> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.bindplane.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.bindplane.com/integrations/processors/delete-empty-values.md).
# Delete Empty Values
Removes empty values from telemetry. It deletes null values and, optionally, empty lists, empty maps, and configured "empty" string values from resource attributes, telemetry attributes, and a log record's body. Operates on logs, metrics, and traces.
### Supported Telemetry
| Metrics | Logs | Traces |
| ------- | ---- | ------ |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
### Configuration
**General**
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | -------- | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Choose Telemetry Type | Telemetry Selector | Yes | `["Logs", "Metrics", "Traces"]` | The signals this processor acts on. |
| Deleted Values | Enum: Null Values, Empty Lists, Empty Maps | Yes | `["Null Values"]` | Which value types to delete. **Null Values** removes both null values and zero-length (empty) strings. **Empty Lists** removes lists with no elements. **Empty Maps** removes maps with no keys. |
**Advanced**
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| ------------------------ | ------- | -------- | --------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Empty String Values | Strings | No | *(empty)* | A list of case-insensitive string values that should be treated as empty and deleted. For example, add `-` to delete fields whose value is a literal dash. |
| Exclude Resource Fields | Strings | No | *(empty)* | A list of resource field names to exclude from deletion. |
| Exclude Attribute Fields | Strings | No | *(empty)* | A list of attribute field names to exclude from deletion. |
| Exclude Body Fields | Strings | No | *(empty)* | A list of log body field names to exclude from deletion. |
Choose Telemetry Type can select more than one signal. The processor applies the same deletion rules to each selected signal.
### Examples
#### Remove dash-delimited empty fields from NGINX logs
NGINX access logs use `-` to denote an unset field (for example, a missing `remote_user` or `referer`). This configuration deletes null values and treats `-` as empty, so those placeholder fields are dropped from logs, metrics, and traces.
```yaml
apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Processor
metadata:
name: delete-empty-values
spec:
type: delete_empty_values
parameters:
- name: telemetry_types
value:
- Logs
- Metrics
- Traces
- name: deleted_values
value:
- Null Values
- name: empty_string_values
value:
- '-'
```
#### Delete nulls, empty lists, and empty maps while preserving a key
This configuration removes all three empty value types from logs but keeps the `host.name` resource field even when it is empty.
```yaml
apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Processor
metadata:
name: delete-empty-values
spec:
type: delete_empty_values
parameters:
- name: telemetry_types
value:
- Logs
- name: deleted_values
value:
- Null Values
- Empty Lists
- Empty Maps
- name: exclude_resource_keys
value:
- host.name
```
### Configuration Tips
* Enabling **Null Values** always removes zero-length strings in addition to true null values. Add entries to **Empty String Values** only for placeholder strings that are not actually empty, such as `-`, `null`, or `n/a`.
* **Empty String Values** matching is case-insensitive, so a single `null` entry deletes `NULL`, `Null`, and `null`.
* Use the **Exclude** fields to protect keys that must always be present downstream, even when their value is empty. Resource, attribute, and body exclusions are independent lists.
* Deletion is recursive, so emptying a nested map can leave its parent map empty. Enable **Empty Maps** to also remove the now-empty parent.
### Troubleshooting
#### Empty fields are still present after the processor runs
Symptoms: nulls or empty strings remain on records downstream.
Solutions:
1. Confirm **Choose Telemetry Type** includes the signal you are inspecting. The processor acts only on the selected signals.
2. Verify the field is not listed in one of the **Exclude** fields, which preserve keys regardless of value.
#### Placeholder strings like `-` are not removed
Symptoms: fields with a literal `-` or `n/a` value persist.
Solutions:
1. Add the placeholder string to **Empty String Values**. Only null and zero-length strings are deleted by default.
2. Matching is on the whole value, not a substring, so add each distinct placeholder you want treated as empty.
#### Empty maps remain even though their contents were removed
Symptoms: a map is emptied of keys but the map itself stays on the record.
Solutions:
1. Enable **Empty Maps** under **Deleted Values** so maps left empty after deletion are also removed.
2. Likewise enable **Empty Lists** to drop lists left with no elements.
### Standalone Processor
```yaml
apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Processor
metadata:
name: delete-empty-values
spec:
type: delete_empty_values
parameters:
- name: telemetry_types
value:
- Logs
- Metrics
- Traces
- name: deleted_values
value:
- Null Values
- Empty Lists
- Empty Maps
- name: empty_string_values
value:
- '-'
- 'null'
- 'n/a'
- name: exclude_resource_keys
value:
- host.name
- name: exclude_attribute_keys
value:
- service.name
- name: exclude_body_keys
value:
- message
```
### Related Resources
* [Remove Empty Values Processor — Bindplane OTel Collector reference](https://github.com/observIQ/bindplane-otel-collector/blob/main/processor/removeemptyvaluesprocessor/README.md)
* [Delete Fields](/integrations/processors/delete-fields.md)
* [Filter by Field](/integrations/processors/filter-by-field.md)
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