Splunk Enterprise Certified Architect Practice Test

What is the most effective way to improve search performance when a deployment is nearing capacity?

1. Replace the indexer storage to solid state drives (SSD)

2. Add more search heads and redistribute users based on the search type

3. Look for slow searches and reschedule them to run during an off-peak time

4. Add more search peers and ensure even data distribution

The correct answer is: Add more search peers and ensure even data distribution

The most effective way to improve search performance when a deployment is nearing capacity is to add more search peers and ensure even data distribution. This approach directly addresses the scalability of the indexing and search capabilities. By increasing the number of search peers, you enhance the system's ability to handle a greater volume of simultaneous search requests and distribute the workload across more resources. Even data distribution among the search peers plays a critical role in optimizing search performance. Well-distributed data minimizes the chances of bottlenecks, ensuring that no single search peer is overwhelmed while others remain underutilized. As a result, this leads to faster response times and a more efficient search process. In contrast to the other options, adding more search peers focuses on expanding capacity in a balanced way rather than just modifying existing components or scheduling. Upgrading to solid-state drives might improve individual search speed, but it does not enhance the overall system's capacity as effectively as adding peers would. Similarly, adding more search heads could help manage user distribution, yet it does not directly increase the data processing and retrieval ability of the indexers. Lastly, rescheduling slow searches may alleviate immediate performance issues but doesn’t scale the infrastructure or support growing search demand effectively. Thus, the option to add more search peers