Track and Monitor Activities in Zoho CRM using the Export Audit Log API
Hello all!
Welcome back to another post in our Kaizen series.
This post details how to back up and track history of actions, such as those performed on a module (example: Leads), track actions performed by specific CRM users, and filter entries within a specific time range, using the Export Audit Log API introduced in Version 7.
Use Case
Zylker, a startup IT firm, has hired 10 project trainees for a six-month training program for the role of Technical Support Engineers. The manager at Zylker has added each trainee to the Zoho CRM as a user. These trainees interact with customers by giving product demos, attending meetings and calls, creating tasks, and being responsible for making deals won.
Solution
Zylker uses Zoho CRM's Export Audit Log API to track trainee activities. By exporting audit logs, the manager monitors how many calls, meetings, and tasks each trainee has completed. This helps the manager highlight areas where trainees need improvement and adjust training programs. After six months, the manager reviews the logs to decide which trainees performed well and should be offered permanent positions.
Note:
Users in the Administrator profile or CEO Role can access the audit logs. However, other users can only view their own and their sub-ordinates' audit Logs.
Exporting Audit Log
The Export Audit Log API is an asynchronous API, and an export job will be scheduled to export the audit log details. The exported audit log will be downloaded in either CSV or ZIP format, depending on the number of entries in the result. You can check the job's status using the Get the Status of the Export Audit Log Job API. Once the job is complete, you can download the results using the Download Export Audit Log Result API.
Let us see how Zylker uses the Zoho CRM API to monitor their trainees' performance.
Create Export Audit Log Job:
Sample Request: {api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/audit_log_export
Request Method: POST
Scope: ZohoCRM.settings.audit_logs.CREATE
Notes:
- The above sample request exports up to the last three years of audit log data across all modules in your Zoho CRM.
- The input request is optional i.e., if you skip the input request, the system will still export all actions in Zoho CRM.
- Use filters to export specific audit entries.
The sample input below is used to export an audit log for all 10 trainees in the Calls, Events, and Tasks modules over a six-month time range.
{ "audit_log_export": [ { "criteria": { "group_operator": "and", "group": [ { "field": { "api_name": "done_by" }, "comparator": "in", "value": [ { "name": "Joe", "id": "5725767000000583089" }, { "name": "Boyle", "id": "5725767000000583000" }, { "name": "John", "id": "5725767000000583001" }, . . . ] }, { "group_operator": "and", "group": [ { "group_operator": "and", "group": [ { "field": { "api_name": "audited_time" }, "comparator": "between", "value": [ "2024-01-05T00:00:00+05:30", "2024-06-04T23:59:59+05:30" ] }, { "field": { "api_name": "module" }, "comparator": "in", "value": [ { "api_name": "Calls", "id": "5725767000000033015" }, { "api_name": "Events", "id": "5725767000000002195" }, { "api_name": "Tasks", "id": "5725767000000002193" } ] } ] } ] } ] } } ] } |
The above input schedules a job to export data that matches the criteria. The response to the above request is given below, and we will discuss how to see the status of the export audit log job and how to download the result in the upcoming sections in this post.
Refer to the Input JSON Keys to Export Audit Log Using Multiple Filters for input keys' explanations.
Note:
With filters (either single or multiple criteria), you can export up to 6 months (180 days) of audit log data. Note that the time range should not exceed 180 days.
Sample Response:
{ "audit_log_export": [ { "status": "success", "code": "SCHEDULED", "message": "ExportAuditlog scheduled successfully.", "details": { "id": "5725767000003525045" //unique job ID of the export audit log job. } } ] } |
The manager has scheduled an export audit log job to review their trainees' activities within the specified time range (six months).
Get the Status of the Export Audit Log Job
The manager at Zylker retrieves the details of the export audit log jobs that were scheduled previously using the POST Export Audit Log API.
- Exporting All Trainees' Activities: By reviewing the complete log, the manager can analyze the overall performance of all trainees.
