Asset History & Audit Trail - Track Every Change

Overview

UniAsset automatically tracks every change to every asset in a comprehensive audit trail. This ensures accountability, supports compliance, and helps you understand what happened to an asset over its lifetime.

What is Tracked

Every asset has a complete history of:

Asset Changes:

• Creation (who created, when)
• Field modifications (what changed, old value → new value)
• Status changes (Active → Damaged → Disposed)
• Assignment changes (user and location assignments)
• Category changes
• Archive/restore actions

Maintenance Events:

• Maintenance tasks created
• Tasks completed
• Costs logged
• Technician assignments
• Part replacements

Documents & Images:

• Documents uploaded
• Documents deleted
• Images added
• Primary image changes

Ownership:

• User assignments/unassignments
• Location assignments/changes
• Department changes

System Events:

• Created via CSV import
• Included in bulk actions
• Data exports

Viewing Asset History

Method 1: History Tab (Most Common)

1. Go to Assets page
2. Click asset name to open detail page
3. Click "History" tab (next to Details, Maintenance, Documents)
4. Full chronological timeline appears

Method 2: Inline Changes

Some changes show directly on asset detail page:

• "Last Updated: 2 days ago by John Smith"
• "Created: Jan 1, 2026 by Sarah Jones"

Method 3: Maintenance Log

For maintenance-specific history:

1. Open asset detail page
2. Click "Maintenance" tab
3. See all maintenance records chronologically

Understanding History Entries

Each history entry shows:

Entry Format

[Date & Time] - [Event Type]
Changed by: [User Name]
Details: [What changed]

Example Entries

Asset Created:

Jan 1, 2026 10:30 AM - Asset Created
Created by: John Smith
Method: Manual entry

Field Changed:

Jan 5, 2026 2:15 PM - Field Updated
Changed by: Jane Doe
Field: Purchase Cost
Old Value: $1,000.00
New Value: $1,200.00
Reason: Invoice correction

Status Changed:

Jan 10, 2026 9:00 AM - Status Changed
Changed by: Mike Johnson
Old Status: Active
New Status: Damaged
Note: Screen cracked, sent for repair

Assignment Changed:

Jan 15, 2026 11:45 AM - Assignment Changed
Changed by: Sarah Lee
Old Assignment: John Smith (User)
New Assignment: IT Storage (Location)
Reason: Employee departure

Maintenance Logged:

Jan 20, 2026 3:30 PM - Maintenance Completed
Technician: Dave Wilson
Type: Corrective Maintenance
Cost: $150.00
Description: Replaced screen

Filtering History

On the History tab, filter by:

Event Type:

• All Events (default)
• Asset Changes Only
• Maintenance Only
• Documents Only
• Assignments Only

Date Range:

• Last 7 days
• Last 30 days
• Last 6 months
• All time (default)
• Custom range

User:

• All Users
• Specific user (see who made changes)

Example: Filter to "Maintenance Only" + "Last 6 months" to see recent repairs.

Exporting History

Export Single Asset History

1. Open asset detail page
2. Go to History tab
3. Click "Export History" button
4. Choose format: CSV or PDF
5. Download includes all history entries with timestamps, users, and details

Use case: Provide complete asset history to auditor, insurance company, or legal team.

Export All Assets' History (via Reports)

1. Go to Reports → Audit Trail Report
2. Select date range
3. Optionally filter by asset category or user
4. Click "Generate Report"
5. Download CSV with all asset changes across organization

Use case: Compliance reporting, internal audit preparation, year-end documentation.

Audit Trail for Compliance

Financial Audits

Auditors may request proof of:

• Purchase costs and dates
• Disposal dates and methods
• Depreciation calculations
• Custody changes

UniAsset provides:

• Complete asset history from purchase to disposal
• Immutable audit trail (entries cannot be edited or deleted)
• User attribution (who made each change)
• Timestamps (when changes occurred)

IT Security Audits

For IT asset audits, track:

• Who had which assets when
• When assets were assigned/returned
• Data wipe before disposal (document upload in history)
• Warranty utilization

Regulatory Compliance

Industries with strict asset tracking:

Healthcare (HIPAA):

• Track medical device assignments
• Prove calibration schedules (via maintenance history)
• Document equipment disposal (PHI device destruction)

Manufacturing (ISO 9001):

• Equipment maintenance history
• Calibration records
• Traceability for quality incidents

Government Contracts:

• Prove asset usage per contract
• Track government-funded asset movements
• Justify disposal or sale

Common History Workflows

Scenario 1: Investigating Discrepancy

Asset missing during physical audit:

1. Find asset in UniAsset
2. Check History tab
3. Look for recent assignment changes
4. Identify last user/location
5. Contact that person to locate asset

Example findings:

Dec 20, 2025 - Assigned to John Smith
Jan 2, 2026 - Unassigned (John left company)

Action: Contact John or check IT storage where returned assets go.

