Getting Data In

CHECK_FOR_HEADER identifying incorrect delimiter in CSV header

scaster
New Member

We have a system, Splunk 4.2.1 (build 98164), that scans a directory to read in CSV files, which include comma-delimited header lines.

This usually works fine, but periodically, instead of properly interpreting the header line, the CHECK_FOR_HEADER/AutoHeader function identifies a space as the delimiter, even though there are no spaces in the header line, and creates an AutoHeader in which the entire comma-delimited header is identified as one big field name:

[AutoHeader-11]
DELIMS = " "
FIELDS = "SessionID,AnalyzerIP,AnalyzerID,PopNm,TimeStamp,Date,Hour,Minute,TzOfstMins,TzDst,TzNm,TzDstNm,ClientIP,ServerIP,Protocol,Tag,TimeStampFrac,ProtocolEventID,ID,Proto,Type,Name,Class,TTL,Rdata"

The line in the file is perfectly ordinary, formatted identically to header lines that are processed correctly. In fact, earlier in transforms.conf, the exact same header is identified correctly:

[AutoHeader-7]
DELIMS = ","
FIELDS = "SessionID", "AnalyzerIP", "AnalyzerID", "PopNm", "TimeStamp", "Date", "Hour", "Minute", "TzOfstMins", "TzDst", "TzNm", "TzDstNm", "ClientIP", "ServerIP", "Protocol", "Tag", "TimeStampFrac", "ProtocolEventID", "ID", "Proto", "Type", "Name", "Class", "TTL", "Rdata"

Does anyone have any idea what could cause this?

0 Karma

ogdin
Splunk Employee
Splunk Employee

We've deprecated CHECK_FOR_HEADER in Splunk 6 and replaced it with more robust header controls. See:

http://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/latest/Data/Extractfieldsfromfileheadersatindextime

0 Karma
Got questions? Get answers!

Join the Splunk Community Slack to learn, troubleshoot, and make connections with fellow Splunk practitioners in real time!

Meet up IRL or virtually!

Join Splunk User Groups to connect and learn in-person by region or remotely by topic or industry.

Get Updates on the Splunk Community!

Why Splunk Customers Should Attend Cisco Live 2026 Las Vegas

Why Splunk Customers Should Attend Cisco Live 2026 Las Vegas     Cisco Live 2026 is almost here, and this ...

What Is the Name of the USB Key Inserted by Bob Smith? (BOTS Hint, Not the Answer)

Hello Splunkers,   So you searched, “what is the name of the usb key inserted by bob smith?”  Not gonna lie… ...

Automating Threat Operations and Threat Hunting with Recorded Future

    Automating Threat Operations and Threat Hunting with Recorded Future June 29, 2026 | Register   Is your ...