SPLK-4001 Practice Exam Questions with Answers Splunk O11y Cloud Certified Metrics User Exam Certification

According to the Splunk O11y Cloud Certified Metrics User Track document1, a single-instance dashboard is a type of dashboard that displays charts and information for a single instance of a service or host. You can use a single-instance dashboard to monitor the performance and health of a specific server, such as the one that is restarting due to power supply issues. You can also create detectors for the metrics that are relevant to the server, such as CPU usage, memory usage, disk usage, and uptime. Therefore, option A is correct.

historical anomaly is a detector condition that allows you to trigger an alert when a signal deviates from its historical pattern1. Historical anomaly uses machine learning to learn the normal behavior of a signal based on its past data, and then compares the current value of the signal with the expected value based on the learned pattern1. You can use historical anomaly to detect unusual changes in a signal that are not explained by seasonality, trends, or cycles1.

Historical anomaly is suitable for creating a detector for the customer’s data, because it can account for the expected and consistent increase in traffic during November each year. Historical anomaly can learn that the traffic pattern has a seasonal component that peaks in November, and then adjust the expected value of the traffic accordingly1. This way, historical anomaly can avoid triggering alerts when the traffic increases in November, as this is not an anomaly, but rather a normal variation. However, historical anomaly can still trigger alerts when the traffic deviates from the historical pattern in other ways, such as if it drops significantly or spikes unexpectedly1.

The correct answer is D. Mean (Transformation).

According to the web search results, a mean transformation is an analytic function that returns the average value of a metric or a dimension over a specified time interval1. A mean transformation can be used to smooth a very spiky metric, such as cpu.utilization, by reducing the impact of outliers and noise. A mean transformation can also help to see if the metric is trending up or down over time, by showing the general direction of the average value. For example, to smooth the cpu.utilization metric and see if it is trending up over time, you can use the following SignalFlow code:

mean(1h, counters(“cpu.utilization”))

This will return the average value of the cpu.utilization counter metric for each metric time series (MTS) over the last hour. You can then use a chart to visualize the results and compare the mean values across different MTS.

Option A is incorrect because rate/sec is not an analytic function, but rather a rollup function that returns the rate of change of data points in the MTS reporting interval1. Rate/sec can be used to convert cumulative counter metrics into counter metrics, but it does not smooth or trend a metric. Option B is incorrect because median is not an analytic function, but rather an aggregation function that returns the middle value of a metric or a dimension over the entire time range1. Median can be used to find the typical value of a metric, but it does not smooth or trend a metric. Option C is incorrect because mean (by host) is not an analytic function, but rather an aggregation function that returns the average value of a metric or a dimension across all MTS with the same host dimension1. Mean (by host) can be used to compare the performance of different hosts, but it does not smooth or trend a metric.

Mean (Transformation) is an analytic function that allows you to smooth a very spiky metric by applying a moving average over a specified time window. This can help you see the general trend of the metric over time, without being distracted by the short-term fluctuations1

To use Mean (Transformation) on a cpu.utilization metric, you need to select the metric from the Metric Finder, then click on Add Analytics and choose Mean (Transformation) from the list of functions. You can then specify the time window for the moving average, such as 5 minutes, 15 minutes, or 1 hour. You can also group the metric by host or any other dimension to compare the smoothed values across different servers2

To learn more about how to use Mean (Transformation) and other analytic functions in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to this documentation2.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/analytics.html#Mean-Transformation  2: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/analytics.html

The correct answer is D. Top / Bottom.

Top and bottom are aggregate analytic functions that allow a user to see the highest or lowest n values of a metric. They can be used to select a subset of the time series in the plot by count or by percent. For example, top (5) will show the five time series with the highest values in each time period, while bottom (10%) will show the 10% of time series with the lowest values in each time period1

To learn more about how to use top and bottom functions 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.

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 correct answer is D. Map, Nodes, Workloads, Node Detail, Workload Detail, Pod Detail, Container Detail.

The built-in Kubernetes Navigator is a feature of Splunk Observability Cloud that provides a comprehensive and intuitive way to monitor the performance and health of Kubernetes environments. It includes the following views:

• Map: A graphical representation of the Kubernetes cluster topology, showing the relationships and dependencies among nodes, pods, containers, and services. You can use the map to quickly identify and troubleshoot issues in your cluster1
• Nodes: A tabular view of all the nodes in your cluster, showing key metrics such as CPU utilization, memory usage, disk usage, and network traffic. You can use the nodes view to compare and analyze the performance of different nodes1
• Workloads: A tabular view of all the workloads in your cluster, showing key metrics such as CPU utilization, memory usage, network traffic, and error rate. You can use the workloads view to compare and analyze the performance of different workloads, such as deployments, stateful sets, daemon sets, or jobs1
• Node Detail: A detailed view of a specific node in your cluster, showing key metrics and charts for CPU utilization, memory usage, disk usage, network traffic, and pod count. You can also see the list of pods running on the node and their status. You can use the node detail view to drill down into the performance of a single node2
• Workload Detail: A detailed view of a specific workload in your cluster, showing key metrics and charts for CPU utilization, memory usage, network traffic, error rate, and pod count. You can also see the list of pods belonging to the workload and their status. You can use the workload detail view to drill down into the performance of a single workload2
• Pod Detail: A detailed view of a specific pod in your cluster, showing key metrics and charts for CPU utilization, memory usage, network traffic, error rate, and container count. You can also see the list of containers within the pod and their status. You can use the pod detail view to drill down into the performance of a single pod2
• Container Detail: A detailed view of a specific container in your cluster, showing key metrics and charts for CPU utilization, memory usage, network traffic, error rate, and log events. You can use the container detail view to drill down into the performance of a single container2

To learn more about how to use Kubernetes Navigator in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to this documentation3.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/observability/infrastructure/monitor/k8s-nav.html#Kubernetes-Navigator 2: https://docs.splunk.com/observability/infrastructure/monitor/k8s-nav.html#Detail-pages 3: https://docs.splunk.com/observability/infrastructure/monitor/k8s-nav.html

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 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.

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 C. 401 (UNAUTHORIZED).

According to the web search results, a 401 (UNAUTHORIZED) error message is indicative that there is a misconfigured realm or access token when installing OpenTelemetry Collector1. A 401 (UNAUTHORIZED) error message means that the request was not authorized by the server due to invalid credentials. A realm is a parameter that specifies the scope of protection for a resource, such as a Splunk Observability Cloud endpoint. An access token is a credential that grants access to a resource, such as a Splunk Observability Cloud API. If the realm or the access token is misconfigured, the request to install OpenTelemetry Collector will be rejected by the server with a 401 (UNAUTHORIZED) error message.

Option A is incorrect because a 403 (NOT ALLOWED) error message is not indicative that there is a misconfigured realm or access token when installing OpenTelemetry Collector. A 403 (NOT ALLOWED) error message means that the request was authorized by the server but not allowed due to insufficient permissions. Option B is incorrect because a 404 (NOT FOUND) error message is not indicative that there is a misconfigured realm or access token when installing OpenTelemetry Collector. A 404 (NOT FOUND) error message means that the request was not found by the server due to an invalid URL or resource. Option D is incorrect because a 503 (SERVICE UNREACHABLE) error message is not indicative that there is a misconfigured realm or access token when installing OpenTelemetry Collector. A 503 (SERVICE UNREACHABLE) error message means that the server was unable to handle the request due to temporary overload or maintenance.