SharePoint2010: Site Collection Auditing

SharePoint Server provides the ability to audit the usage of your SharePoint environment. The SharePoint Server auditing capabilities allow you to track all activities that occur within the environment. The site collection administrator has the ability to set auditing requirements within the environment that determine the types of actions that should be tracked. Reports are then available that can be used to review the logged events. These reports could also be used to create any needed audit reporting or statistics. You also have the ability to set audit logging settings to control the volume of audit information kept over time.

To manage audit settings for a site collection, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Site Settings page for the top-level site in the site collection.

2. On the Site Settings page, in the Site Collection Administration section, click
the Site Collection Audit Settings link.

3. On the Configure Audit Settings page, identify any audit log trimming settings,
and select the items to audit:

a. In the Audit Log Trimming section, identify if automatic audit log trimming
should be enabled, identify the number of days of audit log data to retain,
and specify a location to store audit reporting before trimming the audit log.

b. In the Documents and Items section, check the boxes in front of the events
to audit which can include the following:
• Opening or downloading documents, viewing items in lists, or viewing
item properties
• Editing items
• Checking out or checking in items
• Moving or copying items to another location in the site
• Deleting or restoring items

c. In the Lists, Libraries, and Sites section, check the boxes in front of the items
to audit which can include the following:
• Editing content types and columns
• Searching site content
• Editing users and permissions

d. Once all of the appropriate audit options have been set, click the OK button.

The auditing options are set, and you are returned to the Site Settings page.
The information about audited actions will be tracked as the associated actions occur in the environment. You can then run the audit reports to view the audit history for captured events.

To view the auditing reports, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Site Settings page for the top-level site in the site collection.
2. On the Site Settings page, in the Site Collection Administration section, click
the Audit Log Reports link.
3. On the View Auditing Reports page, click the name of the report you want to
execute.
4. For the Run a Custom Report option, the Run a Custom Report Page is
presented.

On this page, follow these steps:

a. In the File Location section, select where the report should be saved once it
is generated.

b. In the Location section, check if the report should be restricted to a specific
list, and if so, select the web site where the list is located and select the list.

c. In the Date Range section, specify the optional Start Date and/or End Date to
which the report should be restricted.

d. In the Users section, specify which users the report should be restricted to.

e. In the Events section, specify the events the report should be restricted to.

This list can include the following events:
• Opening or downloading documents, viewing items in lists, or viewing
item properties
• Editing items
• Checking out or checking in items
• Moving or copying items to another location in the site
• Deleting or restoring items
• Editing content types and columns
• Searching site content
• Editing users and permissions
• Editing auditing settings and deleting audit log events
• Workflow events
• Custom events

f. Once all of the appropriate report settings have been entered, click the OK

5. The report is generated, and the file is saved to the library specified.The generated XML file is saved to the location you specify, and you are returned to the View Auditing Reports page.

You can select to download any of the listed auditing reports. The following are
the reports included:
• Content Activity Reports
• Content modifications: Lists logged events for changes to site content
including documents, list items, and pages
• Content type and list modifications: Lists logged events for modifications to
content types, lists, and libraries
• Content viewing: Lists logged events for viewing content within the site
• Deletion: Lists logged events for content deletions and restorations
• Custom Reports
• Run a custom report: Enables you to create a custom report to retrieve logged
events for specific actions
• Information Management Policy Reports
• Expiration and Disposition: Lists logged events related to the expiration and
disposition of content
• Policy modifications: Lists logged events related to the creation and use of
content information management policies
• Security and Site Settings Reports
• Auditing settings: Lists logged events related to changes made to the auditing
settings
• Security settings: Lists logged events related to SharePoint security
configuration settings


If you have any queries or doubts regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know,Thanks...