Splunk® Cloud Services

SPL2 Search Reference

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head command usage

Differences between SPL and SPL2

Command options must be specified before command arguments

Version Example
SPL ...head limit=10 (x>10) keeplast=true
SPL2 ...head keeplast=true while (x>10) 10

New while keyword

SPL2 uses the while keyword to indicate that the head command accumulates events until the while condition is not met.

Version Example
SPL ...head limit=20 (x>10)
SPL2 ...head while (x>10) 20


The limit keyword is not supported in SPL2

The syntax has been simplified and the limit keyword is no longer necessary.

Version Example
SPL ...head limit=10
SPL2 ...head 10


The null argument is not supported in SPL2

The null=<boolean> argument is not supported. To handle fields with null values, you must use the isnull() or isnotnull() function.

Version Example Example
SPL ...head null=true ...head null=false
SPL2 ...head while (isnotnull(host)) ...head while (isnull(host) OR host="localhost")

See also

head command
head command overview
head command syntax details
head command examples
Last modified on 20 October, 2020
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This documentation applies to the following versions of Splunk® Cloud Services: current


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