> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex-xsiam/configure-cortex-xsiam/data-management/parsing-rules.md).

# Parsing Rules

Learn more about Cortex XSIAM Parsing Rules.

**What are Parsing Rules?**

{% hint style="warning" %}

### Prerequisite

Parsing Rules requires **View/Edit** RBAC permissions for **Data Management** (under **Configurations** → **Data Management**), which are the same permissions required for Dataset Management, Data Model Rules, and Event Forwarding.
{% endhint %}

Cortex XSIAM includes an editor for creating 3rd party Parsing Rules, which enables you to:

* Remove unused data that is not required for analytics, hunting, or regulation.
* Reduce your data storage costs.
* Pre-process all incoming data for complex rule performance.
* Add tags to the ingested data as part of the ingestion flow.
* Easily identify and resolve Parsing Rules errors so you can troubleshoot them quickly.
* Test your Parsing Rules on actual logs and validate their outputs before implementation.

Parsing Rules contain the following built-in characteristics:

* Parsing Rules are bound to a specific vendor and product.
* Parsing Rules take raw log input, perform an arbitrary number of transitions and modifications to the data using Cortex Query Language (XQL), and return zero, one, or more rows that are eventually inserted into the Cortex XSIAM tenant.
* Parsing Rules can be grouped together by a no-match policy. If all the rules of a group did not produce an output for a specific log record, a no-match policy defines what to do, such as drop the log or keep the log in some default format.
* Upon ingestion, all fields are retained even fields with a null value. You can also use XQL to query parsing rules for null values.


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:

```
GET https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex-xsiam/configure-cortex-xsiam/data-management/parsing-rules.md?ask=<question>&goal=<user_goal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
