Activity log
When a number changes and nobody remembers changing it, the activity log is where you look. It is the back office's audit trail, recording actions with the user who took them, the kind of record affected, the date and a note.
Activity log in SeroPOS
Who did it
Every entry names the user who took the action, so changes are never anonymous.
What it touched
Each entry records the type of record involved, so you can narrow the log to one kind of record.
When it happened
Entries are dated, and a date range filter keeps the list to the period you care about.
Action and note
Each line shows the action taken and any note recorded with it.
Filter by user
Pick one user to review everything they did over a shift, a week or their last day.
Admin only
Only admins can open the activity log, so staff cannot browse it or see what is tracked.
An audit trail for the back office
Most of the time you never think about who changed what. Then a sale's total is different from what the customer remembers, a price is wrong on the shelf, or a contact's details have been edited, and you need to know who did it and when. The activity log keeps that history.
It is under Reports in the web back office, as Activity Log. Each entry shows the action, the user who took it, the type of record it applied to, the date and any note. You can filter the list by user, by record type and by date. It is admin only.
Filtering to the change you are after
A busy business builds up a long log quickly, so start narrow. If you know roughly when something changed, set the date range to that day. If you suspect a particular person, filter by their user. If you know which kind of record changed, filter by its type. Usually two of the three filters are enough to find the entry in a short list.
Read the note on each entry. It often carries the detail that turns a vague action into a clear answer, so you can settle the question without calling staff in. If an entry points to a person, talk to them with the facts in hand. Most changes turn out to be honest mistakes, and the log helps you correct them quickly and calmly.
- User: who took the action
- Subject type: the kind of record affected
- Date range: when it happened
- Action and note on every entry
Why only admins can see it
An audit trail only works if the people being audited cannot read or work around it. The activity log is limited to admins. Cashiers, servers and managers without admin rights do not see it in their Reports menu. They can still do their jobs as normal, within what their role allows. The log simply records what happens, so the owner can review it later.
This fits with the rest of the permission system. Roles already decide who can edit prices, apply discounts, delete sales or edit invoice numbers. The activity log is how an owner checks afterwards that those permissions are being used the way they were meant to be. The log does not replace roles.
Good habits that make the log useful
Give every person their own login. The log records the user who took an action, so shared logins turn every entry into a guess. User Management lets you add staff with their own username, role and location access, and extra users can be added to a plan when you need them.
Check the log after anything unusual: a large refund, a price change before a sale, or a staff member's last week. A quick look by user and date catches most problems while they are still easy to sort out. Make it part of the routine when someone leaves the business, too, so nothing they changed goes unnoticed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out who changed something in SeroPOS?
Sign in as an admin, open Reports, then Activity Log in the web back office. Filter by the date the change happened and, if you can, by the type of record or the user you suspect. Each entry shows the action, the user, the date and a note.
Can managers see the activity log?
Only admins can open it. A manager whose role is not an admin role will not see Activity Log in their Reports menu. This keeps the audit trail out of reach of the people whose actions it records. Admins can see every user's entries.
Why does the log show the same name for everyone?
That usually means staff are sharing a login. The activity log records the user who was signed in. Give each person their own user under User Management, with a role that matches their job, so each entry names the right person.
What can I filter the activity log by?
You can filter by user, by subject type, meaning the kind of record that was affected, and by date range. Combining a date with one other filter is usually enough to find a specific change quickly. Start with the date if you know roughly when the change happened, then add the user or record type to narrow it.
Can I print or export the activity log?
Yes. Like the other back-office reports, the activity log table can be printed or exported once you have filtered it. Filter to the user, record type and dates you need first, then export, so the file holds only the entries that matter for the question you are answering.