Scenario 2: Cost Dispute

Vendor claims you never paid for repair, but you believe you did:

1. Open asset detail page
2. Go to Maintenance tab → Find repair entry
3. Check if cost was logged
4. Go to History tab → Verify maintenance cost entry
5. Export history as PDF proof of payment

Scenario 3: Unauthorized Changes

Asset purchase cost mysteriously changed:

1. Go to History tab
2. Filter: Event Type = "Asset Changes"
3. Find "Purchase Cost" change entry
4. See who changed it and when
5. Contact person to understand why

Audit trail prevents:

• Changes without accountability
• Disputes about who modified what
• Fraudulent adjustments

Scenario 4: Insurance Claim

Asset damaged/lost, filing insurance claim:

1. Export asset history (PDF)
2. Submit to insurance company showing:
   • Purchase date and cost
   • Maintenance history (proof of care)
   • Assignment history (who had it when loss occurred)
   • Damage date (status change to Damaged)

History Retention

How Long is History Kept?

Forever. UniAsset does not delete history entries.

Even if you:

• Archive an asset → History preserved
• Delete an asset → History is lost (reason not to delete!)
• User deactivated → Their name remains in history entries

Data Retention Policies

Organizations often must retain records for:

• Tax purposes: 7 years (varies by jurisdiction)
• Legal disputes: Statute of limitations + safety margin
• Industry regulations: Varies (healthcare 6-10 years, finance 7 years)

UniAsset meets these requirements by never deleting history.

GDPR and User Data

Under GDPR, if user requests data deletion (Right to be Forgotten):

UniAsset approach:

• User's personal account deleted
• User's name in audit trail replaced with "Deleted User (ID: 12345)"
• Actions attributed to deleted user ID, not name
• Audit trail integrity maintained while respecting privacy

Contact support for GDPR deletion requests.

History Security

Who Can View History?

All roles can view asset history:

• Owner, Admin, Manager: See all asset history
• Viewer: See all asset history (read-only)

History is not restricted - transparency for all.

Can History Be Edited or Deleted?

No. History entries are immutable.

You cannot:

• Edit past entries
• Delete history entries
• Change timestamps
• Modify user attribution

Why: Ensures audit trail integrity and compliance.

Workaround: If history entry has error (e.g., logged wrong cost), add new corrective entry. Both appear in history, showing the correction.

Troubleshooting

"History tab is empty"

Causes:

• Asset just created (no history yet besides creation)
• Filter too restrictive (e.g., filtering by user who hasn't touched this asset)
• Browser issue (refresh page)

Check:

1. Clear all filters
2. Select "All Events" and "All Time"
3. Refresh browser
4. Still empty → Contact support

"Missing maintenance history"

If maintenance was logged but doesn't appear in History tab:

Check:

1. Maintenance tab specifically (separate from History tab)
2. Ensure maintenance status is "Completed" (pending tasks may not show in history)
3. Verify you're looking at correct asset

"History shows wrong user"

Audit trail shows who was logged in when change made, not who requested it.

Example:

• Admin Jane makes change on behalf of Manager Bob
• History shows "Changed by: Jane" (correct - she physically made the change)

Best practice: Use Notes to clarify: "Updated by Jane on request from Bob - warranty replacement"

"Export failing"

Large history (1000+ entries) may timeout on export.

Solutions:

1. Filter to smaller date range before exporting
2. Export by event type (e.g., Maintenance only)
3. Contact support for bulk export assistance

Best Practices

1. Add Notes When Making Significant Changes

When changing purchase cost, status, or other important fields, use Notes to explain why:

Purchase cost updated from $1000 to $1200
Reason: Corrected based on final invoice including shipping
Updated by: Jane on request from Finance team

2. Review History Before Disposal

Before marking asset Disposed:

1. Check History tab
2. Verify last maintenance date (was it recently serviced? If so, disposal may be premature)
3. Confirm assignment history (ensure returned from last user)

3. Use History for Preventive Maintenance Decisions

Check maintenance frequency in history:

• Asset repaired 5 times in 2 years → Consider replacement
• Asset with no maintenance for 3 years → Likely needs PM soon

4. Export History Annually for Records

Even though UniAsset preserves history indefinitely:

1. Export all asset history at year-end
2. Save to secure backup/archive
3. Provides offline compliance documentation

5. Train Users on History Visibility

Remind users:

• Everything they do is logged
• Their name appears in audit trail
• Changes are permanent and traceable

Promotes careful, accurate data entry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see history for deleted assets?

No. When asset is deleted, all history is lost. This is why archiving is always preferred over deletion.

Does editing an asset multiple times create multiple history entries?

Yes. Each save = one entry. If you edit 5 fields and save, one entry shows all 5 changes. If you edit field, save, edit another, save, you get two entries.

Can I restore an asset to a previous state using history?

Not automatically. History is view-only. To "undo" a change:

1. View history to see old value
2. Manually edit asset back to old value
3. New history entry created showing the reversion

How do I prove I maintained an asset for warranty claim?

1. Go to Maintenance tab
2. Export maintenance history as PDF
3. Submit to warranty provider
4. Shows dates, costs, descriptions of all maintenance

Does history show failed login attempts or security events?

No. Asset history only tracks asset-related events. For security audit logs (login attempts, permission changes), contact support for system-level logs.

Related Articles

• Editing Asset Information - Changes that create history entries
• Maintenance Logging - Maintenance in history
• Archiving Assets - Archive vs delete impact on history
• Compliance Reporting - Using history for compliance

Need Help?

If you need assistance exporting history for audits or have questions about specific history entries, contact support.