Audit Log
Examples
Description
Automatically and chronologically records the relevant actions performed within the information system, associating each event with a user, a date, and an affected entity. Its purpose is to keep a traceable and unalterable history of the system's activity, which makes it possible to answer the questions "who did what, when, and to what" with concrete evidence. It operates autonomously and in a cross-cutting way: recording happens without user intervention, for every action the system considers relevant.
Mandatory capabilities
Mandatory capabilities
- Records events automatically, without requiring explicit action from the user
- Each entry includes at least: the user who performed the action, date and time, type of operation, and affected entity
- Entries are persistent and cannot be altered by regular users; they cannot be modified or deleted through the normal operation of the system
- Access to the log is restricted to profiles with specific permissions (administrators, auditors)
Additional capabilities
Additional capabilities
- Before and after state storage: saves the values before and after each modification, making it possible to reconstruct how the information evolved
- Entry export: allows downloading the log entries for external analysis or regulatory compliance
- Built-in viewer: provides an interface for authorized users to browse the history directly from the system
- Configurable retention: defines how long entries are kept before they are automatically purged
Boundaries
What it is not
- Is not a system log: system logs record technical and operational events (errors, restarts, performance); the Audit Log records user actions and changes to business data
- Is not a Notification System: the log records silently; it does not alert or communicate events to external recipients
- Is not a Report: although the log data can be queried or exported, the component itself does not consolidate or process the information for analytical purposes
Information flow
Input
System event (user action or process that modifies data), with its associated attributes (user, entity, operation, values)
→
Output
Persistent and unalterable record of the event, stored chronologically in the repository
Variants
- Access log: records every successful or failed login attempt
- Change log: records modifications to the system's data (creation, editing, and deletion of records)
- Operations log: records administrative and configuration actions on the system
Typical dependencies
- Database or repository where the audit entries are stored
- Authorization to determine which users can access the log
Mapping to the Digital Board
Manual UpdateNo
Automatic UpdateNo
Data ConceptsAlways
On-Demand OutputsOptional
Automatic OutputsNo
Autonomous ProcessesAlways
| Section | Relationship | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Manual Update | No | — |
| Automatic Update | No | — |
| Data Concepts | Always | Audit Entry as a persistent entity of the system. |
| On-Demand Outputs | Optional | Built-in history viewer and entry export, when those capabilities are present. |
| Automatic Outputs | No | — |
| Autonomous Processes | Always | Automatic capture of the relevant events and construction of the associated entry. |
Digital Board example
Manual Update
—
Data Concepts
Audit Entry
On-Demand Outputs
Page History View
Automatic Update
—
Autonomous Processes
Automatic Edit Capture
Automatic Outputs
—