Splunk Search

Add description to field value

phildefer
Explorer

Hello, 

I have a system log which contains different DNS error messages (in the 'Message' field) and I am looking for an easy way to provide a short, meaningful description for those messages, either by adding a new field representing each unique DNS error message, or by adding text to the Message field.

Here's an example; one event contains the following : 
Message="DNS name resolution failure (sos.epdg.epc.mnc720.mcc302.pub.3gppnetwork.org)"

This error is related to WiFi calling, so I would like to associate a description, or tag to that specific message, e.g. "WiFi calling".

Thoughts?

Labels (1)
0 Karma

bowesmana
SplunkTrust
SplunkTrust

Depending on how many cases you have, you can either do it inline, with

| eval description=case(match(Message, "regex_expression1"), "Description1",
                        match(Message, "regex_expression2"), "Description2",
                        match(Message, "regex_expression3"), "Description3")

or probably more practical is to make a lookup - probably a wildcard based lookup, which means creating a CSV with Message, Description fields and then a lookup DEFINITION that has the match type set to 

WILDCARD(Message)

In that you could then put things like

"DNS name resolution failure*" as the Message column and then a suitable description.

Using a wildcard type means you don't have to write SPL to extract particular bits of the message to determine the lookup attribute.

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!

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 ...

Keep the Learning Going with the New Best of .conf Hub

Hello Splunkers, With .conf26 getting closer, there’s already a lot of excitement building around this year’s ...