Administrator Tips: Audit Functions

As a NetSuite Administrator, it's important to know tips and tricks of how to troubleshoot and manage system integrity.  NetSuite provides an Administrator with a lot of auditing tools to help him or her do their job well. Below are a few more commonly used auditing functions.

1. Manage Users:
    
   1. Who Has Access. 
      1. Use Case: This will give you list of users and the roles that have been assigned to them. 
         1. Besides regular scheduled reviews, this comes in handy when it's time to renew your NetSuite Licenses and you need to understand who really needs access or does not need access.
         2. As employees change jobs, this is good to review to make sure they have the right roles or remove old roles.
      2. How to get there: Setup --> Users/Roles --> Manage Users
   2. Who Is Logging In
      1. Use Case: this is a list of login attempts.
         1. As Administrator, you want to monitor any potential cyber security attacks.  Reviewing this list ever so often or adding some highlights and notifications can alert you to any abnormal log in actives, such as multiple failures in a short amount of time or from suspicious IP addresses.
         2. Also, as Administrator, want to keep track of activity of users trying to log in after they have been fired or users trying to log in from other IP addresses when they are have been locked to a specific IP. 
      2. How to get there: Setup --> Users/Roles --> Login Audit Trail
         1. Tip: you can check the Use Advanced Search checkbox to go to more of a saved search UI
      3. Tip: Individual User Log In
         1. Use Case:
            1. For an individual user, they can manage or view their specific log in history.  There is information like when password will expire and if there has been a lot of log in failures that might mean someone is trying to gain access.
         2. How to get there: go to User's Dashboard, click on Personalize, and add the My Login Audit portlet

2. Transaction Logs:
    
   1. Transaction Numbering Audit Log
      1. Use Case:
         1. Administrators use this list to see why there are missing numbers in transaction numbering sequence. Typically the culprit is a deleted transaction. NetSuite does not reuse the transaction number of a deleted transaction.
      2. How to get there: Transactions --> Management --> Transaction Numbering Audit Log
   2. Transaction Audit Trail
      1. Use Case:
         1. Administrators can use this list to see the full history behind a transaction.  One of the common things administrators are asked is who deleted the record.
      2. How to get there: Transactions --> Management --> Audit Trail

3. System Logs:
    
   1. What Changed On The Record
      1. Use Case:
         1. When Administrators are asked to troubleshoot a transaction or entity record in NetSuite, the first area he or she goes to is the System Notes. This area logs all history of the record from creation, edits, and closure.  You are able to see when and who made the change and what the change was.
      2. How to get there: go to the record and subtab System Information  (sometimes called History) --> System Notes
   2. How To Troubleshoot Workflows On the Record
      1. Use Case:
         1. Often when an action is failing, there may be a custom workflow associate with the record that is  impacting the expected outcome. You can easily find if any workflows are running on the record. If there are workflows, you can go to the Workflow History to find out what workflow action failed or succeed.
      2. How to get there:  go to the record and subtab System Information  (sometimes called History) --> Active Workflow or Workflow History sub tabs
         1. Tip: refer to my previous Short and Suite Video: Simple Workflow Troubleshooting posted 11/2020 for a walk through.

If you need any Administrator support, call us at Concentrus. We have a robust Support Program that can meet your needs at any level.

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