BD Activity Log now records more event types, lets you search the full history, alerts you on critical actions, and includes the tools you need for GDPR compliance. This guide covers what gets logged and how to work with it.
What gets logged
Logging runs automatically as soon as the plugin is active. On top of logins, content, plugins, users, and settings, the log now records:
- WooCommerce — order status changes, product edits, and stock changes.
- Media — uploads, edits, and deletions.
- Comments — new comments, approvals, and spam actions.
- Failed logins — each failed attempt, with burst detection for repeated failures.
- Menus — navigation menu changes.
Search and filter the history
Open BD Activity → Log to browse events. Use full-text search to find an action by username, IP, object name, or message. Combine search with the event-type and date filters to narrow results fast.
Before/after diff view
For changes that modify a record — a post edit or a settings update — click the entry to see a before/after diff. Removed values are marked alongside the new ones, so you can see exactly what changed.
Export the log
Click Export JSON to download the filtered log. The export respects your active search and filters, so you can pull a single user’s history or one date range instead of the whole table.
Alerts on critical events
Under Settings → Alerts, choose which events trigger a notification and where it goes:
- Email — sent to one or more addresses you specify.
- Slack — posted to a channel via an incoming webhook URL.
- Webhook — sent as JSON to any endpoint you control.
Alerts are throttled so a burst of events does not flood your inbox. Failed-login bursts are grouped into a single alert.
Read-only Auditor role
Give an auditor or compliance reviewer access to the log without handing over admin rights. Assign the Auditor role, or add roles to the viewer list under Settings. These users can read and export the log but cannot change site settings.
GDPR and privacy tools
The log supports data-subject requests directly:
- Export a user’s logged activity for a subject access request.
- Erase a user’s entries on request.
- IP anonymization — mask the last part of stored IP addresses if you do not need full IPs.
Performance and retention
Activity logs grow quickly on busy sites, so the plugin keeps the table fast and bounded:
- Database indexes on event date and username keep search and filtering quick.
- Set a row cap under Settings to automatically prune the oldest entries once the table reaches your limit.
Logging itself is always on. The license controls viewing, export, and alerts — your audit trail keeps recording either way.