Reviewing Audit And Change History

Confirming Access to Record History Views

Pams provides three different places to review record history. Each one answers a different question, so start by choosing the view that matches what you need to investigate.

• Recently Opened shows records that you, as the currently signed-in user, accessed recently. It helps you return to work you already viewed without searching again.
• Last Modifications shows recent change activity on records you are allowed to access. Although this guide refers to “latest modifications,” the Pams screen is labeled Last Modifications.
• The Audit Log tab, where available, shows history for one individual record. Use it when you need to investigate changes on a particular item in detail.

Before relying on the Audit Log tab, open a record of the type you want to inspect and check whether the tab is available. The tab must be included for that record type before you can review its individual history. For example, a record may be visible to you, but it may not include an Audit Log tab.

Your administrator access affects what you can review. Pams only shows records that your user access allows you to open. The same applies to entries in Last Modifications and to details on the Audit Log tab. If you cannot find a record, change entry, or Audit Log tab, first confirm that you can open the affected record itself.

Use these history views alongside the work you perform in Pams. For example, if a change relates to attachment categories, review the relevant category record after following the setup described in Managing Attachment Categories. The history views help you understand access and change activity; they do not replace the record’s current details.

Reviewing Recently Opened Records

Use Recently Opened when you need to return to a record you already viewed during your own recent Pams activity. This is useful when you have moved between several Accounts, Products, Sales Jobs, configuration records, or other screens while investigating an issue.

1. Open Recently Opened in Pams.
2. Review the entries shown for your recent activity.
3. Select the record you want to revisit.
4. Continue reviewing the record from the screen that opens.

Each entry in Recently Opened is a direct route back to the related record. You do not need to repeat a full search through lists such as Products, Accounts, All Jobs, or Configuration when the record is already in your recent activity.

Treat this view as a personal working trail, not as proof that a record was changed. Opening an Account, Sales Job, Product, or configuration item places it in your recent activity, but viewing it does not necessarily create a change-history entry. If you only opened a record to check its details and did not make a change, it may appear in Recently Opened without appearing in Last Modifications.

This distinction is especially important during an investigation. If you want to know which records you looked at while checking a reported issue, use Recently Opened. If you want to know which records were changed, use Last Modifications or the record’s Audit Log tab.

Keep Recently Opened open as you move through related records. For example, after reviewing an attachment category, an Account, and a Product, you can use this view to return to any of them quickly and continue the investigation from where you left off.

Finding the Latest Record Modifications

Open Last Modifications when you need to identify the most recent changes across records you can access in Pams. This view is useful for checking whether a configuration item, business record, or other accessible item has changed and may need follow-up.

1. Open Last Modifications.
2. Review the recent entries displayed in the list.
3. Identify the entry connected to the record you need to investigate.
4. Open the related record from the entry.
5. Compare the record’s current details with the recent activity you are reviewing.

Read each item in Last Modifications as a change event. It is not a list of records someone merely viewed. A record can appear here because it was created, updated, or otherwise changed. This makes the view useful when an administrator needs to find records that may require attention, such as a changed attachment category, revised configuration setting, or updated business data.

After opening the linked record, check its current values and then look for the Audit Log tab. The list helps you locate the affected item quickly; the record itself gives you the current position of that item.

The current values may not match the values that existed when the entry was first recorded. Additional changes may have occurred after the event shown in Last Modifications. When that matters, use the record’s Audit Log tab to review the sequence of changes for that one record.

Use this view when you are asking, “What has changed recently?” For questions about a record you personally opened, use Recently Opened instead.

Inspecting Changes on the Audit Log Tab

Use the Audit Log tab when you need the history for one specific record. This is the most focused history view in Pams because it is attached to the record you are currently reviewing.

1. Open the record you need to investigate.
2. Check that the record includes an Audit Log tab.
3. Select Audit Log.
4. Review the entries in their chronological context.
5. Compare the recorded activity with the record’s current values.

The Audit Log can help you determine whether the record was created, updated, or changed in another recorded way. When reviewing an entry, compare three pieces of information:

This comparison is useful when an unexpected update needs to be traced. For example, if Last Modifications points to a configuration record, open that record and use Audit Log to identify the recorded change details and the time of the event.

The Audit Log is record-specific. It does not provide a broad list of all recent changes across Pams; use Last Modifications for that broader view. Conversely, Last Modifications may help you locate an item, but it does not replace the record-level context available on the Audit Log tab.

If several entries exist, read them as a sequence. A later update can change the current record values again, so do not assume that one earlier entry represents the record’s final state.

