audit trail

American  

noun

1. Accounting. the process or an instance of cross-referring each bookkeeping entry to its source in order to facilitate checking its accuracy.

2. Computers. a track of a particular item of output data back through the processing steps that produced it to the corresponding input data.

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audit trail British  

noun

1. a record of all the transactions or data entries that a person or firm has carried out over a specific period

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Etymology

Origin of audit trail

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Ms Tomkinson said the method of staff access to insulin had since changed with a "clear audit trail" provided by a "bespoke swipe card that is absolutely aligned to an individual staff member".

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2025

Neither here nor elsewhere is anyone discussing the extensive audit trail compiled by local auditors, Wyman said.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 21, 2021

The paper ballot, in theory, provides an audit trail that can be used to verify digital tallies.

From New York Times • Sep. 26, 2018

Machines that do not produce a voter-verified paper audit trail are currently in use—though not exclusively—in another nine states: Kansas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.

From Slate • Apr. 12, 2018

These provide instantaneous transfer of funds and no audit trail.

From Crime and Corruption by Vaknin, Samuel