# Invalid format exception using Date field in nested mapping

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-format-exception-using-date-field-in-nested-mapping/78994>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [March 17, 2017, 10:02am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-format-exception-using-date-field-in-nested-mapping/78994 "2017-03-17T10:02:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Saurabh\_2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/saurabh_2/32/2320_2.png) [@Saurabh\_2](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Saurabh_2)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 10:02am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-format-exception-using-date-field-in-nested-mapping/78994/1 "2017-03-17T10:02:25Z")

</div>

I created a mapping for elasticsearch as below:

Put testindex1

```
{
  "mappings": {
    "SAX_GROUPED": { 
      "_all": { "enabled": false }, 
      "properties": { 
        "key": { "type": "string" }, 
        "values": {
          "type": "nested", 
          "properties": {
            "x": { "type": "date", "format": "MM/dd/yy HH:mm" },
            "y": { "type": "integer" }
          }
        }  
      }
    }
}
}

```

And then tried to put in some values:

```
{
        "key": "visitors",
        "values": [
            {
                "x": "12/23/13 01:03",
                "y": 123
            }
        ]
    }

```

I get the following exception:

`{"error":{"root_cause":[{"type":"mapper_parsing_exception","reason":"failed to parse [values.x]"}],"type":"mapper_parsing_exception","reason":"failed to parse [values.x]","caused_by":{"type":"illegal_argument_exception","reason":"Invalid format: \"12/23/13\" is malformed at \"/23/13\""}},"status":400}`

Please suggest what am i doing wrong when I'm trying to use a date field in a nested field.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dadoonet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dadoonet/32/137187_2.png) [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 10:19am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-format-exception-using-date-field-in-nested-mapping/78994/2 "2017-03-17T10:19:28Z")

</div>

Your example works perfectly:

```auto
DELETE testindex1
PUT testindex1
{
  "mappings": {
    "SAX_GROUPED": {
      "_all": {
        "enabled": false
      },
      "properties": {
        "key": {
          "type": "string"
        },
        "values": {
          "type": "nested",
          "properties": {
            "x": {
              "type": "date",
              "format": "MM/dd/yy HH:mm"
            },
            "y": {
              "type": "integer"
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
PUT testindex1/SAX_GROUPED/1
{
  "key": "visitors",
  "values": [
    {
      "x": "12/23/13 01:03",
      "y": 123
    }
  ]
}

```

gives:

```auto
{
  "_index": "testindex1",
  "_type": "SAX_GROUPED",
  "_id": "1",
  "_version": 1,
  "result": "created",
  "_shards": {
    "total": 2,
    "successful": 1,
    "failed": 0
  },
  "created": true
}

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Saurabh\_2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/saurabh_2/32/2320_2.png) [@Saurabh\_2](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Saurabh_2)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 10:45am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-format-exception-using-date-field-in-nested-mapping/78994/3 "2017-03-17T10:45:15Z")

</div>

Index creation was successful and I was not able to put in values using:

```
{
        "key": "visitors",
        "values": [
            {
                "x": "12/23/13 01:03",
                "y": 123
            }
        ]
    }

```

Was able to resolve the issue, by using the following structure:

```
  {"SAX_GROUPED":[
{
        "key": "visitors",
        "values": [
            {
                "x": "12/23/13",
                "y": 123
            }
        ]
    }]
}

```

Thanks for sparing your time.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dadoonet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dadoonet/32/137187_2.png) [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 10:48am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-format-exception-using-date-field-in-nested-mapping/78994/4 "2017-03-17T10:48:47Z")

</div>

Then I think you are doing something wrong. `SAX_GROUPED` is a type according to your first post.

In the last example it's not a type anymore but an object field.

So even if it works, check that it behaves as you actually would like it to behave.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 10:49am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-format-exception-using-date-field-in-nested-mapping/78994/5 "2017-04-14T10:49:01Z")

</div>

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