---
title: Troubleshooting missing Trace API data
source: https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/apm/distributed-tracing/trace-api/troubleshooting-missing-trace-api-data
---

## Problem

You have used the [Trace API](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/apm/distributed-tracing/trace-api/introduction-new-relic-trace-api) to report data but either don't see your data in New Relic or you have questions about it.

## Solution

Here are some ideas for troubleshooting Trace API-reported data:

-   To verify span data has been reported, run a NRQL query in the [query builder](https://one.newrelic.com/launcher/nr1-core.home#pane=eyJuZXJkbGV0SWQiOiJucjEtY29yZS5zZWFyY2gtcm9vdCJ9&overlay=eyJvdmVybGF5SWQiOiJ3YW5kYS1kYXRhLWV4cGxvcmF0aW9uLm5ycWwtZWRpdG9yIiwibmVyZGxldElkIjoid2FuZGEtZGF0YS1leHBsb3JhdGlvbi5kYXRhLWV4cGxvcmVyIiwiaW5pdGlhbEFjdGl2ZUludGVyZmFjZSI6Im5ycWxFZGl0b3IiLCJpbml0aWFsQWNjb3VudElkIjoxfQ==) for the span just uploaded. You must be in the same New Relic account used to report the trace data (same license key). Example query:

    ```sql
    FROM Span SELECT * WHERE trace.id = '123456'
    ```
-   If a call generates a HTTP response code, look up the [response code meaning](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/understand-dependencies/distributed-tracing/trace-api/trace-api-general-requirements-limits#status-codes).
-   If rate-limiting issues occur, we generate an [`NrIntegrationError`](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/telemetry-data-platform/manage-data/nrintegrationerror). You can [run a NRQL query of that event](https://one.newrelic.com/launcher/nr1-core.home?pane=eyJuZXJkbGV0SWQiOiJucjEtY29yZS5ob21lLXNjcmVlbiJ9&overlay=eyJuZXJkbGV0SWQiOiJ3YW5kYS1kYXRhLWV4cGxvcmF0aW9uLmRhdGEtZXhwbG9yZXIiLCJpbml0aWFsQWN0aXZlSW50ZXJmYWNlIjoibnJxbEVkaXRvciIsImluaXRpYWxBY2NvdW50SWQiOjI0NTkxMTUsImluaXRpYWxOcnFsVmFsdWUiOiIiLCJpbml0aWFsUXVlcmllcyI6W3siYWNjb3VudElkIjoyNDU5MTE1LCJucnFsIjoiRlJPTSBOckludGVncmF0aW9uRXJyb3Igc2VsZWN0ICogIn1dLCJpbml0aWFsQ2hhcnRTZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJjaGFydFR5cGUiOiJDSEFSVF9UQUJMRSJ9fQ==) to see if your trace data encountered an issue. If you want to correlate `NrIntegrationError` events, you can use the `requestId` provided by each Trace API request.
-   If your spans have timestamps, be sure they meet the following guidelines:
    -   Span timestamps must have occurred within the last 24 hours.
    -   `newrelic`-format timestamps must be in **milliseconds**. You can get the current time in milliseconds at [currentmillis.com](https://currentmillis.com).
    -   `zipkin`-format timestamps must be in **microseconds**.
    -   Timestamps should be in UTC.
-   Calls to the endpoint are not idempotent. This means if you send multiple traces with the same `trace.id`, it will result in fragmented traces in the UI due to ambiguous trace parent-child data.
-   Double check that your payload is valid. For `newrelic`-format traces, one issue may be that key-value pairs haven't been placed in the `attributes` block.
-   Confirm that your trace has a root span (a null `parent.id` on one span). Example query:

    ```sql
    FROM Span SELECT * WHERE trace.id = '123456' AND parent.id IS NULL
    ```

For more on how Trace API data transmission is validated, see [Validation](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/apm/distributed-tracing/trace-api/trace-api-endpoint-requirements-limits#response-validation).