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One of the many selling points of NetSuite is its ability to keep track of changes to almost all record types, and give non-technical users a way to access logs easily. However, it may not always be clear how to view audit logs for certain record types as navigation is not always consistent. In this article you’ll find descriptions and detailed instructions for the following NetSuite audit functions:
- System Notes
- Workflow History
- Saved Search/Report Audit Trail
- Login Audit Trail
- Transaction Audit Trail
- Transaction Audit Numbering Log
- Sent Email List
- System Integration Audit
- Preferences Audit Log
- System Notes Audit Log
1. System Notes
System notes refers to the change list present on nearly every record in NetSuite. This feature is commonly used for granular review of changes made to a record, and can be found directly on the records themselves. In order to access system notes, navigate to the record you’d like to review, and click the “System Information” subtab:
From here, you’ll be able to see all changes that were made to a given record. The log will include relevant information such as date, set by, field, old value, and new value:
Furthermore, in the System Information subtab we can use the workflow history feature to review any SuiteFlow executions made on this record. Simply select the “Workflow History” sublist to see how a record has moved through a workflow:
Click on the “Log” link to get a more detailed idea of exactly which workflow actions and transitions were considered or executed:
2. Saved Search/Report Audit Trail
The audit trail for reports and saved searches functions nearly the same as system notes from the first section, but the navigation is a bit different. To view changes made to a saved search, edit the saved search and click the “Audit Trail” button:
This will show all changes that were made to a given saved search. Click the link in the component name column to get a detail view for that line:
To the right of the Audit Trail subtab, check the Execution Log for all executions of the saved search, as well as whether or not it was exported:
For reports, customize the report you’d like to review and navigate to the “More Options” tab and then to the “Audit Trail” tab:
This audit trail works the same way as the saved search audit trail in that you can select a component name to get a detailed view of the change that was made.
3. Login Audit Trail
The login audit trail returns a list of logins by user. To navigate to the login audit trail, navigate Setup -> Users/Roles -> View Login Audit Trail:
On the following page, you will be able to build a search to narrow down the logins that you’d like to see. In the below search, I’m looking for any logins made in the Administrator role today:
Click submit to see the login audit trail which includes the IP address from which NetSuite was accessed:
4. Transaction Audit Trail
The transaction audit trail functions similarly to the login audit trail. To access it, we’ll navigate Transactions -> Management -> View Audit Trail:
Just like before, we can use the resulting screen to build a saved search of sorts to narrow down the logs we would like to see. In the below example, I’m searching for instances where a certain user created, changed, or deleted a purchase order or requisition:
The resulting audit trail shows details related to creations and changes as expected:
5. Transaction Numbering Audit Log
The transaction audit numbering log shows every system generated transaction number whether it was created, deleted, or failed to be created. Navigate to this audit log as follows: Transactions -> Management -> Transaction Numbering Audit Log:
In this log we can see transaction numbers along with when they were allocated, and when they were deleted if applicable:
6. Sent Email List
The sent email list tracks all outgoing mail from your NetSuite account. The report will also show whether the mail was delivered successfully. Access this list by navigating Setup -> Company -> Sent Email List:
7. System Integration Audit Log
NetSuite allows us to review synchronous requests made by SOAP. This audit logged can be accessed by navigating Setup -> Integration -> SOAP Web Services Usage Log:
The resulting page will give the user some filter options at the top in order to narrow down your search by date, record type, action, and integration:
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8. Preferences Audit Log
If you need to audit changes that were made to your accounting preferences, NetSuite has you covered. From your accounting preferences screen, hover over the “More” button on the top right and select “Audit Trail”:
The resulting page shows which preference was changed, who it was changed by, which role was used to make the change, the date the preference was changed, as well as the before and after values for the given preference:
9. System Notes Audit Log
One search that can be very useful when going through an implementation is the system notes audit log. This saved search typically comes as part of your SuiteSuccess bundle, but in the event that your NetSuite instance doesn’t already have this search, you can easily recreate it by following these steps:
- Navigate Reports -> Saved Searches -> All Saved Searches -> New:
- In the criteria subtab, add a filter for Date:
Don’t worry, we will be adding a filter for date later so that you will be able to change it in real time when you run the search. - The Results subtab can be customized to your liking, but typically we configure the search with the following columns: Date, Record, Set by, Type, Field, Old Value, New Value, Context
- In the Available Filters subtab, add any fields you’d like to be able to filter this saved search by when you run it. We typically add Record Type, Context, Set by, Type, and Date, but you can add any fields you’d like:
When you’re done, save and run your search to have an easy way to reference all system information changes.
Interested in NetSuite? Feel free to contact our team to learn more about purchasing NetSuite, re-implementations and system optimizations!
