Company Alteration, Edit Log & Security Guide
A comprehensive master guide to recording historical entries, managing statutory audit trails via Edit Log, securing financial records, and configuring multi-currency profiles.
Company Alteration
(Modify dates, logs, & security)
Instant Save
(Accept & apply changes immediately)
Allowing Back-Dated Transaction Entries
If you maintained books of accounts prior to the current financial period, you can add past transactions directly in TallyPrime by adjusting the financial calendar limits.
- From any screen, press Alt + K (Company) > select Alter.
- Update Financial year beginning from to match your historical tax year (e.g., 01-Apr-2019).
- Update Books beginning from to the exact operational launch date (e.g., 01-Jun-2019).
- Press Ctrl + A to save changes.
Configuring Edit Log (Release 2.1+)
TallyPrime provides an audit-compliant facility to log all modifications made to transactions, ledgers, stock items, and accounting groups.
- Press Alt + K > Alter.
- Set Enable Edit Log to Yes.
(If hidden, press F12 > set Set Edit Log applicability to Yes to display this configuration field). - Press Y on the confirmation warning prompt.
- Press Ctrl + A to accept configurations and save company settings.
To turn off logging, navigate to the Company Alteration screen, set Enable Edit Log to No, and press Y to confirm. While active tracking pauses, previously captured log histories remain intact and will reappear if re-enabled later.
Structural company activities affect the overall log integrity. View the dedicated audit log report by pressing Alt + K > Edit Log.
| Activity Type | TallyPrime Edit Log Release | Standard TallyPrime |
|---|---|---|
| Company-Level Events & Data Migrations | ||
| Data Migration | Logged during upgrades from older releases (Release 2.0.1 or earlier) or Tally.ERP 9. | Logged when data moves from TallyPrime Edit Log or previous versions with logging enabled. |
| Data Split / Repair | Splitting datasets or repairing corrupt records (partial loss) creates a permanent record. | Data split actions and unrecovered data repair events are logged. |
| Feature Toggle | Captured during Company creation or Alteration. | Logs when Edit Log is toggled between Enabled and Disabled states. |
| Security Fallback | If User Access Control is inactive, recorded logs show the username as Unknown (Security not enabled). | |
Voucher & Master-Level Edit Log Activities
| Nature of Action | Activity Labels & Triggers |
|---|---|
| Creation | Created, Created due to Import, Created due to Sync, or Created due to Migration. |
| Alteration | Altered (direct edit or re-accepting via Ctrl + A), Altered due to Voucher Renumbering, Import, Split, or Sync. |
| Deletion | Deleted (when master/voucher is removed) or Deleted due to Sync. |
| Resaved | Resaved (No changes) logged during import, sync, or voucher renumbering when values remain unmodified. |
| Previous Record | Represents baseline historical snapshot details captured at the moment Edit Log was enabled or re-enabled. Excludes username and timestamp. |
Differences Between Edit Log Versions (Diff View)
Drill down into any Edit Log version to inspect side-by-side variations. Modified fields appear highlighted in red.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action in Diff Report |
|---|---|
| + / - | Move between subsequent and previous recorded versions. |
| Shift + F5 | View comprehensive change details. |
| Shift + Enter / Enter | Explode line item to inspect sub-level details. |
| F12 | Configure report views and display hierarchies. |
User Access Control & TallyVault Security
- Press Alt + K > Alter.
- Set Control User Access to Company Data to Yes.
(If not visible, press F12 > set Use User Access Control to Yes). - Define the Username (Administrator) and Password.
- Configure security flags:
- Use TallyAudit features: Allows tracking changes in accounting data by auditors.
- Disallow opening in educational mode: Prevents unauthorized opening without active licensing.
- Press Ctrl + A to save.
TallyVault converts company data into unrecognizable, encrypted strings, concealing the legal company name in the selection list.
- To Set Up: Press Alt + K > select TallyVault (or set during initial Company Creation).
- Access Protocol: When opening an encrypted file, you must first input the TallyVault Password to decrypt data, followed by your User Security Credentials.
Base Currency & Multi-Currency Management
To modify currency preferences for multi-state or overseas operations, navigate to Alt + K > Alter:
- Base Currency Symbol: Specify standard symbols (e.g., ₹ for Rupee, AED for Dirham, SAR for Saudi Riyal).
- Formal Name: Define official ISO currency codes (e.g., INR, USD, AED).
- Suffix Symbol to Amount: Set to No if the symbol prefixes numbers (e.g., ₹5000), or Yes if formatted after values.
Multi-Currency Operations: If handling global trade, enable multi-currency under Master creation to manage fluctuating exchange rates and foreign gain/loss reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I enter back-dated entries prior to the Financial Year start date?
No. Transactions cannot precede the Financial year beginning from date. To record older entries, adjust both the Financial Year beginning date and Books beginning date back to that prior period under Alt + K > Alter.
Why are some lines highlighted in red when drill-down values appear unchanged?
This occurs when internal calculation precision differs from display formats. For example, changing unit decimal precision to 2 digits causes internal recalculation up to 4 decimal places, flagging an internal difference in red.
What happens if I disable and re-enable Edit Log later?
Tracking stops while the feature is disabled, but historical records remain intact. When re-enabled, prior configurations and modifications log as a consolidated Previous Record entry upon first re-saving.
What is the difference between User Access Control and TallyVault?
User Access Control defines operator roles, menu privileges, and audit permissions using usernames and passwords. TallyVault encrypts the entire raw database and company directory name on disk, rendering files unreadable without the vault key.
