What should you do if a sudden drop in indexing rate is observed?

When a sudden drop in the indexing rate is observed, it is crucial to investigate network and collection processes as the primary step. This is because a decrease in the indexing rate could be indicative of underlying issues that may impact data ingestion, such as network connectivity problems, bottlenecks in data collection methods, or misconfigured data inputs.

By investigating these processes, you can identify and address any issues that may be causing the slowdown. For example, if the network is experiencing high latency or if there are problems with the data sources sending events to Splunk, rectifying these concerns can help restore the indexing rate to normal levels.

Taking no action, as suggested by notifying the team and doing nothing further, does not address the potential root cause of the problem, potentially allowing the issue to persist. Deleting unnecessary indexes or auditing user access rights may be part of regular administration tasks but would not directly address the immediate concerns related to indexing performance and flow of incoming data. Thus, focusing on the investigation of network and collection processes is the most effective approach to resolve the situation.