What does the values function of the stats command accomplish?

The values function of the stats command in Splunk is specifically designed to extract and return unique values of a given field from the search results. This means that when you use the values function with a designated field, it scans through all the events that match your search criteria and compiles a list that consists only of distinct entries for that particular field, eliminating any duplicates.

This capability is particularly useful for quickly identifying the variety of data present in a given field, which can aid in analyzing trends, patterns, or anomalies within your data. For instance, if you are working with user data and want to see all unique usernames from your logs, using the values function would efficiently provide this information without repetition.

While listing all values or counting events are useful functions, they serve different purposes and cannot be achieved solely through the values function. This focus on unique instances sets the values function apart in its functionality within the stats command.