Activity / Audit Log Guide

Product: Lofty Golden Oil ERP
URL: https://loftygoldenoil.com
Applicable Roles: Admin (view access); System logs all user actions

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Overview

The Activity / Audit Log is a comprehensive audit trail that records every significant action performed within the ERP system. It provides a chronological record of who did what, when, and from where. This is essential for:

• Compliance: Meeting regulatory requirements for financial record-keeping.
• Security: Detecting unauthorized access or suspicious activity.
• Accountability: Tracking user actions for internal governance.
• Forensics: Investigating incidents or data discrepancies.

All actions are stored in the audit_log table with full metadata including timestamps, user identification, action type, affected entity, details, and IP address.

Access: Navigate to Activity Log in the left sidebar. Only users with the Admin role can view the audit log. However, the system logs actions from all users regardless of their role.

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Viewing the Activity Log

1. Click Activity Log in the left sidebar.
2. The Activity Log page loads with a DataTable displaying all recorded actions.

Table Columns

Column	Description
Date/Time	Timestamp of when the action occurred (format: DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM:SS)
User	The email or name of the user who performed the action
Action	The type of action performed (CREATE, UPDATE, DELETE, LOGIN, APPROVE, REJECT)
Entity	The type of record affected (User, Inventory, Sale, Invoice, Payment, Expense, etc.)
Details	Description of what changed — includes old and new values where applicable
IP Address	The IP address from which the action was performed

Reading the Table

Each row represents a single auditable event. The most recent actions appear at the top of the table. Scroll down to view older entries, or use pagination controls at the bottom to navigate through large datasets.

Example Entries

Date/Time	User	Action	Entity	Details	IP Address
26/06/2026 09:15:23	admin@loftygoldenoil.com	CREATE	User	Created user "Adebayo Johnson" with role Sales	197.210.x.x
26/06/2026 10:02:45	accountant@loftygoldenoil.com	UPDATE	Expense	Updated expense #1042: Amount ₦35,000 → ₦42,000	197.210.x.x
26/06/2026 11:30:00	sales@loftygoldenoil.com	LOGIN	Session	User logged in successfully	197.210.x.x
26/06/2026 14:22:10	supervisor@loftygoldenoil.com	APPROVE	Requisition	Approved requisition REQ-2026-089	197.210.x.x

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Date Range Filtering

The Activity Log can be filtered by date range to narrow down entries to a specific period.

Setting a Date Range

1. Navigate to Activity Log in the sidebar.
2. Locate the Date Range filter above the table.
3. Set the Start Date to view entries from that date onward.
4. Set the End Date to view entries up to that date.
5. Leave either field blank for an open-ended range.
6. The table updates automatically to display only entries within the selected range.

Common Filtering Scenarios

Scenario	Start Date	End Date
Today's activity	Today's date	Today's date
This week	Monday of this week	Today
This month	1st of current month	Today
Specific incident	Day before incident	Day after incident
Last quarter	First day of last quarter	Last day of last quarter

Combining Filters

• Use date range filtering in combination with the search bar to find specific entries.
• Search by user name to see all actions by a particular person within a date range.
• Search by entity type to see all actions affecting a specific module.

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Understanding Actions

The system records the following action types:

CREATE

• Meaning: A new record was added to the database.
• Examples:
  • Creating a new user account
  • Adding a new inventory item
  • Recording a new sale
  • Creating a new expense
  • Submitting a new requisition

UPDATE

• Meaning: An existing record was modified.
• Examples:
  • Changing a user's role or status
  • Updating inventory quantities
  • Editing an expense amount
  • Modifying a customer's contact information
  • The details column shows the old value → new value

DELETE

• Meaning: A record was permanently removed from the database.
• Examples:
  • Deleting a user account
  • Removing an inventory item
  • Cancelling a sale
  • Note: Deletions are irreversible. The audit log preserves what was deleted.

LOGIN

• Meaning: A user authenticated and accessed the system.
• Examples:
  • Successful login: "User logged in successfully"
  • Failed login attempt: "Invalid password attempt" (if recorded)
  • Session expiry: "Session expired"

APPROVE

• Meaning: A requisition was approved at a specific level in the workflow.
• Examples:
  • Supervisor approves a requester's requisition
  • Manager approves a supervisor's recommendation
  • Accounts approves for financial review
  • MD grants final approval

REJECT

• Meaning: A requisition was denied at a specific level in the workflow.
• Examples:
  • Supervisor rejects a requisition with reason
  • Manager denies budget approval
  • Accounts flags financial concerns

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Understanding Entities

The Entity column identifies the type of record that was affected.

Entity	Description
User	User account creation, modification, or deletion
Inventory	Inventory item additions, updates, or removals
Sale	Sales transaction records
Invoice	Accounts receivable invoices
Payment	Payment records against invoices
Expense	Expense records (creation, approval, rejection)
Production Run	Production batch records
Purchase	Purchase order records
Requisition	Internal requisition requests and approvals
Customer	Customer profile records
Supplier	Supplier profile records
Settings	System configuration changes
Journal Entry	Manual journal entry creation or reversal
Voucher	Financial voucher records

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Reading Details

The Details column provides specific information about what changed during the action.

