How it plays out on a deal
Think of the log as the evidence file for the whole process. After closing it backs up arguments about what was disclosed; during the deal it helps trace a leak and tells the sell side which bidders are actually reading. Strip it out and what remains is a locked shared drive.
Depth varies. Some logs record only file opens. Better ones also capture time spent, pages viewed, failed logins, permission changes and administrator actions, and let you filter and export by user, group, folder or date.
What to check in a review or demo
- 1Whether administrator actions, such as permission changes, are logged as fully as reader actions.
- 2Whether the log can be filtered by user, group, document and date, then exported.
- 3How long logs are kept and whether they are included in the closing archive.
Audit trail: where the reviewed providers stand
From the twelve-item feature checklist in our reviews: a provider counts only if the feature ships natively. Read the review for how it works and on which plan.
Yes (18)
ElltyAudit trail9.2/10
iDealsAudit trail9.1/10
DatasiteAudit trail8.9/10
AnsaradaAudit trail8.6/10
IntralinksAudit trail8.6/10
FirmexAudit trail8.5/10
DroomsAudit trail8.3/10
SmartRoomAudit trail8.2/10
BoxAudit trail8.1/10
Citrix ShareFileAudit trail8.0/10
DealRoomAudit trail8.0/10
CapLinkedAudit trail7.7/10
SecureDocsAudit trail7.7/10
ShareVaultAudit trail7.7/10
OnehubAudit trail7.5/10
Venue by DFINAudit trail7.2/10
DigifyAudit trail6.9/10
DocSendAudit trail6.6/10
No (0)
Every reviewed provider qualifies.
18 of 18 reviewed providers qualify. Each chip shows the provider's overall review score.
Read alongside
- Activity reportsSummaries built from the audit trail that show logins, document views, downloads and time spent, broken down by user, group, folder or document.
- Bidder engagement analyticsReporting that ranks or scores bidders and investors by how actively they use the room, based on logins, documents opened, time spent and questions asked.
- Data room archiveThe frozen copy of everything that was in the room, handed over after signing or shutdown on an encrypted drive or as a secure download, ideally with the index and activity history attached.
- Version controlRetaining each superseded copy of a file, stamped with who replaced it and when, so it is possible to show later exactly which draft sat in the room on a given day.