Audit Trail and Security Control in Tally Prime

In this article, we will explain how to set up and use the Audit Trail and Security Control features in Tally Prime. These features are essential for ensuring the security, transparency, and integrity of financial data in the system. We will guide you through the process step by step, using a real-world example to illustrate their use.

Step 1: Opening Tally Prime

Start by opening the Tally Prime application. After launching Tally Prime, the main screen will appear where you can access your company and the relevant features.

Step 2: Enabling Audit Trail

The Audit Trail in Tally Prime is a feature that helps track and monitor all changes made to the transactions and financial data. It records every alteration to vouchers, ledgers, and reports, providing a transparent audit log. To enable Audit Trail:

1. Go to the Gateway of Tally screen.
2. Press Alt + F3 to open the Company Info menu.
3. Select Alter to modify the company settings.
4. Under the Security Control section, select Audit Trail and set it to Yes.
5. Click Save to apply the changes.

Once enabled, Tally Prime will start recording every change made to the data, and you will be able to track all modifications in the Audit Trail report.

Step 3: Viewing the Audit Trail Report

After enabling the Audit Trail, you can view the report to monitor changes in your company’s data. To access the Audit Trail report:

1. Go to the Gateway of Tally screen.
2. Click on Display and select Audit & Compliance.
3. Choose Audit Trail from the menu.
4. Specify the date range for which you want to view the audit details (e.g., from 01st January 2024 to 31st December 2024).
5. Click Show to generate the Audit Trail report.

The Audit Trail report will display all modifications made to the transactions, including details like the user who made the change, the nature of the modification, and the time of the change.

Step 4: Understanding the Audit Trail Report

The Audit Trail report will contain the following key information:

• Voucher Number: The unique identifier for each transaction.
• Transaction Type: The type of transaction (e.g., Receipt, Payment, Sales, Purchase).
• Altered By: The user who made the change.
• Date & Time: The date and time when the change was made.
• Original Entry: The previous value before the change was made.
• Changed Entry: The new value after the change.

This information is crucial for monitoring changes in the system and ensures that all modifications are tracked for auditing purposes.

Step 5: Enabling Security Control

Security Control in Tally Prime allows you to set up user roles, passwords, and permissions to protect your data and restrict access to sensitive areas. To enable and configure Security Control:

1. From the Gateway of Tally screen, press Alt + F3 to open the Company Info menu.
2. Choose Security Control from the menu.
3. In the Security Control screen, enable security by setting the option to Yes.
4. Once security is enabled, you can set a password for the company to restrict access. Enter a password in the Password field.
5. Click Save to apply the changes.

Security Control ensures that only authorized users can access the data and make changes, thus preventing unauthorized access and data manipulation.

Step 6: Creating Users and Assigning Roles

To implement more granular security control, you can create multiple users and assign them specific roles with restricted access. To create a user and assign a role:

1. Go to the Gateway of Tally and press Alt + F3.
2. Select Security Control and then Create to add a new user.
3. Enter the user’s name and password, and then define the role they should be assigned.
4. Choose the permissions for the user, such as access to transactions, reports, or configuration settings.
5. Click Save to create the user.

For example, you can create a user named "John" with the password "1234" and assign him the "Accountant" role. This role might allow John to create and modify vouchers but not change the company settings.

Step 7: Viewing and Modifying User Permissions

If you need to modify the permissions or roles assigned to a user, you can do so by following these steps:

1. Press Alt + F3 from the Gateway of Tally screen.
2. Select Security Control and then choose Alter to modify the existing user.
3. Change the user’s role or permissions as needed, such as granting access to additional reports or restricting access to certain settings.
4. Click Save to apply the changes.

For example, if "John" needs additional permissions to access inventory reports, you can modify his role to grant him access to this area.

Step 8: Monitoring Security and Audit Logs

Regularly monitoring the security and audit logs is crucial for maintaining data integrity and preventing fraud or errors. You can do this by checking the Audit Trail and reviewing the user activity logs.

1. To view user activity, go to the Gateway of Tally and click on Display.
2. Choose Audit & Compliance and then User Activity.
3. Review the activity logs to see which users have logged in, what changes they made, and when these changes occurred.

By regularly checking these logs, you can ensure that your data is secure and monitor any suspicious activity that may require further investigation.

Conclusion

The Audit Trail and Security Control features in Tally Prime are powerful tools for ensuring the security and transparency of your company’s financial data. By enabling these features and following the steps outlined in this article, you can maintain a robust and secure financial management system, preventing unauthorized access and tracking all changes made to your records.