You can audit changes to a specific property of a class
for the following purposes: to reduce the size of the audit log and
to allow audit processing clients to retrieve the more relevant audit
information only. The alternative to logging changes for a specific
property is to log an entire object snapshot. (A snapshot includes
all properties for the object and is logged before and after any object
changes.)
Before you begin
The class of the audited property must be configured for auditing.
About this task
When you configure an event class to audit a specific
property, the audit log database table is extended with a column that
corresponds to the property. When an audited event is fired on the
source object, an instance of the event is stored in the audit log.
The value of the audited property is copied from the source object
to the applicable column.
Procedure
To audit a new or existing property (henceforth known
as the target property):
- Creating a property template. If a custom property template does not exist
for the target property, create it. (This step applies regardless
of whether the target property is a custom or system property.) For a system property, ensure that the following items for the
property and the property template are aligned:
- The single-valued or multi-valued attribute is the same.
- The data type is compatible in accordance with the following table:
Table 1. Compatible data typesSystem property |
Property template |
Binary |
Binary |
Boolean |
Boolean, String |
DateTime |
DateTime, String |
Float |
Float, String |
ID |
ID, String |
Integer |
Integer, String |
Object |
Object, String, ID |
String |
String |
Tip: To minimize the number of audit log columns,
use the same template across classes. For example, you might use a
template for an ObjectName property to audit the following properties:
- The document title for the Document class.
- The folder name for the Folder class.
- Assigning properties to a class. Using the custom property template, assign the
target property to an event of the ObjectChangeEvent class
or one of its subclasses. The ObjectChangeEvent class
is located in the folder. To audit
the target property for all events, add the property to the ObjectChangeEvent class.
To audit the property only on some events, add the property to the
appropriate subclass such as for the creation, update, and deletion
events.
- Assigning properties to a class. If the target property is a custom property,
assign the target property to a class that you want to audit.
- Opening the property definition for a dependent class property. Open the property definition for the target property.
- On the property definition tab, set the Audit
As property to the custom property template that you assigned
to the event class.
- Saving the property definition for a dependent class property. Save your changes.