Getting Data In

How to extract changing headers from multiline event?

dominikatvastli
Path Finder

Hi all,

I am sending a multiline event to Splunk Enterprise. The first row contains metadata, the second row the field names, the third row the actual values. It looks like this:

***SPLUNK*** host=hostname index=testindex source=testsource sourcetype=testsourcetype
Timestamp,"Arbitrary field name"
1550850412192,89

The field name is arbitrary, which means it is variable. At the first event, it could be "Field name 1" and at the second "Field name 2".

Currently, Splunk shows me two events.
1. Timestamp,"Arbitrary field name"
2. 1550850412192,89

What I want is that it creates a field from the "Arbitrary field name" and assigns value 89.

My props.conf looks like this at the moment:

INDEXED_EXTRACTIONS = csv
FIELD_DELIMITER = ,
HEADER_FIELD_LINE_NUMBER = 2

lakshman239
Influencer

Not sure if splunk can natively do that, as it needs to know the field name. In your scenario, how many arbitrary field names would you have? You could try to provide them as a CSV in FIELD_NAMES and see how it works.

https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/7.2.4/Data/Extractfieldsfromfileswithstructureddata#For...

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 ...