| Audience: Users and Administrators |
Applies to: DocuShare 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 8.0 and 8.1
How to View or Track Changes Made by Users in DocuShare
View object changes and investigate repository activity
Overview
DocuShare provides two related but different ways to investigate user activity. Change History records selected object changes in DocuShare and is viewed from the object. Repository Log Files record lower-level repository requests and are reviewed as server log files. Use Change History when you need to see changes made to an object; use repository logs when you need request-level diagnostic or operational detail.
Part 1: View Change History
What Change History Shows
Change History displays tracked operations for an object, such as property changes, ownership changes, version operations, and access-control changes when those operations are enabled for tracking. The history is stored in DocuShare access-tracking data, not in the access.csv repository log file.
Permission Required
The user viewing the history must have the Read History permission for the object. If Change History is not available, ask the object administrator to verify that permission before changing server settings.
View an Object's Change History
1. Sign in to DocuShare.
2. Open the document, collection, or other object whose changes you want to review.
3. Open the object's Change History page.
4. Review the tracked operations, user, date and time, and available operation details.
| No history is displayed: Confirm that the object has Read History permission and that access-data capture and the Property Changed operation were enabled before the change occurred. Existing history is subject to the configured retention period. |
Part 2: Enable Change Tracking
Administrator Settings
Change History requires both the master access-data setting and the relevant operation to be enabled. For property and permission changes, enable Data Capture and select Property Changed on the Access Tracking page.
| Setting | Purpose |
| Enable Data Capture | Master switch. Selected operations are tracked only when this setting is enabled. |
| Property Changed | Required for viewing property and change-history entries for affected objects. |
| Access Data Retention | Number of days to retain access-tracking data. The documented default is 365 days; -1 means retain indefinitely. |
| Monitor Access Data | Controls the interval used to flush tracked access data to the database. The documented default is 10000 milliseconds. |
Enable the Required Settings
1. Sign in to DocuShare as an administrator.
2. Select Admin Home > Site Management > Access Tracking. The Access Operation Tracking page opens.
3. Enable Enable Data Capture.
4. Select Property Changed. Select any additional operations your investigation requires.
5. Review Access Data Retention and Monitor Access Data for the site's requirements.
6. Apply the changes.
| Required combination: To enable viewing of change history, select both Enable Data Capture and Property Changed. Selecting Property Changed without enabling Data Capture does not record the operation. |
Retention
Access-tracking data is automatically trimmed according to Access Data Retention. The documented default is 365 days. A value of -1 retains the data indefinitely. Set retention according to your organization's audit, privacy, storage, and compliance requirements.
Part 3: Use Repository Access Logs
When to Use Repository Logs
Repository access logs are separate from Change History. They are useful for request-level investigation, including login activity, command names, client information, remote addresses, and session arguments. They are not the primary interface for viewing an object's Change History.
Enable Repository Log Files
1. Sign in to DocuShare as an administrator.
2. Select Admin Home > Site Management > Repository Log Files.
3. For Enable Logging, select Yes.
4. Review the Access Log File Size and Access Log Rolling Index settings.
5. Click Apply.
6. Use the option name links on the page for descriptions of individual settings.
Locate and Review the Log
The default access log is stored under the DocuShare installation's logs directory:
<DSHome>\logs\access.csv
- The default Windows installation path is C:\Xerox\Docushare, but the installation path may differ.
- Download Access Log is available from the Repository Log Files page.
- DocuShare 8.0 release documentation identifies JSON and CSV as available repository-log output formats.
- Use the configured rolling-index files when the activity is not in the current log.
Troubleshooting
Change History Is Empty
- Confirm Read History permission for the object.
- Confirm Enable Data Capture is enabled on Access Tracking.
- Confirm Property Changed, or the specific operation being investigated, is selected.
- Confirm the setting was enabled before the change occurred.
- Check whether Access Data Retention has removed older entries.
The Activity Is Not in access.csv
- Confirm Enable Logging is enabled on Repository Log Files and that you clicked Apply.
- Check the correct <DSHome>\logs directory.
- Check rolled access-log files based on the Access Log Rolling Index setting.
- For object-level change history, use the object's Change History page instead of relying on access.csv.
Related Information
For version-specific administration details, refer to the administrator documentation for your DocuShare release. For repository log format and retention requirements, consult your organization's security and records-management policies.