How to Convert string to date field for field extraction

[AJNZAZ]

I have a python program that's generating logs with the following format START_DATE=08-AUG-2017

the problem is Splunk is interpreting the field value as a string and not a number, thus not a date. I would like to create a permanent field extraction to query the field as a date. How do I do that?

[DalJeanis]

At extract time, that is on this page - https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/SplunkCloud/6.6.1/Data/Configuretimestamprecognition

The entries would look something like this...

[your source type or source or whatever]
TIME_PREFIX =  START_DATE=
TIME_FORMAT = %d-%b-%Y
TZ = whatever time zone your data is coming from

And if you also want the value stored as an epoch date in the START_DATE field as well, you could have a transform to do that... discussed here - http://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/SplunkCloud/6.6.0/Data/Configureindex-timefieldextraction

That might look something like this...

[<unique_transform_stanza_name>]
REGEX = .
FORMAT = START_DATE::$1
DEST_KEY = START_DATE
SOURCE_KEY = _time

[mhouse3]

This documentation speaks to the convert command:
http://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/6.0/SearchReference/Convert

Example: index="indexname" sourcetype="Sourcetype" Search condition | convert auto(Date) | stats count by Date

If that does not help look at the strptime() function:
http://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/6.0/SearchReference/Commontimeformatvariables
http://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/6.0/SearchReference/CommonEvalFunctions

Example: index="indexname" sourcetype="Sourcetype" Search condition | eval date_time = strptime(Date, "%H:%M") | stats count by date_time

IF the issue your facing is with rex, look at the second link abo e for pattern options. Before you get into testing the strptime, you should confirm that your rex works.