By default, which of the following is a Selected Field?

In Splunk, a Selected Field refers to fields that are used in search results and are commonly included in the default field set that is automatically extracted and displayed to users. The correct answer, sourcetype, is considered a Selected Field by default because it is essential for identifying the type of data being ingested into Splunk. It helps determine how to parse and interpret the incoming data, thereby allowing Splunk to apply the correct data transformation rules.

When processing events, sourcetype plays a critical role by categorizing data so that users can quickly filter and search through logs based on their format and structure. For example, if a user is searching logs from web servers, having the correct sourcetype helps in narrowing down the search and understanding the context of the data.

The other choices—action, clientip, and categoryId—are also important fields but are not classified as Selected Fields by default within the context of a new Splunk search. While they can be extracted and utilized depending on the data source and the use case, sourcetype consistently serves as a foundational element in the default field set upon data ingestion.