Logs & Reports
Logs and reports help the people responsible for file exchange establish what happened, investigate a missing delivery, and review access or configuration. Files.com records actions, requests, workflow runs, and delivery results at different stages. Choose the evidence for the question you need to answer, then decide how to review or collect it.
What a Record Establishes
Activity History records file and folder actions. It can establish who uploaded, read, moved, or deleted a file. It consolidates some repeated actions, so it is an audit trail rather than a record of every individual request. Settings Changes records administrative configuration and access changes.
Protocol and API logs provide the individual requests and responses needed to investigate a connection, authentication failure, or unsuccessful operation. Workflow logs describe a run and the actions it performed. A run summary, a file event, and an operation against a Remote Server are related evidence with different scopes.
For a partner reporting a missing file, identify the path, account, approximate time, and transfer method. History can establish the file action, a workflow run can explain how delivery was attempted, and the relevant connection log can show a remote system's response. A completed Files.com transfer does not establish that the receiving business application accepted or processed the file; that stage needs the receiving system's records.
Reports provide a downloadable view of site information, such as folder permissions, Group membership, Share Links, or storage distribution. Use them for access reviews and periodic analysis. A report describes the information available when it runs; logs describe the sequence of recorded activity.
How to Review and Collect Logs
For an investigation, start in the web app with the relevant resource and period. Log Types explains which records answer each kind of question and how to interpret their fields. Individual features also provide their own history and run views.
For ongoing collection, choose the delivery method the receiving system needs:
| Method | Useful result | Receiving system's responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| SIEM Integrations | Selected audit and activity logs delivered over HTTP to a monitoring platform. | Accept, index, correlate, retain, and analyze the records; configure dashboards and alerts. |
| Log File Streaming | Completed JSON or CSV log batches written to destination folders at a configured interval. | Retrieve or detect the files, process each batch, and retain the delivered copies. |
| Scheduled Report Exports | Recurring administrative CSV reports delivered by email link. | Review or import each report and retain copies needed beyond its download lifetime. |
Ongoing log delivery supports the log categories available for forwarding. It is separate from downloading an individual report or reviewing a feature's run history. Check that the chosen method includes the records your process needs.
Access and Retention
Access depends on the record and the viewer's authority. Folder History can be available through a folder permission, while site-wide administrative logs and exports can require Site Administrator access. Some views, including Webhook Logs, support a Workspace scope. Follow the access rules for the selected source rather than assuming that access to a file grants access to every related log.
Log & Record Retention distinguishes the lifetime of the original record, a generated export, and its emailed download link. Retaining a file does not extend those lifetimes. Plan ongoing collection before records expire when your organization needs longer retention; delivered copies follow the destination's access and retention policies.
Operational Notifications
Event Channels deliver selected operational outcomes to teams and external systems, including Sync failures, user lockouts, and SIEM delivery failures. Use them when the responsible person or system needs a notification. SIEM integrations and Log File Streaming collect supported categories of logs for continuing analysis and audit. An Event Channel's filtered folder delivery is also distinct from exporting complete log categories.