Track Data Changes

If enabled in the Options window (Tools > Options), PCS keeps a log of all changes made to PCS data. When data changes are tracked, additions, modifications, and deletions of data are stored in the PCS database. Additional information about the data change is recorded, such as who made the change, what tool was used to make the change, when the change was made, and what the data was before the change. With this information, data audits become more reliable and troubleshooting data abnormalities is made easier.

When PCS is upgraded, custom modules or user defined fields are created, or data usage changes, an update to change tracking set ups may be necessary. A review should be done to ensure any new tables or fields have the correct change tracking settings and all existing tables and fields' settings are still appropriate.

If you configure enhanced change tracking with CDC and SQL Server Agent is used to pull changes into PCS, ensure SQL Server Agent is running at all times. In this scenario, if SQL Server Agent is not running, changes to data in CDC-enabled tables will still be tracked in the SQL transaction log. However, they will not be available to PCS and the PCS job service until the SQL Server Agent is restored. If the SQL Server Agent is still not running when a SQL backup occurs, changes that were made while the SQL Server Agent was stopped will be lost.

For more information about setting up, modifying, disabling, and using change tracking, refer to the following topics:

• Configure Change Tracking

• Update or Modify Change Tracking

• Disable Change Tracking

• Access Change History Records