Why doesn't my Data map to any Data models?

[Will_powr]

I have logs from switches being ingested, but the data doesn't conform to any standard data model. Is this possible or  

[rsennett_splunk]

Hi @Will_powr you haven't shown us what your data looks like so it is not as simple as showing you "how". So I will direct you to some background information and the "why" regarding usage of the Splunk Common Information Model CIM and how it works in Splunk (with Data Models)
The What and the Why:
https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/CIM/5.0.1/User/Overview

The How To:
https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/CIM/5.0.1/User/Howtousethesereferencetables


It isn't necessary to normalize your data, but if you want your switch data to show up in a Splunk App that utilizes the CIM (maps fields from your data into the data models so that a search using the data model fields will work on your data automagically) you should look into it.

You can also go down this fun looking rabbit hole: https://lantern.splunk.com/Splunk_Platform/Data_Application/Data_Types/Network_switch_data