How to use these reference tables

The topics in this section of the manual provide reference documentation for the data models included in the Common Information Model. Each topic contains a use case for the data model, a breakdown of the required tags for the event objects or searches in that model, and a listing of all extracted and calculated fields included in the model.

How to read the tags tables

The tags tables communicate which tags you must apply to your events in order to make them CIM-compliant. These tags act as constraints to identify your events as being relevant to this data model, so that this data is included in Pivot reports and dashboards based on this model.

Note that there may be additional constraints outside the scope of these tables. Refer to the data model itself in Splunk Web for required fields, field=value combinations, or base searches that the model depends on.

To ensure your data is populated in the correct dashboards and Pivot reports:

1. Identify the CIM object(s) relevant to your events.

2. Observe which tags are required for that object.

3. Observe which tags are required for any parent objects.

4. Apply those tags to your events using event types.

For a detailed walkthrough of these steps, see "Use the CIM to normalize data at search time" in this manual.

How to read the fields tables

The fields tables list the extracted and calculated fields for the event and search objects in the model and provide descriptions and expected values (if relevant) for these fields. The table presents the fields in alphabetical order, starting with the fields for the parent object in the model, then proceeding to any unique fields for child objects. The table does not repeat any fields that a child object inherits from a parent object, so you should refer to the parent object to see the description and expected values (if any) for that field.

Because the fields tables exclude inherited fields, many child objects have no fields listed in the table at all. Those child objects include only inherited fields from one or more of their parent objects, and thus there are no unique extracted or calculated fields to display. Note that all data models inherit the fields _time, host, source, and sourcetype, so those fields are always available to you for use in developing Pivot reports and dashboards.

Use the tables to apply the Common Information Model to your data

The tables in this section of documentation are intended to be supplemental reference for the data models themselves. In Splunk Web, go to Settings > Data Models to open the Data Model Manager. Then, click a data model to view it in the Data Model Editor. There, you can see the full object hierarchy, a complete listing of constraints for each object, and full listing of all inherited, extracted, and calculated fields for each object. Compare this information with the reference tables in the documentation for descriptions and expected values of the fields in each object.

Information available in:	Documentation	Data Model Editor in Splunk Web
Required tags	YES	YES
Other constraints	NO	YES
Full object hierarchy	NO	YES
Inherited fields	NO	YES
Extracted fields	YES	YES
Calculated fields	YES	YES
Data types	YES	YES
Descriptions	YES	NO
Expected values	YES	NO