Archived Entries

Archived Entries is an automatic change-logging feature that records the history of specification value changes on your master data. Every time a monitored specification is updated, the system creates an immutable log entry capturing what the value was before and after the change, who made the change, and when. This gives you a traceable audit trail for any specification you consider important, without any manual effort from the person making the change.

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Feature Overview

Rather than logging every specification change across all of your master data, Archived Entries is configured selectively. You decide, per Information Code, which changes should be logged — and precisely what aspect of the value you want to track. The system then monitors those specifications in the background and writes a new archive entry automatically each time a qualifying change is saved. The result is a chronological log attached to each master data record showing the full history of that specification over time: the previous value, the new value, the date and time of the change, and the user who made it. Archive entries are read-only by default and can be accessed directly from the specifications view of any master data record or from the Information Matrix. An Edit Master Data Archive Entries page is available for administrators who need to correct or annotate historical records in exceptional circumstances.

Typical Use Cases

As a quality manager, I want all changes to the specification that records a product's certification status to be automatically logged, so that I can demonstrate to auditors exactly when a product's compliance classification changed and who changed it.
As a data user responsible for item master data, I want to review the full history of changes to a supplier item's lead time specification over the past year, so that I can understand whether lead time increases are a recent development or a long-standing pattern.
As a purchasing manager, I want the system to log every change to vendor price tier specifications, even when the new value is the same as the old value, so that I have a complete record showing that values were actively reviewed and confirmed at specific points in time.
As a lot traceability officer, I want the history of quality grade changes logged for lot numbers, so that if a quality issue arises I can reconstruct the full lifecycle of a lot's specification values from receipt to shipment.
As an IT administrator, I want archive entries exposed via the API so that our external BI and compliance reporting tools can consume the full change history for regulatory reporting without relying on manual exports.

Key Concepts

Archive entry — a single log record created automatically when a monitored specification changes. Each entry captures the Information Code, the Change Field that changed, the Previous and New values, the Changed Date, Changed Time, and User ID.
Archive No. — a grouping number assigned to each information entry record. All archive entries belonging to the same information entry share the same archive number, making it easy to retrieve the complete change history for one specific specification on one specific record.
Change Field — the aspect of the specification that is being monitored. You can choose to log changes to the Information Value (the structured classification code), the Value (a free-text or numeric value stored alongside the code), or the Description (the human-readable label of the information value). Each combination can be configured independently.
Log Changes — the switch in the Master Data Archive Setup that activates logging for a given Information Code and Change Field combination. Only combinations where this is enabled will produce archive entries.
Log Same Values — an option that causes the system to create an archive entry even when the new value is identical to the previous value. This is useful when you need to record that a value was explicitly reviewed and left unchanged.
Master Data Archive Setup — the configuration list where you define which Information Codes and Change Fields should be monitored. Accessible from the Information Code List, the Information Code Card, or the Master Data Information Setup.

Relations to Other Features or Apps

Within the Master Data Information app, Archived Entries is tightly connected to the core specifications model. Archive entries are created as a side effect of saving changes to information entries, meaning the feature works regardless of whether the change was made directly on a specifications card, through the Information Matrix, via the Import Worksheet, or through the API. The Archived Entries action on the Specifications list and card pages opens the archive filtered to the currently selected record and archive number. The same action is available in the Information Matrix filtered to the currently selected row's record.

The feature also integrates with lot numbers, serial numbers, and package numbers — the Archived Entries action is available directly from the Lot No. Information, Serial No. Information, and Package No. Information pages, giving traceability teams a convenient entry point when investigating specific inventory transactions.

Archive entries are accessible through the Archive Entries API, making the full change history available to external reporting systems, compliance dashboards, and BI tools without requiring custom database queries.

When This Feature Adds Value

When your business operates in a regulated environment where you must demonstrate that master data values were changed by a specific person at a specific time — for example, in food safety, pharmaceuticals, or industrial quality systems.
When specification values are known to change over time, such as supplier lead times, cost classifications, or quality grades, and you want to understand trends or investigate when a change occurred.
When you need to capture deliberate review events — not just changes — by enabling Log Same Values so that the absence of a log entry clearly indicates the specification was never reviewed.
When multiple users maintain the same specifications and you need accountability for who changed what, without relying on database audit logs or manual change registers.