Error: Cannot insert the value NULL into column 'SITE_ID'

Products

• Endpoint Protection

Issue/Introduction

The Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM) service stops unexpectedly.  Upon restarting the service it stops almost immediately.  When reviewing the scm-server logs, you see the following error:

SEVERE: Cannot insert the value NULL into column 'SITE_ID', table 'sem5.dbo.SERVER_SYSTEM_LOG_2'; column does not allow nulls. INSERT fails.

Additionally, running the Management Server Configuration Wizard (MSCW) fails with the error:

Cannot determine the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager database schema. Use an existing database that contains the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager database schema, or create a new database.

Environment

• SEPM 14.x
• Microsoft SQL Server

Cause

This issue occurs when the SEPM database has become corrupted, resulting data missing in the critical tables BASIC_METADATA and LOCAL_METADATA. Because the SEPM cannot verify its version or schema from these empty tables, the service fails to initialize.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must restore the database from a healthy backup:

1. Restore the Database: Use your SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or your organization's backup solution to restore the sem5 database from a backup created before the corruption occurred.
2. Run the Configuration Wizard: Once the database restoration is complete, launch the Management Server Configuration Wizard on the SEPM server.
3. Reconfigure the Server: Select Reconfigure the management server and follow the prompts to reconnect the SEPM to the restored SQL database.
4. Verify Services: Confirm that the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager and Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager API services are running and that you can log in to the console.

For detailed steps on recovery procedures, see Restoring the database.