Tracing a Change from the Recent Lists to Its Record History

When a change requires investigation, begin with the view that best matches what you know. Use Last Modifications when you know that something changed but need to locate the affected record. Then use the record’s Audit Log tab to confirm the details for that individual item.

1. Open Last Modifications.
2. Locate the relevant change entry.
3. Open the affected record from that entry.
4. Review the record’s current values.
5. Select the Audit Log tab, if it is available.
6. Compare the actor, timestamp, and recorded change details with the issue being investigated.

Start with Recently Opened instead when you already inspected the record yourself and need to return to it. For example, if you opened several records while checking an issue, select the relevant one from Recently Opened, then open Audit Log to validate its history.

The three views support different questions:

Always separate the current record values from the history you are reviewing. An Audit Log entry may show an earlier recorded change, while the record screen shows values resulting from later updates. If you find a difference, continue through the later Audit Log entries rather than treating the first matching entry as the final result.

This approach gives you a clear investigation path: identify recent change activity, open the affected record, and then confirm the record-level history.

Resolving Missing or Incomplete History

If expected history is missing, first identify which history view you are using. Recently Opened, Last Modifications, and Audit Log show different information, so an item not appearing in one view may still be available in another.

• If the Audit Log tab is not visible, confirm that the record type includes an Audit Log tab. Also confirm that you can access the record. A record may open successfully without displaying Audit Log history if that tab is not included for that record type.
• If a record does not appear in Recently Opened, confirm that you opened it while signed in with your current Pams user. This view reflects your own recent access, not records opened or modified by another user.
• If an expected event does not appear in Last Modifications, confirm that you can access the affected record. Then open the record directly and inspect its Audit Log tab, where available.
• If the current record values do not match the change you are investigating, review later Audit Log entries. The record may have been updated again after the earlier event.

When an entry is visible but does not provide enough context, open the record rather than relying on the list alone. The record screen shows the current details, while its Audit Log tab provides the individual record’s history.

Access also matters when comparing information with another administrator. Two users may not see the same records or history details if their Pams access differs. Confirm the affected record and your access before assuming that an event was not recorded.

Use the history views carefully: Recently Opened confirms recent access by you, Last Modifications identifies recent change activity, and Audit Log provides the most direct record-by-record investigation.

Overview

Pams history views help administrators investigate record activity without confusing access activity with change activity. The three available views work together, but each has a different purpose.

• Recently Opened is your personal recent-access list. Use it to return to records you already viewed, such as an Account, Product, Sales Job, attachment category, or configuration item.
• Last Modifications is the recent-change list. Use it to identify accessible records that were recently created, updated, or otherwise changed.
• Audit Log is the detailed history attached to one configured record. Use it to examine the recorded activity for that record in context.

A practical investigation usually begins with one of two questions. If you need to know what changed recently, open Last Modifications and select the affected record. If you need to continue reviewing something you already checked, open Recently Opened and return directly to that record.

Once you have the relevant record open, use Audit Log to investigate the record-specific history. Compare the recorded actor, timestamp, and change details with the current information displayed on the record screen. This helps you distinguish an earlier recorded event from the record’s latest state.

Not every record includes an Audit Log tab. Its availability depends on whether that record type has been set up to display the tab, as well as your access to the record. When the tab is unavailable, Last Modifications can still help you locate recent activity on records you are allowed to view.

These views are particularly helpful when reviewing changes to shared operational data, including configuration records and records connected to sales, purchasing, warehouse, financial, or project work.

Prerequisites

Before reviewing record history, make sure you can open the records and views relevant to your investigation in Pams. History visibility is tied to the records you are allowed to access.

• Sign in with a Pams user that has administrator access appropriate for the records you need to review.
• Confirm that you can open the relevant record type, such as a configuration item, Account, Product, Sales Job, or attachment category.
• If you need record-level history, open a representative record first and check whether it includes an Audit Log tab.
• Know whether you are investigating a record you personally accessed or a change made to a record. This determines whether you should start with Recently Opened or Last Modifications.
• Have enough identifying information to recognize the affected record when reviewing lists, such as its displayed name, number, or related business context.

For attachment-related questions, use the category setup information in Managing Attachment Categories to identify the relevant category record before reviewing its history.

You do not need to make changes in order to review history. Open the relevant view or record and inspect the displayed information. Avoid changing record values while investigating unless you are specifically responsible for correcting the issue, because a new update may make the current values differ further from the earlier activity you are reviewing.

If you cannot access a required record, do not assume that its history is unavailable. Your Pams access may limit visibility of the record, its modification details, or its Audit Log tab. Confirm access to the record before continuing the investigation.