Understanding Audit

In this section:

 What Audit does

The audit facility is used to display the history of changes to records. Audit forms are available for selected reference and data entry functions.

Forms in the audit facility only allow the querying of records. Update and delete functions are not available. The current active record does not display an end date. This is inserted with the current date when a new history record is created. Where multiple child records exist for the queried record, multiple current records (with no end date) may be viewed.

Issues with Audit

Optional fields with NULL values

Some of the forms, to which the audit forms refer, contain optional fields that can be set to a NULL value. These are displayed in the audit history as a NULL field. However, where a record with an optional field is updated by inserting a value into the optional field, an unfortunate technical characteristic inserts the value into both the last (ie most recent) history record and any instances of the NULL field/s in previous history records.

For example:

The Course Version History form (AUDF3126) displays history details of changes to course versions. These details are recorded in the Maintain Basic Course Details form (CRSF2210). Within this form, the field Review Date is optional.

If a course version has been recorded in CRSF1210 with the Review Date field left as NULL, the record appears in AUDF3126 with the Review Date field as NULL. However, if a subsequent change is applied to the course in CRSF1210 with the insertion of a Review Date, the record appears in AUDF3126 with the Review Date displayed. The previous record/s that had a NULL value for Review Date also display the new value for Review Date.

It is recognised that this may be misleading and a technical solution is being sought.

Last Modified on 11May 1999