Tenzir Asim

Microsoft Sentinel ASIM

Microsoft Sentinel ASIM (Advanced Security Information Model) normalizes security telemetry from many products into source-independent records that analysts can query consistently. Use this skill to choose the right ASIM schema, inspect normalized fields, resolve aliases, explain field classes and logical types, and map events or entities into ASIM.

The generated YAML files are the authoritative reference for this skill. If a field, alias, enum value, schema version, condition, or schema behavior is not present in the YAML data, say that it is not documented here. Use source.md only as the final provenance anchor for the requested Microsoft Defender Docs ref and raw Markdown copies.

How ASIM fits together

ASIM is organized around schemas. A schema is a named contract for one kind of activity or entity, with a version, status, and field set. Event schemas describe activity records such as DNS, authentication, network, process, registry, file, audit, alert, web, DHCP, agent, and user-management events. Entity schemas describe standalone entity records, such as AssetEntity. A normalized event record identifies its contract with EventSchema and EventSchemaVersion; an entity record uses EntitySchema and EntitySchemaVersion.

Fields are schema-scoped contracts, not just names. A field can appear in several schemas with different classes, allowed values, conditions, or examples. Common fields describe shared event or entity metadata, such as time, product, result, severity, schema, and reporting device details. Entity fields describe participants in an event. ASIM uses role prefixes such as Src, Dst, Actor, Target, Acting, and Dvc to distinguish those participants. Logical types define the ASIM compatibility contract for a value, even when the underlying Log Analytics physical type is less specific.

A field class describes mapping priority and requirement level: Mandatory, Recommended, Conditional, Optional, or Alias. Aliases are query-convenience names that point to one or more canonical fields; prefer canonical target fields when mapping data or writing reusable detections, rules, and workbooks. value records document schema constants, allowed_values records document normalized enum values, and required_if records document when a conditional field is required. When ASIM has no direct field for source-specific details, preserve the value in its original field or in AdditionalFields.

For mapping work, start with the activity or entity semantics, choose the schema, and treat that schema file as authoritative. Use field files only when you need a cross-schema view of one field.

Data files

• Use catalog.yaml to choose a schema and find the schema data file.
• Use schemas/<schema>.yaml to map telemetry into one ASIM schema.
• Use fields.yaml directly as the field-name to field-file manifest.
• Use fields/<field>.yaml for field meaning across schemas.
• Use aliases.yaml to resolve alias fields and conditional alias rules.

Mapping rules

• Start from activity or entity semantics, choose the ASIM schema in catalog.yaml, then load the schema file.
• Populate Mandatory and useful Recommended fields first, then add Optional fields when the source provides useful context.
• Populate Conditional fields when the field record's required_if condition applies.
• Prefer canonical normalized fields over aliases for reusable detections, analytics rules, workbooks, and mappings.
• Use aliases to explain Microsoft-documented query convenience, but resolve them through aliases.yaml before mapping.
• Preserve source-specific values in original fields or AdditionalFields when ASIM has no direct normalized field.
• When a schema defines both a value field and a type field, populate the type field when the identifier format is known.
• Treat fields with role: common as shared event/entity metadata, but obey schema-specific value, allowed_values, and required_if records.

Field classes

Role prefixes

Question routing

For provenance, the requested Microsoft Defender Docs ref, and raw source copies, use source.md as the last anchor.