NI Citadel Database Not Logging New Alarms

Issue Details

While adding new alarms to an existing system that has existing alarms logged into the NI Citadel database, newly configured alarms are visible in NI Distributed System Manager (DSM) but do not appear in the historical Alarms & Events records for the configured NI Citadel database. Older alarms and other data are being logged into the database correctly, just not the new alarms.

Solution

In order to log alarms and events correctly to the NI Citadel database, first verify logging configuration, service status, and database accessibility. If those checks are correct and alarms still do not log, rebuild the Citadel database using NI-supported archive, detach, and reattach workflows.

Verify configuration, services, Event Viewer, and database directory access

1. Confirm Datalogging and Supervisory Control (DSC) Module library logging configuration (LabVIEW Project Explorer)

1. In LabVIEW Project Explorer, right-click the project library and select Properties.
2. Select DSC Settings: Database. Confirm that Enable Alarms and Events Logging is enabled.
3. Confirm the alarms/events target is correct:
• If using one database, enable Use the same database for alarms and events.
• Otherwise, confirm Alarms and events database name/path points to the intended database and location.

2. Confirm required Windows services are running (Services console)

NI Citadel and NI Variable Engine services must be running.

1. Open the Windows Services console: press Windows key, type services.msc, and launch Services. 
2. Locate and verify that the following services are in a Running state:
• NI Citadel (or “Citadel 5” depending on installation)
• NI Variable Engine
3. If either service is stopped, start it. If it is running, restart it (Stop then Start) to clear transient connection states. NI explicitly calls out validating these services as a first-line check for alarms/events access.

3. Check SVE-reported errors in Windows Event Viewer (connectivity/configuration diagnosis)

The Shared Variable Engine (SVE) reports critical errors (including failed database connections), and these can be reviewed in Windows Event Viewer.

1. Open Event Viewer: Windows Control Panel » Administrative Tools » Event Viewer.
2. Review recent entries around the time alarms failed to log. Focus on SVE-related messages indicating failed database connections or invalid process configurations.
3. If Event Viewer indicates database connectivity failures, verify logging configurations and validate database folder permissions and path. When the database is unavailable, logging may be redirected to a default database under the System process.

4. Validate database folder permissions and location (service-account access)

NI Citadel service runs as SYSTEM and requires the database directory to be readable/writable by SYSTEM and NETWORK SERVICE, and readable by Users. Avoid restricted folders such as per-user profile directories.

1. Identify the configured database path (from DSC Settings: Database or DSM process logging configuration).
2. Confirm the database directory meets NI’s access requirements (Users: read; SYSTEM and NETWORK SERVICE: read/write).
3. If the database is stored under a restricted location (for example, C:\Users\<Username>\...), move it to a suitable location such as a Public directory and update the DSC/DSM configuration accordingly (NI explicitly warns that service accounts may not have access to user folders and recommends suitable paths).

Rebuild the Citadel database (use when configuration/services are correct, but alarms still do not log)

This approach is commonly used when the existing database (often the alarms/events portion) is not accepting new alarm/event records and normal remediation does not restore logging.

1. Stop the relevant libraries/processes so no applications are writing to the database.
2. Create a new NI Citadel database in NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX).
3. Archive traces from the current database to the new database using DSC Archive Traces VI.
4. Delete the current database. 
5. Detach the new database.
6. Move the new database on disk to the original database location (so the system continues referencing the expected path).
7. Attach the new database using the same name as the original database.
8. Restart the libraries/processes and verify that new alarms now appear in the Alarms & Events history queries/views.