If punch-in/out records go missing from an employee's attendance, check the Audit Trail first. Every deleted attendance record is logged with who deleted it, when, and from where: the web app, the mobile app, a system task or a connected integration. The log entry also shows the punch details of the deleted record. That lets you confirm the punch was recorded and find out what removed it.
How it works
When an attendance record is deleted, OrangeHRM writes a Delete Attendance Record entry to the Audit Trail. The entry's description starts with "Attendance record was deleted." followed by the details of the record before it was removed. Each entry also records a Source:
- Web: deleted by a user in the browser.
- Mobile: deleted through the OrangeHRM mobile app.
- System Task: deleted by an automated background process.
- API - Integration - [app name]: deleted by a connected external system, such as a time clock, biometric or payroll integration. The connected app's name appears after the dash.
- Not Tracked: the source was not captured.
If an integration replaces or re-syncs attendance data, it can remove punches that were originally recorded on the mobile app. When that happens, the deletion shows up under that integration's name.
How to trace a deleted attendance record
Step 1 - Go to HR Administration > Audit Trail and click Filter.
Step 2 - Set From and To to cover the dates when the punches went missing.
Step 3 - Set Module to Attendance, Section to Attendance Record, and choose the delete action from Actions.
Step 4 - Enter the employee under Affected Employee and apply the filter.
For each result, check the Source, Action Owner and date. Then read the Action Description to see the punch times that were removed.
To see whether an integration is responsible across many employees, clear the employee filter and set Source to the integration. Export the results if you need to share them.
To confirm the punch was recorded in the first place, change Actions to Punch in or Punch out for the same employee and dates.
Things to note
- Only users with access to the Audit Trail, usually Admins, can view these entries.
- The Audit Trail tells you what deleted a record. It does not restore it. Re-add the punches manually from the employee's attendance records if needed.
- If deletions come from an integration, ask whoever manages that integration to review its sync settings. Otherwise the same punches may be removed again on the next sync.