Hi, you can attend splunk training and expert in splunk search queries. But you can find a very good resource here: http://docs.splunk.com/images/a/a3/Splunk_4.x_cheatsheet.pdf
This post is originally from 2012!
A more modern post is https://answers.splunk.com/answers/310388/hungry-newbie-best-way-to-learn-splunk-well-effici.html , the hungry newbie post has a number of useful links for tutorials.
Also Splunk 6.X Fundamentals Part 1 (eLearning) is now free.
This is also available from the following docs topic: http://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/latest/SearchReference/SearchCheatsheet.
Yes, start with the Splunk Tutorial. If your focus is on searching and reporting, continue in the documentation, starting with the About Search topic, continuing with the topics that follow it, and then going on to the topics that begin with About reports, dashboards, and data visualizations.
I also recommend the Searching and Reporting with Splunk class, see http://www.splunk.com/view/education/SP-CAAAAH9, and I agree that the UI Examples app is extremely useful for learning how to construct form searches and dashboards through XML. But start with the docs and see where you need to go from there.
I would first start with the basic splunk tutorial located here
http://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/latest/User/WelcometotheSplunktutorial
Then download http://splunk-base.splunk.com/apps/22333/splunk-ui-examples-app-for-41
And take a look at the code and the searches that are being used to generate the various dashboards. Once you feel comfortable with searching and reporting and building dashboards then download Nick's Sideview Util's app and go through all of his examples.
http://splunk-base.splunk.com/apps/36405/sideview-utils
It also wouldn't hurt to take splunk's search and reporting class.
It stands for User Interface: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_interface
apologize for my density level, what is an UI? Is it by chance short for utility or maybe user interface
I did look through the linked page to make sure I wasn't missing the obvious.
My Texas schooling only goes so far.
Thanks,