashboard of your choice. You can specify the source and target dashboards, the dimension name and value, and the query parameters to pass along. When you click on the dimension value in the alert message, you will be taken to the dashboard with the context preserved1

Add a link to the field. A field link is a feature that allows you to create a link from any field value in any search result or alert message to a dashboard of your choice. You can specify the field name and value, the dashboard name and ID, and the query parameters to pass along. When you click on the field value in the alert message, you will be taken to the dashboard with the context preserved2

Therefore, the correct answer is A and C.

To learn more about how to use global data links and field links in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to these documentations12.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/charts.html#Global-data-links 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/search.html#Field-links

The correct answer is D. The detector is automatically linked to the chart.

When you create a detector from a chart on a custom dashboard, the detector is automatically linked to the chart. This means that you can see the detector status and alerts on the chart, and you can access the detector settings from the chart menu. You can also unlink the detector from the chart if you want to1

Changes made to the chart do not affect the detector, and changes made to the detector do not affect the chart. The detector and the chart are independent entities that have their own settings and parameters. However, if you change the metric or dimension of the chart, you might lose the link to the detector1

The alerts generated by the detector will show up in the Alerts page, where you can view, manage, and acknowledge them. You can also see them on the team landing page if you assign the detector to a team2

To learn more about how to create and link detectors from charts on custom dashboards, you can refer to this documentation1.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/observability/alerts-detectors-notifications/link-detectors-to-charts.html 2: https://docs.splunk.com/observability/alerts-detectors-notifications/view-manage-alerts.html

The correct answer is A. Max Delay.

Max Delay is a parameter that specifies the maximum amount of time that the analytics engine can wait for data to arrive for a specific detector. For example, if Max Delay is set to 10 minutes, the detector will wait for only a maximum of 10 minutes even if some data points have not arrived. By default, Max Delay is set to Auto, allowing the analytics engine to determine the appropriate amount of time to wait for data points1

In this case, since the customer knows that the data from the over-utilized machine can be delayed by up to 10 minutes, they can modify the Max Delay setting for the detector to 10 minutes. This will prevent the detector from firing alerts before the data points arrive, and avoid false positives or missing data1

To learn more about how to use Max Delay in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to this documentation1.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/observability/alerts-detectors-notifications/detector-options.html#Max-Delay

The Pod conditions that the Analyzer panel in Kubernetes Navigator monitors are:

Not Scheduled: This condition indicates that the Pod has not been assigned to a Node yet. This could be due to insufficient resources, node affinity, or other scheduling constraints1

Unknown: This condition indicates that the Pod status could not be obtained or is not known by the system. This could be due to communication errors, node failures, or other unexpected situations1

Failed: This condition indicates that the Pod has terminated in a failure state. This could be due to errors in the application code, container configuration, or external factors1

Pending: This condition indicates that the Pod has been accepted by the system, but one or more of its containers has not been created or started yet. This could be due to image pulling, volume mounting, or network issues1

Therefore, the correct answer is A, B, C, and D.

To learn more about how to use the Analyzer panel in Kubernetes Navigator, you can refer to this documentation2.

1: https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/workloads/pods/pod-lifecycle/#pod-phase 2: https://docs.splunk.com/observability/infrastructure/monitor/k8s-nav.html#Analyzer-panel

The required components in the configuration of a data point are:

Metric Name: A metric name is a string that identifies the type of measurement that the data point represents, such as cpu.utilization, memory.usage, or response.time. A metric name is mandatory for every data point, and it must be unique within a Splunk Observability Cloud organization1

Timestamp: A timestamp is a numerical value that indicates the time at which the data point was collected or generated. A timestamp is mandatory for every data point, and it must be in epoch time format, which is the number of seconds since January 1, 1970 UTC1

Value: A value is a numerical value that indicates the magnitude or quantity of the measurement that the data point represents. A value is mandatory for every data point, and it must be compatible with the metric type of the data point1

Therefore, the correct answer is A, C, and D.

To learn more about how to configure data points in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to this documentation1.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/metrics.html#Data-points