- Filtering Specific trainees' Activities: Once after reviewing the entire log, the manager could filter data of only those trainees with average performance and provide them with the required training to help them improve.
Zylker retrieves the status of all scheduled export audit log jobs using the following URL:
{api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/audit_log_export
By default, it returns all the scheduled export jobs.
For retrieving the status of a specific scheduled export audit log job, Zylker uses the following URL:
{api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/audit_log_export/{export_job_id}
Request Method: GET
Scope: ZohoCRM.settings.audit_logs.READ
Here is the sample response showing the status of the export audit log job for all the trainees:
{ "audit_log_export": [ { "id": "5725767000003525048", "status": "finished", "job_start_time": "2024-08-07T12:12:39-07:00", "job_end_time": "2024-08-07T12:12:44-07:00", "expiry_date": "2024-08-14T12:12:39-07:00", "created_by": { "name": "Jim", //Zylker's Manager "id": "5725767000000411001" }, "criteria": { "group_operator": "and", "group": [ { "comparator": "between", "field": { "api_name": "audited_time" }, "value": [ "2024-01-05T00:00:00+05:30", "2024-06-04T23:59:59+05:30" ] }, { "comparator": "in", "field": { "api_name": "module" }, "value": [ { "api_name": "Tasks", "id": "5725767000000002193" }, { "api_name": "Events", "id": "5725767000000002195" }, { "api_name": "Calls", "id": "5725767000000033015" } ] } ] }, "download_links": [ ] } ] } |
Response JSON Keys explanation:
- audit_log_export (JSON array) : Contains the details for the audit log export request of the trainees.
- id (string) : Represents the unique job ID of the export audit log job.
- status (string) : Represents the status of the export audit log job. Possible values: Progress, Scheduled, Finished, and Failed.
- job_start_time (string) : Represents the time at which the export job started.
- job_end_time (string) : Represents when the export job was completed.
- expiry_date (string) : Represents the expiry time of the exported audit log available in the download links.
- created_by (JSON object) : Represents the ID and Name of the Zoho CRM user who initiated the export job.
- criteria (JSON object) : Represents the conditions specified for a specific export audit log job using the Create Export Audit Log API.
- download_links (JSON array) : Represents the unique downloadable link for the exported audit log. You can use this link to download the log data using the GET - Download Export Audit Log Result API.
Download Export Audit Log Result
The manager at Zylker can download the result logs using the the "download_links" JSON array key in the response Get the Status of the Export Audit Log Job API.
An export audit log will be in either CSV or ZIP format, depending on the number of entries in the result. If the audit log contains 100,000 or fewer entries, the system will automatically export the logs in a CSV file. If there are more than 100,000 entries, the logs will be split into multiple CSV files inside a ZIP file, with each CSV file holding up to 100,000 entries. A maximum of 10,00,000 audit entries will be exported in a ZIP file.
Request Method: GET
Scope: ZohoFiles.files.READ
In our case, download the audit log result in the CSV file format.
Based on the downloaded results, the manager will analyze the trainees' performance to make hiring decisions and identify areas where those with average performance may need additional training. This approach helps the manager at Zylker to keep track of all trainees' activities regularly.
We trust that this post meets your needs and is helpful. Let us know your thoughts in the comment or reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com
Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming Kaizen posts!
- Previous Kaizen Post: Kaizen #149 : Using GraphQL APIs to fetch data in a consolidated way
- Further Readings:
Access your files securely from anywhere
New to Zoho Recruit?
Zoho Developer Community
New to Zoho LandingPage?
Zoho LandingPage Resources
New to Zoho Survey?
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Bigin?
