Audit Logging

Audit logging prompts you to enter comments and change numbers associated with any operation that affects the set baseline in Cobra.

Tracking transactions with comments and change numbers provides you with a change control procedure for your projects. The information logged is also used in many standard Cobra reports.

Cobra logs these types of changes:

  • Contract funding transactions that are made directly through the project’s log.
  • Changes that affect the project's budget. These changes can occur when you update the project's budget directly or when you run processes that have an effect on the project's budget.

The logged information is used in Cobra reports, including IPMR Format 3, Change Management, and Log reports. You can also see the change comments/numbers and affected accounts through the Edit Comment and Change Number page of the Project Audit Wizard.

When a change occurs that affects the project's budget, the change displays the Log Change Comment dialog box, where you can enter a comment and/or change number for the affected amount. The Log Change Comment dialog box displays depending on the level (control account, work package, or resource assignment) at which the changes are set to be logged. This setting is defined in the project log.

For changes at the project level, the Log Change Comment dialog box does not display. Project level changes occur only when you make direct updates to the project's log. These changes are logged at the project level. The comments and change numbers that reflect the change in funding for the project are entered on the Edit Comment and Change Number page of the Project Audit Wizard.

If a process runs at the master project level, the Log Change Comment dialog box displays only once and all projects under the master project will have the same change comment and number applied. The changes are logged at the master project level but are applied to the individual projects and accounts that are affected.

Note: Project audit logging is based on the Round audit log transactions to 6 decimal places option on the Other tab of the Application Preferences dialog box.

For example:

  • If the Round audit log transactions to 6 decimal places option is selected:
    • A value change of 0.0000002 will be rounded to 0.000000 and will not create a project audit log.
    • A value change of 0.002 will create a project audit log.
  • If the Round audit log transactions to 6 decimal places option is not selected:
    • A value change of 0.002 will be rounded to 0.00 and will not create a project audit log.
The following information is saved when a project audit logging entry is created:
  • Project Name
  • Amount of Change
  • Status Date
  • Date/Time change is made
  • User name/ID that made the change
  • Control Account
  • Work Package (If the log is set to log changes at the work package level)
  • Resource (If the log is set to log changes at the resource level)
  • Change Number
  • Log Comment
  • Distributed Budget
  • Undistributed Budget
    • If a positive budget change is made, the distributed budget balance increases by that amount, and the undistributed budget/management reserve/over target accounts decrease by that same amount.
    • If a negative budget change is made, the distributed budget balance decreases by that amount, and the undistributed budget/management reserve/over target accounts increase by that same amount.
  • Over Target Baseline
    • If the budget change is made against the OTB class and a positive change is made, the OTB balance increases and the over target account decreases.
  • Management Reserve
  • CLIN
    • If CLIN code is configured in the project properties and a project audit logging entry is created, the CLIN code is saved against the control account, work package, or resource assignment entries.
    Attention: For more information on CLIN code, see Fields Tab of the Project Properties Dialog Box.