Splunk Search

How does this search from Splunk documentation work to calculate the percentage of outliers?

Shisa
Explorer

I'd like to understand the mathematical meaning of the below search on documentation. Is this my understanding right that it calculates the outliers of 4.6% up or down based on the normal distribution?

sourcetype=access_* | eval URILen = len(useragent) | eventstats avg(URILen) as AvgURILen, stdev(URILen) as StdDevURILen| where URILen > AvgURILen+(2*StdDevURILen) 

Use the stats command and functions: http://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/6.2.0/Search/Usethestatscommandandfunctions

If I want to get the 0.3% outliers, can I do this by just changing the condition like this?

... | where URILen > AvgURILen+(3*StdDevURILen)
Tags (3)
0 Karma

ngatchasandra
Builder

Hi Shisa,
This search returns events that macth URILen's average and URILen's sample standard deviation where URILen > AvgURILen+(2*StdDevURILen) .

If i understand your problems, you want to return events where URILen > AvgURILen+(3*StdDevURILen) , this can be possible but, in your case, when i run sourcetype=access_* | eval URILen = len(useragent) | eventstats avg(URILen) as AvgURILen, stdev(URILen) as StdDevURILen| where URILen > AvgURILen+(3*StdDevURILen)| table AvgURILen StdDevURILen| table AvgURILen StdDevURILen ,

i get results not found . This explain that in the first part of query, that is sourcetype=access_* | eval URILen = len(useragent) | eventstats avg(URILen) as AvgURILen, stdev(URILen) as StdDevURILen| table AvgURILen StdDevURILen URILen

which displays like follow, there is no values of URILen where we can have URILen > AvgURILen+(3*StdDevURILen). Thus, can't get results.

alt text

Got questions? Get answers!

Join the Splunk Community Slack to learn, troubleshoot, and make connections with fellow Splunk practitioners in real time!

Meet up IRL or virtually!

Join Splunk User Groups to connect and learn in-person by region or remotely by topic or industry.

Get Updates on the Splunk Community!

Event Series May & June: From Network Visibility to Service Intelligence

Unifying the Network: Moving from Alert Noise to Service Intelligence with Splunk ITSI In today’s hybrid ...

Global Splunk User Group Events: May + June 2026

Your Splunk Community Awaits: Discover Upcoming User Group Events Worldwide    Staying ahead in the fast-paced ...

Why Splunk Customers Should Attend Cisco Live 2026 Las Vegas

Why Splunk Customers Should Attend Cisco Live 2026 Las Vegas     Cisco Live 2026 is almost here, and this ...