# Dynamic mapping of date fields present in epoch\_millis format
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/dynamic-mapping-of-date-fields-present-in-epoch-millis-format/168575
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [February 15, 2019, 11:44am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/dynamic-mapping-of-date-fields-present-in-epoch-millis-format/168575 "2019-02-15T11:44:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Nikesh](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Nikesh)
#### Post date: [February 15, 2019, 11:44am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/dynamic-mapping-of-date-fields-present-in-epoch-millis-format/168575/1 "2019-02-15T11:44:17Z")
Hi,
I was observing how date fields can be dynamically mapped.In my use case, fields that to be mapped as date are in epoch\_millis format.
I have a dynamic template set for date field as :
```
{
"dates": {
"match_mapping_type": "date",
"mapping": {
"type": "date",
"dynamic_date_formats" : "epoch_millis",
"fields": {
"keyword": {
"type": "keyword",
"ignore_above": 256
}
},
"copy_to": [
"COMMON_FIELD"
]
}
}
}
```
1. While indexing a new field present in epoch\_millis format within double quotes, this is considered as string.
2. While indexing the same value in another new field present in same format(epoch\_millis) without double quotes, this is considered as an integer and throws an mapper parsing exception
as this number is out of range of int.
How do I ensure these values are taken as date rather than string and integer? Please note, I only receive values in epoch\_millis format?
---
### Author:  [@Nikesh](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Nikesh)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2019, 1:59pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/dynamic-mapping-of-date-fields-present-in-epoch-millis-format/168575/2 "2019-02-19T13:59:15Z")
@elastic Please provide a suggestion
---
### Author:  [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2019, 2:13pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/dynamic-mapping-of-date-fields-present-in-epoch-millis-format/168575/3 "2019-02-19T14:13:04Z")
Why not using a match field name pattern instead? [https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/dynamic-templates.html#match-unmatch](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/dynamic-templates.html#match-unmatch)
---
### Author:  [@Nikesh](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Nikesh)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2019, 2:37pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/dynamic-mapping-of-date-fields-present-in-epoch-millis-format/168575/4 "2019-02-19T14:37:17Z")
Thanks @dadoonet for the response
I did use match field pattern too. Although this didn't work in my case.
`{ "date_field1":"1536517800000" }` was taken as text where as `{ "date_field1":1536517800000 }` was taken as long.
However, I can't completely depend on this match field pattern.
Does not Elasticsearch handle text present in epoch\_millis as a part of dynamic mapping ?
---
### Author:  [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2019, 2:37pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/dynamic-mapping-of-date-fields-present-in-epoch-millis-format/168575/5 "2019-02-19T14:37:40Z")
> [@Nikesh](#):
>
> I did use match field pattern too. Although this didn't work in my case.
Could you provide a full recreation script as described in [About the Elasticsearch category](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/about-the-elasticsearch-category/21). It will help to better understand what you are doing. Please, try to keep the example as simple as possible.
A full reproduction script will help readers to understand, reproduce and if needed fix your problem. It will also most likely help to get a faster answer.
---
### Author:  [@Nikesh](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Nikesh)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2019, 2:48pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/dynamic-mapping-of-date-fields-present-in-epoch-millis-format/168575/6 "2019-02-19T14:48:56Z")
Hi @dadoonet
My Bad.
match field pattern did work fine.
My mapping :
```
{ "mappings": {
"_doc": {
"dynamic_templates": [
{
"date": {
"match": "*_date_*",
"mapping": {
"fields": {
"keyword": {
"ignore_above": 256,
"type": "keyword"
}
},
"type": "date"
}
}
}
]
}
}
}
```
Data indexed :
```
{
"a_date_bc":1527359400000
}
```
Another data
```
{
"a_date_bcc":"1527359400000"
}
```
GET \_mapping
```
"a_date_bc": {
"type": "date",
"fields": {
"keyword": {
"type": "keyword",
"ignore_above": 256
}
}
},
"a_date_bcc": {
"type": "date",
"fields": {
"keyword": {
"type": "keyword",
"ignore_above": 256
}
}
}
```
Thanks for your suggestion @dadoonet
However sometimes my field names may not always match a particular pattern.
Also, my other fields might match this pattern and might not actually contain a date.
How do I overcome these issues?
---
### Author:  [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2019, 3:21pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/dynamic-mapping-of-date-fields-present-in-epoch-millis-format/168575/7 "2019-02-19T15:21:34Z")
If you have fields like `foo` that might have a value like `1527359400000` and that might be a date, well... `0` looks like a valid date to me as well.
There is not really something you can do. It can be a number or a date. Who can know?
I mean that either you add some constraints to the sender and ask him to send dates with a prefix in the field name, like `dt*` or `a_date_` or you try to do with best effort with the risk of rejecting lot of documents. You can try this though: [https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/ignore-malformed.html](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/ignore-malformed.html)
---
### Author:  [@Nikesh](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Nikesh)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/dynamic-mapping-of-date-fields-present-in-epoch-millis-format/168575/8 "2019-02-19T15:31:35Z")
okay! Thanks @dadoonet for quick solutions
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/dynamic-mapping-of-date-fields-present-in-epoch-millis-format/168575/9 "2019-03-19T15:31:37Z")
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