Topic Participants
Subramanian K
Sticky Posts
Kaizen #197: Frequently Asked Questions on GraphQL APIs
🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.Kaizen #198: Using Client Script for Custom Validation in Blueprint
Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – 1 More to the Big Two-Oh-Oh! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.Celebrating 200 posts of Kaizen! Share your ideas for the milestone post
Hello Developers, We launched the Kaizen series in 2019 to share helpful content to support your Zoho CRM development journey. Staying true to its spirit—Kaizen Series: Continuous Improvement for Developer Experience—we've shared everything from FAQsKaizen #193: Creating different fields in Zoho CRM through API
🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.Client Script | Update - Introducing Commands in Client Script!
Have you ever wished you could trigger Client Script from contexts other than just the supported pages and events? Have you ever wanted to leverage the advantage of Client Script at your finger tip? Discover the power of Client Script - Commands! Commands
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
Zoho TeamInbox Resources
Zoho CRM Plus Resources
Zoho Books Resources
Zoho Subscriptions Resources
Zoho Projects Resources
Zoho Sprints Resources
Qntrl Resources
Zoho Creator Resources
Zoho CRM Resources
Design. Discuss. Deliver.
Zoho Show Resources
Get Started. Write Away!
Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.
Zoho CRM コンテンツ
-
オンラインヘルプ
-
Webセミナー
-
機能活用動画
-
よくある質問
-
Ebook
-
-
Zoho Campaigns
- Zoho サービスのWebセミナー
その他のサービス コンテンツ
Nederlandse Hulpbronnen
ご検討中の方
Recent Topics
ME SALE ESTE ERROR: No fue posible enviar el mensaje;Motivo:554 5.1.8 Email Outgoing Blocked
Ayuda!! Me sale este error al intentar enviar mensajes desde mi correo electronico de Zoho! Tampoco recibo correos pues cuando me envia rebotan. Ayuda, Me urge enviar unos correo importantes!! Quedo atenta MAGDA HERNANDEZ +5731120888408Is there a way to sync Tags between CRM and Campaigns/Marketing Hub?
I wonder if there is a way to synch the tags between CRM and Marketing-Hub / Campaigns?how to see if a specific contact opened an email in zoho campaign?
how to see if a specific contact opened an email in zoho campaign?Rich Text For Notes in Zoho CRM
Hello everyone, As you know, notes are essential for recording information and ensuring smooth communication across your records. With our latest update, you can now use Rich Text formatting to organize and structure your notes more efficiently. By usingRevenue Management: #8 Revenue Recognition in Educational & Training Institutions
Educational Institutions and training centres typically collect course fees at the time of enrolment, sometimes for a one-day workshop and sometimes for a year-long certification course. You might also charge separately for course materials or evaluation.How to Customize Task Creation to Send a Custom Alert Using JavaScript in Zoho CRM?
Hello Zoho CRM Community, I’m looking to customize Zoho CRM to send a custom alert whenever a task is created. I understand that Zoho CRM supports client scripts using JavaScript, and I would like to leverage this feature to implement the alert functionality.how to use validation rules in subform
Is it possible to use validation rules for subforms? I tried the following code: entityMap = crmAPIRequest.toMap().get("record"); sum = 0; direct_billing = entityMap.get("direct_billing_details"); response = Map(); for each i in direct_billing { if(i.get("type")Using files from Zoho CRM in Gemini/ChatGPT/Claude
Hi all, I’ve got subscriptions to Gemini and a few other AI tools which I use for tasks like data enrichment, email composition, etc. In our workflow, we often receive various documents from clients — such as process workflows, BRDs/requirement documentsEnhancements to the formula field in Zoho CRM: Auto-refresh formulas with the "Now" function, stop formula executions based on criteria, and include formulas within formulas
Dear Customers, We hope you're well! By their nature, modern businesses rely every day on computations, whether it's to calculate the price of a product, assess ROI, evaluate the lifetime value of a customer, or even determine the age of a record. WithMaximum file limit in zoho people LMS
Dear Team, I am having approximately 4.9 GB of material, including PPTs and videos for uploading in zoho people LMS course. May I know what is the maximum limit limit for the course files Thanking you, With regards, Logeswar V Executive _ OperationsDisplaying related quotes in sales order and back
Hi, My colleague liked to see to which sales orders, the quote has been converted. Quote shows Invoices, but not SO. Same, they would like to see the quotes in the sales order, as they can see invoices, packages, shipment, How can we achieve this ? Thankautomations: Can I execute a step on a specific date?
