Splunk Enterprise Certified Admin Practice Test

What type of system data is not typically associated with Scripted Inputs?

1. Application performance metrics

2. Operating system logs

3. Host device configurations

4. Data from a message queue

The correct answer is: Host device configurations

The reason host device configurations are not typically associated with scripted inputs lies in the nature of what scripted inputs do within a Splunk environment. Scripted inputs are primarily used to collect data that is generated from executing scripts, which can gather dynamic data and metrics from applications, operating systems, or other running processes. Application performance metrics and operating system logs are often generated by systems and applications actively providing real-time data and can easily be harvested through scripted inputs, allowing administrators to monitor ongoing performance or issues. Data from a message queue, such as messages in a messaging system (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka), can also be collected using scripted inputs, since scripts can read messages in real time as they are produced. On the other hand, host device configurations are typically static or change infrequently and do not require the continuous monitoring or dynamic collection that scripted inputs provide. Instead, configurations may be managed through configuration management tools or documentation rather than being gathered continuously via scripts. This makes 'C' the correct choice in the context of data types not usually associated with scripted inputs.