How do I use the Audit Log in CCH Trust Accounts?

CCH Trust Accounts has a built-in Audit Log but this needs to be switched on to use it. The log records every transaction added, edited or deleted and by whom the change was made. The Audit Log resides in a file external to the Trust Accounts database.

Turning the Audit Log On

• In CCH Trust Accounts, select Tools > Audit Log > Set
• Enter a file name that is accessible to all users on the system.

Reporting on the Audit Log
Within CCH Trust Accounts, select Tools > Audit Log > Report

Two versions of the report are available:
• The Summary Report summarises the transactions

• The Detailed Report shows the full detail of transactions posted.

Transaction Reporter users have a third version available. This report is user-defined and CCH ship a sample report that can be customised. Most users use the sample version without needing to customise it. To run the Transaction Reporter version:

• Select Reports > Run User Reports > Cross-client > Audit Log Report > AuditLogReport
• When asked “Do you wish to view saved selections?” answer No to go straight to the report or Yes to go through the two steps below.
  o   Select the Audit Log file name and any Filtering, before clicking Finish.
  o   Say No to saving selections, unless you wish to create a set of saved selections.
• The report is produced formatted as below:

Resetting the Audit Log
Over time the Audit Log can grow very large. In a single office installation, it is recommended that once a year a new audit log file is started. In a multi-office installation, it is recommended that a new file is started once a month. With files created annually, the files might be called AUD2014.LOG, AUD2015.LOG etc.

There is a downside to using multiple audit log files:

• Without Transaction Reporter, you cannot easily report on earlier log files. So you might wish to print the whole log file out and save it as a .pdf or Word document (.doc) before changing the file.
• With Transaction Reporter, you can report on earlier log files, but you would need to run the report several times if you wanted to report over several files.

To reset the log:

• Select Tools > Audit Log > Set and select a new file name.