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Record Audits in CRM 2011 FAQ

Post Author: Joe D365 |

One of the features that clients frequently requested in CRM 4.0 was some type of an audit mechanism. With out of the box CRM 4.0 we were able to see when a record was changed and who changed it, but there was no way to know what fields changed and what their previous values were. Luckily for us, CRM 2011 comes with a built-in AUDIT tool that will help us bridge this gap. We will now be able to keep track of field level changes, out of the box!

What is Auditing?

Auditing in CRM 2011 allows us to track all the changes that have been made to a record since the time the record was created. Want to know who updated the phone number for an account record? Want to know what that value used to be? All of this information is contained within an entity's 'audit history'


We can also see an overall audit report from an organizational context at Settings > Auditing > Audit Summary View. This will list all changes across all entities in the organization!


How Do I Enable Auditing in my CRM 2011 System?

By default, auditing in CRM 2011 is turned OFF. Auditing needs to be turned before the Audit History starts to populate.

To enable Auditing in your organization go to Settings > Administration > System Settings

In CRM 2011's System Settings area there is a tab called AUDITING. Click on it and CHECK the START AUDITING check box.

How Do I Control What is Audited in my CRM 2011 System?

When you enable auditing, you will also be able to choose which areas of the system are auditing. You can enable auditing for any of the following:

Common Entities (Accounts, Contacts, Leads)

Sales Force Automation Entities (Quotes, Orders, Invoices)

Marketing Automation Entities (Marketing Lists, Campaigns)

Customer Service Entities (Articles, Cases)

When checked, it will enable auditing for the system default fields for the given entities.

Can I Get More Granular Control Over What is Audited?

Yes! Within each entity in Settings > Customization there is a new checkbox called ENABLE AUDITING

To take it a step further, each FIELD within an entity that is being audited can be controlled. Don't want to audit changes to the Modified On date? Simply open the field and UNCHECK the AUDITING checkbox. That field will no longer appear in the audit history.

Can I Enable Auditing in My Custom Entities and Fields?

Absolutely! With the auditing in CRM 2011 not only can we track system fields and entities but we can also choose to edit our custom entities and fields, all out of the box!


Joe CRM
By Joe D365
Joe D365 is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 superhero who runs on pure Dynamics adrenaline. As the face of PowerObjects, Joe D365’s mission is to reveal innovative ways to use Dynamics 365 and bring the application to more businesses and organizations around the world.

2 comments on “Record Audits in CRM 2011 FAQ”

  1. Can the data in the audit table be included in advanced find or in system reporting? I am using a mobile app that is updating the contact record fields though an API. I'm trying to build a report to find out when a user last change a specific field. Thanks.

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