I have created a form in Zoho forms, and created a contacts list. I have also begun setting up an automation with the intention of sending the form to the contact list on a specific date every month (via email) for the entire year (essentially sendingDynamically prefill ticket fields
Hello, I am using Zoho Desk to collect tickets of our clients about orders they placed on our website. I would like to be able to prefill two tickets fields dynamically, in this case a readonly field for the order id, and a hidden field for the sellerOptimize your Knowledge Base for better visibility by allowing search engine crawling and indexing
All you need to know about no-follow and no-index in KB. What are article crawlability and indexability? Crawlability and indexability are vital for making an article visible and accessible to search engines. When a search engine crawls an article, itHas anyone created a public ASAP Guide that I can check out?
I am thinking of adding an ASAP guide to my web application, but I have noticed that the ASAP widget itself can be really slow to load sometimes. Has anyone created a public ASAP Guide that I can check to see how performant it is? I don't want to spendZoho Desk Partners with Microsoft's M365 Copilot for seamless customer service experiences
Hello Zoho Desk users, We are happy to announce that Zoho Desk has partnered with Microsoft's M365 to empower customer service teams with enhanced capabilities and seamless experiences for agents. Microsoft announced their partnership during their keynoteWhat’s New in Zoho Analytics – September 2025
Hello Users!! In this month’s update, we’re raising the bar across multiple touchpoints, from how you bring in data, plan and track projects to how you design and brand your dashboards. We’ve added the all-new Gantt chart for project visualization, expandedZoho MCP has no tools for Creator or 3rd Party Apps?
I don't see a Zoho MCP community forum so putting this here. Two big problems I see: 1) Although Zoho advertises "over 950 3rd party apps" as available through their MCP, when I go to "Add Tools" there are ZERO 3rd party apps available to choose from.Zoho Forms - Zoho Drive connection - Shared Drives not supported
Hello i am stuck with Google Drive Connection There is no supported shared drives Connection is not support shared drives boolean Query Parameters - supportsAllDrives=true&supportsTeamDrives=true to activate fetch files from the shared drives. Ahat needApply Advance option not shown in report
We are facing an issue in Zoho Expenses. While approving an Expense Report, the "Apply Advance" option is not appearing under the three dots (More Options). Details: Module: Expense Reports Issue: "Apply Advance" option not visible Status of Report: AwaitingCan't create package until Bill created?
I can't understand why we cannot create a package until a Bill is created? We are having to created draft Bills to create a package when the item is received, but we may not have received a Bill from the supplier. Also, Bill # is required, but we normallyWhats the Time out Limit for API Calls from Deluge?
Hi Creator Devs, We are making API calls to third party server via Deluge. Getting this error message: Error at line : 24, The task has been terminated since the API call is taking too long to respond. Please try again after sometime. Whats the defaultCommunity Digest Agosto 2025 - Todas las novedades en Español Zoho Community
¡Hola, Zoho Community! Agosto llega a su fin y septiembre nos trae aire fresco a la comunidad: más inteligencia con IA, actualizaciones que elevan la productividad y la recta final hacia Zoholics España 2025. Aquí tienes lo más destacado del mes paraTip #3: How to change your booking page language
Displaying your booking page in your target audience's language can greatly increase customer satisfaction. By speaking their language, you will help customers feel more comfortable scheduling with you and create a stronger connection with them. Let'sHow can I optimize a Zoho Site page for SEO when embedding external menu or restaurant links?
