In this chapter, we started with a short discussion on what Splunk is and how it can potentially be used to harness the value of big data; specifically, with the machine or application-generated operational big data. We also considered several working examples using Splunk to search and then visualize the application server log files.

It should be noted that the examples provided in this chapter were, however, realistic, but also somewhat modest and that Splunk is a mature, robust tool that offers functions and features much too numerous for the scope of this book.

As an aside, I recommend joining the online Splunk community (it's excellent!) or checking out the many wonderful and helpful Splunk books available today, including mine, Mastering Splunk, Packt Publishing, 2014.