Audit trail

The audit trail is an append-only history of auditable FlaskTrack actions. It supports accountability, review, incident investigation, and reconstruction of record changes.

The audit log supports reconstruction of changes and security-sensitive activity.

Recorded context

An entry may include:

• timestamp;
• actor or system process;
• organization;
• action;
• entity type and identifier;
• available before and after state;
• related request or operational context;
• reason, when supplied;
• checksum information used for integrity chaining.

Not every read or low-level technical event is necessarily an audit event. The implemented audit mapping determines which actions are recorded.

Tamper-evident integrity

Audit entries can be checksum-linked so that later verification can detect unexpected alteration or missing chain continuity. This is a tamper-evident control, not a public blockchain and not a substitute for database, backup, infrastructure, or access security.

Review the audit trail

Use filters such as actor, action, entity type, entity ID, and time range. Common reviews include:

• protocol or workflow changes before approval;
• batch release and step completion history;
• inventory adjustments and receipts;
• access and role changes;
• electronic signatures;
• validation exports and qualification approvals;
• molecular design approvals and publication.

Export and retention

Export audit data only through authorized functions. Preserve exports in approved repositories with documented retention, access, and integrity controls. External exports are snapshots; the FlaskTrack audit trail remains the authoritative in-application history.

Investigation practice

Preserve identifiers and timestamps, correlate audit entries with the affected record and attached evidence, document gaps, and avoid drawing conclusions from a single event without surrounding context.