Hi everyone, I’m experimenting with building small content hubs on Zoho Sites and want to make sure I’m doing it in an SEO-friendly way. For example, I tried creating a page that highlights restaurant menu items and linked out to a resource like this:Diff signature for compose new email and replies
Hi, How do i have different signature for replies and new emails. its inconvenient to have one large signature for replies. Usually on Outlook we have the option to keep separate signatures for new emails and for replies.Zoho Website Site Speed Up & Setting
We are experiencing slow loading speeds on our Zoho website and would like assistance in optimizing its performance. Kindly review the site and suggest or implement necessary improvements to enhance speed, especially related to: > Caching mechanisms >Clickjacking: Zoho Vault's Response
Issue: Password manager browser extensions are found to be vulnerable to clickjacking security vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to steal account credentials, TFA codes, and card details under certain conditions. Reported by: Marek Toth, IndependentNo option for pick up in Zoho Books / Inventory but yes on commerce
Is it planned to release soon on books/inventory?Zoho Books - France
L’équipe de Zoho France reçoit régulièrement des questions sur la conformité de ses applications de finances (Zoho Books/ Zoho Invoice) pour le marché français. Voici quelques points pour clarifier la question : Zoho Books est un logiciel de comptabilitéBlueprint Issue - Being able to set a subform field as mandatory
I'm creating a blueprint. My record involves a subform which is only shown once field is set but the field gets set in step two of the process. My problem - I can't save the record as the subform field is set to mandatory - If I unset the mandatory field,Blueprint - Mandatory file upload field
Hi, File upload (as we as image upload) field cannot be set as mandatory during a blueprint transition. Is there a workaround? Setting attachments as mandatory doesn't solve this need as we have no control over which attachments are added, nor can weZoho Books - Include Quote Status in Workflow Field Triggers
Hi Zoho Books team, I recently tried to create a Workflow rule based on when a Quote is Accepted by the customer. This is something which I thought would be very easy to do, however I discovered that Status is not listed as a field which can be monitoredZoho Books - Show Related Sales Orders on Quotes
Hi Books team, I've noticed that the Quotes don't show show the related Sales Order. My feature request is to also show related Sales Orders above the Quote so it's easy to follow the thread of records in the sales and fulfilment process. Below screenshotAdd VAT/Tax line to bank adjustments
When categorising transactions and matching bank feeds with transactions such as customer payments, we use the "Add Adjustment" to add things like fees/bank fees. It would be useful to choose a VAT/Tax rate here. Whilst there is a bank charges option when adding a payment, this goes into the default bank charges account. We use the adjustments so that we can choose the account and separate our fees. We use different card providers and Worldpay charges VAT so we are stuck. We cannot integrate withNew Menu Layout Feedback
I'd really like to see the banking item back on the top of the menu. I'm sure part of it is just because that's what I'm accustomed to. However, for a bookkeeping program, I think there's a logic to having banking be on top. Not a giant issue, but somethingHow to use Rollup Summary in a Formula Field?
I created a Rollup Summary (Decimal) field in my module, and it shows values correctly. When I try to reference it in a Formula Field (e.g. ${Deals.Partners_Requested} - ${Deals.Partners_Paid}), I get the error that the field can’t be found. Is it possibleForm Accessibility
Hi, is there an update on the accessibility standard of Zoho forms? Are the forms WCAG 2.1 AA compliant?Cannot schedule report delivery
The only 'send option' available when exporting reports is 'immediately' The option to schedule the report is missing.adding attachment in sendmail script where attachment is in a CRM field
Hi all, I have a custom field of type 'File Upload' in one of my modules in my CRM. I want to include the file in that field as an attachment to an email - which is done from a button on the 'Results' module. I have created a script and a button to initiate an email from that module. The Deluge scripting window has allowed me to add arguments for all the fields I need to use except for the one file upload type field. My script currently looks like the below (content of the email omitted). As youNext Page