Getting Data In

Can I use epoch as timestamp in DBConnect?

wmuselle
Path Finder

Hi,

struggling with this for a while.

I have an epoch time value (10 digit NUMBER) that I want to use as both rising column and timestamp for the event.

The first works fine , but getting it to use this for the event timestamp not.

I know about the workaround of timestamp'1970-01-01 00:00:00' + ( "<my_field>" /86400 ) as eventTime,

but preferably I do not ingest an extra field if it is not really necessary.

 

there is no config I can get to work for the timestamp.

from the Java DateTimeFormatter it appears not possible, but just want to ask out here if anyone has ffound something

 

sources: https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/DBX/3.13.0/DeployDBX/Troubleshooting

 

I have also tried using props.conf,

[mysourcetype ]
SHOULD_LINEMERGE=true
NO_BINARY_CHECK=true
TIME_FORMAT=%s
TIME_PREFIX=my_field=

but it doesnt even reach this part and errors out earlier

error pattern:

2023-06-20 10:27:07.521 +0200 Trace-Id=940a0c4d-8c64-44d7-a948-39fd6e9b7417 [Scheduled-Job-Executor-5] ERROR org.easybatch.core.job.BatchJob - Unable to process Record: {header=[number=1, source="SHE170U-JOURNEY_TRACKER", creationDate="Tue Jun 20 10:27:07 CEST 2023"], payload=[HikariProxyResultSet@2091779680 wrapping oracle.jdbc.driver.ForwardOnlyResultSet@4f527ef2]} java.time.format.DateTimeParseException: Text '1687249036' could not be parsed at index 0 at java.base/java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter.parseResolved0(DateTimeFormatter.java:2052) at java.base/java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter.parse(DateTimeFormatter.java:1880) at com.splunk.dbx.server.dbinput.task.processors.ExtractIndexingTimeProcessor.extractTimestampFromString(ExtractIndexingTimeProcessor.java:112) at com.splunk.dbx.server.dbinput.task.processors.ExtractIndexingTimeProcessor.extractTimestamp(ExtractIndexingTimeProcessor.java:92) at com.splunk.dbx.server.dbinput.task.processors.ExtractIndexingTimeProcessor.processRecord(ExtractIndexingTimeProcessor.java:46) at org.easybatch.core.processor.CompositeRecordProcessor.processRecord(CompositeRecordProcessor.java:61) at org.easybatch.core.job.BatchJob.processRecord(BatchJob.java:209) at org.easybatch.core.job.BatchJob.readAndProcessBatch(BatchJob.java:178) at org.easybatch.core.job.BatchJob.call(BatchJob.java:101) at com.splunk.dbx.server.api.service.conf.impl.InputServiceImpl.runTask(InputServiceImpl.java:298) at com.splunk.dbx.server.api.resource.InputResource.lambda$runInput$1(InputResource.java:162) at com.splunk.dbx.logging.MdcTaskDecorator.run(MdcTaskDecorator.java:23) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.Executors$RunnableAdapter.call(Executors.java:539) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:264) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1136) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:635) at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:833)

 

Labels (1)
0 Karma

VatsalJagani
SplunkTrust
SplunkTrust

@wmuselle 

  • For raising column
    • You should be able to use that column as a raising column without any change
  • For timestamp
    • There is no direct way, to convert it to a timestamp as you mentioned already.

 

I hope this helps!!! Kindly upvote if this helps!!!

0 Karma

wmuselle
Path Finder
  • For timestamp
    • There is no direct way, to convert it to a timestamp as you mentioned already.

 

that's my point , I don't understand why there is no support for epoch timestamps in DB connect

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!

SOK it to Me: Top 3 Benefits of Using Splunk Operator on Kubernetes that’ll Make ...

    Thursday, July 9, 2026  |  11:00AM–12:00PM PDT Duration: 1 hour (includes Q&A) Managing can feel like a ...

Upgrade Prep for 10.4, Network Observability Deep Dives, and More from Splunk Lantern

Splunk Lantern is Splunk’s customer success center that provides practical guidance from Splunk experts on key ...

Splunk Developer Day announcements: AI agents, MCP tools, Forecasting, and Custom ...

Splunk Developer Day was packed with product and platform updates for developers building in the AI ...