Splunk Enterprise Certified Admin Practice Test

Which wildcard in a file monitor input matches anything in a specific directory path segment?

1. ?

2. ...

3. *

4. +

The correct answer is: *

The wildcard that matches anything in a specific directory path segment is the asterisk symbol. In the context of file monitoring in Splunk, the asterisk serves as a placeholder for any sequence of characters, which allows it to successfully match any file or folder names within a given directory. For example, if you were to specify a directory and append an asterisk, it would effectively include all files and subdirectories within that specified path segment. This characteristic makes the asterisk versatile for data input configurations, enabling users to specify broad patterns that can capture a wide array of files without having to enumerate them individually. The asterisk is essential for scenarios where you want flexibility in monitoring multiple files that fit a general naming or directory structure. Other wildcards, such as the question mark and the ellipsis, serve different purposes. The question mark matches a single character, which can be too restrictive when you need to account for varying file names. The ellipsis is used to recursively match any directory levels, which means it encompasses a broader search across multiple directory segments rather than focusing specifically on a single directory path.