Splunk Enterprise Certified Architect Practice Test

Which one of the following statements is true about data retention policies in Splunk?

1. Data should be permanently retained without archiving.

2. Data retention policies can be defined by index.

3. All data must be deleted after one year.

4. Retention policies cannot be modified after they are set.

The correct answer is: Data retention policies can be defined by index.

Data retention policies in Splunk provide a framework for managing how long data is kept in an index. The correct statement emphasizes that these policies can indeed be defined on a per-index basis. This flexibility allows administrators to tailor retention settings to meet specific regulatory requirements or organizational needs. For instance, certain types of data might be subject to longer retention requirements due to compliance regulations, while others might not need to be stored as long. By configuring retention policies for individual indexes, Splunk users can efficiently manage storage resources and ensure that critical data remains accessible for the necessary duration. This ability to set index-specific retention policies is a critical feature for data management in Splunk, allowing organizations to optimize their storage strategy and maintain cost efficiency while still adhering to legal and operational guidelines.