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Honeycomb automatically maps source data fields for you if you follow Honeycomb field naming conventions. Otherwise, you must map your dataset fields manually. Honeycomb automatically maps source data fields if you follow Honeycomb field naming conventions. If your field names differ from the standard names, or if you have already sent data and can’t change field names in your source, you can map fields manually using Dataset Definitions.
Unmapped data is the most common cause of empty visualizations. If you see an unpopulated trace waterfall or log view, check your dataset definitions first.

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Trace dataset fields

Honeycomb identifies a dataset as a trace dataset if you send all of these fields to Honeycomb:
  • trace.trace_id
  • trace.span_id
  • duration_ms
If your field names differ, map them manually in Dataset Definitions.
Let Honeycomb detect and map dataset fields automatically by naming your data fields using the values in the Source Field Name column. Fields without a source field name must be mapped manually.

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Log dataset fields

Honeycomb identifies a dataset as a logs dataset if you send a field named body to Honeycomb. If your field name differs, map it manually in Dataset Definitions.
Let Honeycomb detect and map dataset fields automatically by naming your data fields using the values in the Source Field Name column. Fields without a source field name must be mapped manually.

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Mapping visualization components

Honeycomb visualizations rely on fields in your source data being mapped to Honeycomb standard fields. If you ever see an unpopulated visualization in Honeycomb, check your dataset definitions first! Unmapped data is the main cause of visualizations missing data.

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Trace dropdowns

Each trace chart visualization’s accompanying dropdown is populated with source fields mapped to Honeycomb dataset fields. You can map your source fields to the selected dataset’s fields using Dataset Definitions. Dataset fields you can map include:
  • Error: Value that indicates an error occurred.
  • HTTP Status Code: Code that indicates the success, failure, or other status of a request.
  • Name: Name of the function or method in which the span was created.
  • Route: HTTP URL or equivalent route processed by the request.
  • User: User making the request in the system.
For datasets with Kubernetes metadata, the following fields are also included in the dropdown if available:
  • k8s.pod.name, source.k8s.pod.name, or destination.k8s.pod.name: Name of the Kubernetes pod.
  • k8s.container.name, source.k8s.container.name, or destination.k8s.container.name: Name of the Kubernetes container.
  • k8s.node.name, source.k8s.node.name, or destination.k8s.node.name: Name of the Kubernetes node.
  • k8s.namespace.name, source.k8s.namespace.name, or destination.k8s.namespace.name: Name of the Kubernetes namespace.
  • source.k8s.service.name or destination.k8s.service.name: Name of the Kubernetes service.
To learn more about sending Kubernetes data to Honeycomb, visit Send Data from Kubernetes.

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Exception fields

Exception visualizations are populated by OpenTelemetry Exception source fields. If your exception visualizations are empty, verify that your instrumentation includes the exception.type and exception.message fields.

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Mapping fields manually

If you have already sent data into a Honeycomb dataset or you are unable to change field names in your source data, use Dataset Definitions to manually map the standard fields in your Honeycomb dataset to the source fields in your data:
  1. Select Manage Data () from the navigation menu, and choose Datasets.
  2. Select the name of your target dataset to access its settings.
  3. Select the Definitions view.
  4. Locate the appropriate Honeycomb Dataset Field, then select the source field in your data from the corresponding Field name dropdown.
  5. Select Update.