GoldFinch, built on Salesforce, provides out-of-the-box audit trail tools to track configuration changes, field-level data changes, and login activity. This article explains what's tracked natively, how far back it goes, and where the native tools stop short — so you know when additional tooling is worth considering.
Setup Audit Trail (configuration changes)
The Setup Audit Trail automatically records configuration and administrative changes in your org—things like profile changes, permission updates, and other setup-level modifications.
- Retention: 180 days
- Scope: configuration/administrative changes only — not day-to-day record data
- Where to find it: Setup → Audit Trail
Field History Tracking & Field Audit Trail (data changes)
For tracking changes to actual record data, two related tools are available:
| Tool | What it captures | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Field History Tracking | Selected field changes — user, timestamp, old value, new value | Standard retention limits apply |
| Field Audit Trail (Shield feature) | Same field-level detail, with extended retention | Up to 10 years |
Both require you to select which fields on which objects you want tracked — history isn't captured automatically for every field on every object. You configure this per object in Setup, under that object's Field History settings.
Login history
Login history is available natively and provides a record of login activity, which is useful supporting evidence alongside the audit trail tools above.
What native tools don't cover?
It's worth being clear about the edges of native functionality so there are no surprises later:
- Field history tracks changes, not views. If a field's value changes, that's recorded. Someone simply viewing a sensitive field's existing value is not automatically logged.
- Broader activity monitoring — such as PII access patterns, report exports, API usage, or unusual/anomalous activity — isn't covered by Setup Audit Trail or Field History Tracking on their own.
For that broader visibility, you'd typically look at Salesforce Shield / Event Monitoring, custom logging built for your specific requirements, or integration with a SIEM tool. These are licensing-dependent additions beyond what's included natively — worth a conversation if a compliance or funder requirement calls for that level of monitoring.
Quick reference: what to configure
- Enable Field History Tracking on the objects and fields you need visibility into (Setup → Object Manager → [Object] → Fields & Relationships → Set History Tracking)
- Decide if Field Audit Trail is needed for extended (up to 10-year) retention — this is a Shield feature
- Review Setup Audit Trail periodically, since its 180-day window means older configuration history isn't retained unless exported
- Evaluate Event Monitoring or SIEM integration if you need visibility into views, exports, or API-level activity rather than just field changes
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