For CREATE Actions

The details typically show the key fields of the newly created record:

Created user "Adebayo Johnson" with role Sales, email adebayo@loftygoldenoil.com

For UPDATE Actions

The details show the old and new values:

Updated expense #1042: Amount ₦35,000 → ₦42,000, Category: Utilities → Transportation

Changed user status: Active → Inactive

For DELETE Actions

The details show what was removed:

Deleted inventory item "Palm Oil 5L" (ID: 45)

For LOGIN Actions

User logged in successfully from IP 197.210.x.x

For APPROVE/REJECT Actions

Approved requisition REQ-2026-089 at Supervisor level

Rejected requisition REQ-2026-085 at Manager level — Reason: Budget exceeded

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Using Audit Log for Security

The audit log is a critical security tool. Regular review helps protect the integrity of your financial data.

Detecting Unauthorized Access

1. Review the LOGIN entries regularly.
2. Look for:
   • Logins at unusual hours (e.g., 2:00 AM)
   • Logins from unexpected IP addresses
   • Multiple failed login attempts
   • Logins from locations inconsistent with the user's role

Tracking Data Changes

1. Filter by UPDATE actions on sensitive entities (User, Expense, Sale, Invoice).
2. Review the Details column for unexpected changes.
3. Verify that changes were authorized by the appropriate personnel.

Identifying Suspicious Patterns

Watch for these red flags:

Pattern	Potential Issue
Multiple DELETE actions in short succession	Possible data destruction
User modifying their own role or status	Privilege escalation attempt
Changes to financial records outside business hours	Potential fraud
Failed login attempts followed by successful login	Possible credential compromise
Bulk operations on sensitive data	Unauthorized bulk modification

Recommended Security Reviews

Frequency	Action
Daily	Scan for failed logins and unusual activity
Weekly	Review all user management changes (create, edit, delete)
Monthly	Full audit log review for the month
Quarterly	Deep analysis of all financial entity changes

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Using Audit Log for Compliance

For Nigerian businesses and international standards, maintaining accurate audit trails is often a regulatory requirement.

Regulatory Compliance

• Financial Records: All financial transactions (sales, purchases, expenses, invoices) are logged with timestamps and user identification.
• Data Integrity: The audit log is append-only — existing entries cannot be modified or deleted.
• Access Control: Role-based access changes are logged, demonstrating appropriate segregation of duties.
• Approval Trail: Requisition approvals are logged with the approver's identity and timestamp.

Tracking Financial Transactions

1. Filter by financial entities: Sale, Invoice, Payment, Expense, Journal Entry, Voucher.
2. Review all changes to ensure proper authorization.
3. Export the filtered data for audit documentation.

Monitoring Approvals

1. Filter by APPROVE and REJECT actions.
2. Verify that requisitions followed the proper workflow (Requester → Supervisor → Manager → Accounts → MD).
3. Ensure no single user approved their own requisition.

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Exporting Audit Data

1. Navigate to Activity Log in the sidebar.
2. Apply any desired filters (date range, user, action type).
3. Click the Export button.
4. A CSV file is generated containing all visible audit log entries.
5. Save the file for:
   • External auditing by your accounting firm
   • Regulatory compliance submissions
   • Internal investigation records
   • Long-term archival

Export File Format

The CSV export includes all table columns:

• Date/Time
• User
• Action
• Entity
• Entity ID
• Details
• IP Address

Open the file in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet application for analysis.

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Best Practices

Review Regularly

• Make audit log review a routine task (daily for quick scans, weekly for thorough reviews).
• Assign a specific person or team responsible for audit log monitoring.
• Document your review process and findings.

Set Up Alerts for Critical Actions

If the system supports webhook or email notifications for critical events, configure alerts for:

• User creation or deletion
• Role changes
• Large expense approvals
• Journal entry reversals
• Failed login attempts (if recorded)

Never Modify Audit Entries

• The audit log is designed to be immutable — entries cannot be edited or deleted by any user.
• If an entry appears incorrect, investigate the root cause rather than modifying the log.
• The integrity of the audit trail depends on its immutability.

Retention Policy

• Minimum retention: Retain audit logs for at least 7 years in compliance with Nigerian financial regulations and international best practices.
• Storage: Ensure backup copies of audit logs are stored securely.
• Archive: Move older logs to archival storage while maintaining accessibility for audits.

Documentation

• Maintain a log review register documenting:
  • Who reviewed the log
  • When the review was conducted
  • What was found
  • Any actions taken in response
• This register itself becomes part of your compliance documentation.

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Role Access Summary

Action	Admin	Accountant	Production	Sales
View Audit Log	Yes	No	No	No
Export Audit Log	Yes	No	No	No
Filter Audit Log	Yes	No	No	No
System Logs Their Actions	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Important: While only Admins can view the audit log, the system logs actions from all users regardless of their role. This ensures a complete audit trail even if a user does not have access to the log itself.

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Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Cannot see Activity Log in sidebar	Verify your role is Admin
Log appears empty	Ensure the date range filter is not set to a range with no activity
Export not working	Check browser download settings; ensure the date range has entries
Missing expected entries	Verify the action was actually performed; check if the user was logged in
IP Address shows unknown	The user may be behind a VPN or proxy; this is normal for some network configurations
Log loading slowly	Narrow the date range to reduce the dataset; large logs may take time to render