A rule set to convert an event into a standardized format can be established based on cooperation among peer processing nodes. A processing node that receives the event takes the initial responsibility to convert the event. The responsible processing node initially attempts to convert the event using locally available rules. If the initial attempt fails, the responsible processing node will communicate the event to peer processing nodes and request them to provide conversion rules. Upon receipt of the rules provided by the peer processing nodes, the responsible processing node combines the received rules with the locally available rules to generate a rule set to convert the event. The responsible processing node may also transfer the event to another processing node for the other processing node to take the responsibility to convert the event.