User Auditing


dbWatch Control Center includes support for User audit logging of all actions performed by a user logged in to a dbWatch Monitor.

Enabling User Auditing (Manual Configuration)

Currently, auditing must be configured manually by editing the “server_configuration.xml” file on the Control Center Server.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Stop the dbWatch Server service before making any changes
2. Navigate to the location of the configuration file (typically: “C:/ProgramData/dbWatchControlCenter/config/server/server_configuration.xml” or “/var/dbwatch-controlcenter/config/server/server_configuration.xml”)
3. Make a full backup of the file before editing
4. Replace the empty dbwatch-audit tag with the following XML block inside the root “<server-configuration>” element:

<dbwatch-audit>
   <audit-type>1</audit-type>
   <audit-type>2</audit-type>
   <audit-type>3</audit-type>
   <audit-type>4</audit-type>
   <audit-type>5</audit-type>
   <catalog>C:/ProgramData/dbWatchControlCenter/log/user_audit</catalog>
</dbwatch-audit>

Add or remove the <audit-type> tags as appropriate for your needs.

Audit type Description
1 User reads information from the dbWatch Server
2 User sets configuration values on the dbWatch Server
3 User reads information from a database instance
4 User sets data on a database instance
5 User login/logout information

5. Save the file and restart the dbWatch Server.


Log Output Details

The log files will be saved under the specified catalog with the filename dbw_audit_[day_of_year].log (one file per day).

Each line in the log file consists of 4 parts.

The format of the file is a timestamp (in the datetime format specified by your locale).
The user performing the command in “OP[username]”
The action performed in “FUNC[functionName(arguments)]”
A optional description in “DESC[description]”

Example

01.12.2025, 12:58 OP[admin]FUNC[updateInstanceAdapter(jaminere)]DESC[Change instance configuration]
01.12.2025, 13:00 OP[admin]FUNC[configureTaskParameters(Database status, jaminere)]DESC[]
01.12.2025, 13:00 OP[admin]FUNC[setTaskSchedule(Database status, * * 5 * )]DESC[]