Audit Column Standard

Purpose

The Audit Column Standard defines common traceability columns for future table specifications.

Standard Columns

Column	Purpose
created_at	Creation timestamp.
created_by	Actor that created the record where applicable.
updated_at	Last update timestamp.
updated_by	Actor that last changed the record where applicable.
version	Optimistic locking version for mutable records.
correlation_id	Request, workflow, event, or integration correlation.
causation_id	Prior request or event that caused the change.
deleted_at	Soft delete timestamp where soft delete is used.
deleted_by	Actor that performed soft delete where applicable.
delete_reason	Structured reason for deletion where required.

Rules

• Mutable source tables should include optimistic locking.
• Material commands must preserve actor and correlation context.
• Sensitive audit details belong in audit records, not arbitrary payload columns.
• Soft-deleted records must remain tenant-scoped and access-controlled.
• Audit columns do not replace domain events or audit logs where those are required.

Audit Flow

flowchart LR
    Command[Command]
    Actor[Actor Context]
    Correlation[Correlation Context]
    Table[(Table Audit Columns)]
    Audit[Audit Log or Event]

    Command --> Actor
    Command --> Correlation
    Actor --> Table
    Correlation --> Table
    Table --> Audit