Splunk Search

Unexplained: Inconsistent/incomplete transaction eventcount when using maxevents with startswith

collinrice
Explorer

I am getting an inconsistent number of events in a transaction, relative to the value specified for maxevents=x:

| transaction ComputerName startswith=(EventCode=1100) maxevents=x

Here are the eventcounts for each ComputerName where x=[10, 20, 30, 40], and maxevents undefined (i.e. not included in the SPL).:

________________ x = 10_____20_____30_____40__Undefined
Computer1, txn A......3......3.....13.....23.....423
Computer1, txn B......5......5......5.....25.....705
Computer2.............5.....15.....15.....15.....855
Computer3.............6......6.....26.....26.....986
Computer4............10.....20.....30.....20.....100
Computer5, txn A......4.....14.....14.....14.....134
Computer5, txn B......6.....16.....16.....36.....836

Using maxspan and not maxevents consistently produces the expected results (verified by comparing the transaction'ed events to the list of raw events).

QUESTIONS: All computer have more than ten events that could be included in a transaction that starts with EventCode=1100, so why are there less than 10 events included in the transaction when maxevents=10? Shouldn't the transaction include (i.e. eventcount) up to then maxevent value when possible?

Why does the eventcount jump up inconsistently when maxevents is changed to different values?

Why does the eventcount for Computer4 actually decrease from 30 to 20 when maxevents is increased to 40?

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!

[Puzzles] Solve, Learn, Repeat: Tiling

This puzzle (first published here) is based on finding groups of tessellated tiles (inspired by floor tiles I ...

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 ...