User Activity Log – See Who Did What, When and Why
Whether you need to satisfy GDPR auditors, investigate a data-entry error or simply coach staff on best practice, OctopusPro’s User Activity Log gives you a tamper-proof timeline of every action taken inside your account.
How to Open the Log
Navigation: Left-hand menu → Reports → User Activity Log
(Older dashboard shortcuts have been retired; use the path above for the live log.)
Anatomy of the Screen
| UI Element | Purpose | Notes |
| Start Date / End Date | Set the period you want to analyse. | Defaults to today. |
| User dropdown | Isolate one employee, contractor or admin. | Supports search-as-you-type. |
| Search button | Refreshes grid instantly—no page reload. | – |
| History column | Human-readable description: “Email has been sent by Ben”. | Blue links open the object (booking, inquiry, invoice…). |
| Event On | Reference code of the affected record (e.g. BOK-101174). | Click to view. |
| Date | Local timestamp of the action. | Sorted newest-first by default. |
Tip: Click the blue user name inside a row to jump to the user’s profile for deeper investigation.
Filtering & Exporting
- Set a date range – e.g., first to last day of the month.
- (Optional) Choose a user.
- Click Search.
- Click the CSV icon (top-right) to download your filtered log for Excel, Power BI or compliance archives.
Practical Use-Cases
| Department | Goal | Activity-Log Workflow | Outcome |
| Security / IT | Investigate suspicious data change. | Filter by record code → identify user & timestamp. | Quick root cause; revoke access if needed. |
| Operations | Prove a customer was emailed an estimate. | Search History contains “Email has been sent” + booking code. | Instantly show evidence in dispute. |
| HR / Payroll | Confirm contractors are logging job notes promptly. | Filter by user label Sub-contractor; look for “Booking Discussion added”. | Faster payment approvals, better job documentation. |
| Compliance (HIPAA, GDPR) | Provide audit trail for regulators. | Export 90-day log for specified staff members. | Full traceability with one click. |
| Training / QA | Analyse onboarding progress of a new hire. | Filter by new hire’s user ID; review volume & type of actions. | Targeted coaching and KPIs. |
Best-Practice Tips
| Tip | Why It Helps |
| Review daily for first-week hires | Catch mistakes before they impact customers. |
| Combine with History Log menu | Jump from User Activity to Recent Emails / SMS / Calls for full 360° context. |
| Label internal roles (Sales, Support, Finance) | Makes segment filtering effortless. |
| Set retention reminders | Export and archive logs quarterly to satisfy long-term compliance rules without cluttering the UI. |
| Use “My Dashboard” at top-right | Staff can self-audit their own actions and learn from history. |
FAQ
| Question | Answer |
| Can I delete or edit log entries? | No. The log is immutable to preserve integrity; deletions themselves are logged as events. |
| What counts as an “action”? | Saves, edits, deletions, emails/SMS sent, status changes, login/logout events and more. |
| Is login IP captured? | Yes—hover the row to reveal the IP tooltip (admins only). |
| How many days of history are stored? | Indefinitely, unless a data-retention policy is configured under Settings → Security. |
Key Takeaways
- Real-time visibility of every user action.
- Granular filters by date range and user accelerate investigations.
- CSV export satisfies auditors and facilitates BI reporting.
- Immutable records protect your business from disputes and fraud.
Open Reports → User Activity Log now and start turning raw audit data into operational confidence.
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