What the Audit Reporter Object Is
The Audit Reporter object, defined in Clause 12.63 of ANSI/ASHRAE 135-2024, represents the audit settings of a BACnet device that reports auditable actions, and it originates the audit notifications those actions generate. Any device that reports auditable operations contains at least one Audit Reporter object. Where an Audit Log stores the trail, the Audit Reporter is the source that emits it.
Audit_Level and Auditable_Operations define which operations are audited, Audit_Priority_Filter limits auditing to a range of command priorities, and Audit_Source_Reporter marks whether this device reports as an operation source. The reporter sends its notifications through the audit notification services, optionally as confirmed messages per Issue_Confirmed_Notifications. When it supports intrinsic reporting the Audit Reporter does so for fault conditions only and applies no event algorithm.
Where You’ll See It
- Audit source. A controller’s Audit Reporter emits a notification whenever an auditable operation, such as a configuration write or a command, occurs on the device.
- Scoped auditing.
Monitored_ObjectsandAudit_Priority_Filternarrow auditing to specific objects or command priorities, keeping the audit volume manageable. - Reliable delivery. With
Issue_Confirmed_Notificationsset, the reporter sends confirmed audit notifications so the receiving audit log acknowledges each one.
Required Properties
Clause 12.63 requires every Audit Reporter object to provide these properties. Datatypes are the spec’s names: Unsigned is an integer, BOOLEAN a true/false flag, and the BACnet-prefixed types are structured values defined by the standard. On this object Audit_Level, Auditable_Operations, and the other audit-setting properties are required rather than optional.
| Property | Datatype | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
Object_Identifier | BACnetObjectIdentifier | The object’s type and instance number, unique within the device |
Object_Name | CharacterString | The human-readable point name, unique within the device |
Object_Type | BACnetObjectType | Always audit-reporter for this object |
Status_Flags | BACnetStatusFlags | Four health flags: in-alarm, fault, overridden, out-of-service |
Reliability | BACnetReliability | Whether the object detects a fault, and if so which |
Event_State | BACnetEventState | The object’s current event state (normal or fault for this object type) |
Audit_Level | BACnetAuditLevel | The level of auditing the device performs |
Audit_Source_Reporter | BOOLEAN | Whether the device reports as an operation source |
Auditable_Operations | BACnetAuditOperationFlags | Which operations are audited |
Audit_Priority_Filter | BACnetPriorityFilter | The command priorities for which operations are audited |
Issue_Confirmed_Notifications | BOOLEAN | Whether audit notifications are sent confirmed |
Property_List | BACnetARRAY[N] of BACnetPropertyIdentifier | The list of properties this instance actually implements |
Optional Properties
The properties integrators meet most are Monitored_Objects (which objects this reporter audits) and the Maximum_Send_Delay / Send_Now pair that governs batched delivery. The intrinsic-reporting group, present for fault reporting, generally appears or is absent as a set.
| Property | Datatype | Group |
|---|---|---|
Description | CharacterString | General |
Monitored_Objects | BACnetARRAY[N] of BACnetObjectSelector | Auditing |
Maximum_Send_Delay | Unsigned | Auditing |
Send_Now | BOOLEAN | Auditing |
Event_Detection_Enable | BOOLEAN | Intrinsic reporting |
Notification_Class | Unsigned | Intrinsic reporting |
Event_Enable | BACnetEventTransitionBits | Intrinsic reporting |
Acked_Transitions | BACnetEventTransitionBits | Intrinsic reporting |
Notify_Type | BACnetNotifyType | Intrinsic reporting |
Event_Time_Stamps | BACnetARRAY[3] of BACnetTimeStamp | Intrinsic reporting |
Event_Message_Texts | BACnetARRAY[3] of CharacterString | Intrinsic reporting |
Event_Message_Texts_Config | BACnetARRAY[3] of CharacterString | Intrinsic reporting |
Reliability_Evaluation_Inhibit | BOOLEAN | Fault detection |
Tags | BACnetARRAY[N] of BACnetNameValue | Tagging and profile |
Profile_Location | CharacterString | Tagging and profile |
Profile_Name | CharacterString | Tagging and profile |
Related Objects
- Audit Log: stores the audit records this reporter originates.
- Notification Forwarder: re-distributes event notifications, a related but event-focused distribution object.
- Device: the object whose auditable actions the reporter announces.
What Chipkin Provides
The Audit Reporter object is modeled in the CAS BACnet Stack with its audit-setting properties and notification dispatch; audit forwarding integration is a roadmap item. Talk to us about modeling your device’s points.