Splunk Core Certified User Practice Exam — Prep, Practice Test & Study Guide

The syntax to specify sorting order for search results in Splunk uses the `sort` command, which can designate the order in which the results are displayed based on specific fields.

The use of a minus sign before a field name indicates that the results should be sorted in descending order for that field, while a plus sign indicates ascending order. When you combine these indicators, you can sort by multiple fields, which allows for flexible and targeted result presentation. Therefore, using the format which includes the minus sign for one field and the plus sign for another field clearly conveys the desire to first sort by one field in descending order and then by another field in ascending order when there are ties in the first sort.

This multi-field sorting capability is crucial for users who need granular control over their search outcomes, making option C the correct representation of how to leverage the sorting feature in Splunk to achieve a specific order in complex datasets.