Row change history in Baserow

Row change history in Baserow provides complete accountability for your data, creating an automatic audit trail of every edit, addition, and deletion so you can track modifications, identify errors, and maintain data integrity without manual logging.

This guide explains how to view, track, and interpret changes made to individual rows over time, including who made changes, what was modified, and when updates occurred.

Overview

Row change history records every modification made to a row’s data, creating a chronological log of edits visible within the row detail panel. Each entry shows who made the change, what fields were modified, the old and new values, and the exact timestamp of the update.

This automatic tracking happens behind the scenes without any configuration, every time someone edits a cell, adds data, or deletes information, Baserow creates a history entry. The change log helps teams maintain accountability, troubleshoot data issues, understand how records evolved, and comply with audit requirements.

History retention periods vary by plan, ranging from 14 days on free plans to unlimited on self-hosted installations, ensuring you maintain the appropriate audit trail for your needs.

Row change history interface in Baserow

When to use row change history

Data auditing: Track who modified customer records, financial data, or sensitive information to maintain compliance with regulations and internal policies.

Error investigation: When data appears incorrect, review the history to see when the change occurred, who made it, and what the previous value was before the error.

Collaboration transparency: Understand how team members contribute to shared records by seeing who added notes, updated statuses, or modified important fields.

Quality assurance: Verify that review processes were followed by checking when approvals were granted, fields were validated, or required updates were completed.

Training and learning: Help new team members understand workflows by showing them the evolution of sample records through the change history.

Conflict resolution: When disagreements arise about data values, consult the history to establish what was changed, by whom, and when the modification occurred.

What changes are tracked

Change type Tracked information Example
Field edits Old value → New value Status changed from “Draft” to “Published”
New data Empty → New value Email address added: user@example.com
Deletions Old value → Empty Phone number removed
Link changes Linked records added/removed Project linked to Customer ABC
File changes Files uploaded/removed Invoice.pdf added to attachments
Multiple field edits All changes in single update Priority and Due Date both updated

Note: Row creation and deletion events are tracked separately in audit logs, while change history focuses on modifications to existing row data.

How to access row change history

View a complete timeline of changes for any row directly within the row detail panel.

To view change history:

  1. Navigate to the table containing the row you want to review
  2. Click the expand icon to open the row detail panel
  3. Click the History tab in the top navigation of the panel
  4. Scroll through the chronological list of changes

The history displays with the most recent changes at the top, allowing you to quickly see the latest modifications.

Understand change history entries

Each change entry contains specific information to help you understand what happened:

Author information

Shows which user or collaborator made the change. If a user account no longer exists, the entry shows their name at the time of the change to maintain audit trail integrity.

Change details

Provides a comprehensive summary of what was modified, including:

  • Field names that were changed
  • Previous values (before the edit)
  • New values (after the edit)
  • Number of fields modified in a single update

Timestamp

Displays the exact date and time when the change occurred, formatted according to your timezone settings. Timestamps use your local time zone for easy interpretation.

History retention by plan

Access to historical data varies based on your Baserow subscription plan:

Baserow Cloud retention periods

Plan Retention period Use case
Free 14 days Short-term change tracking, immediate error correction
Premium 90 days Quarterly audits, mid-term accountability
Advanced 180 days Regulatory compliance, long-term project tracking

Baserow Self-Hosted retention

Plan Default retention Customizable
Free 180 days Yes, configurable to any duration
Premium 180 days Yes, configurable to any duration
Enterprise 180 days Yes, configurable to any duration

You can change this to a higher (or lower) number if you wish to change the retention period. By default, there is a limit of 365 days of revisions for self-hosters, and you have the flexibility to change this limit to any other number.

Self-hosted installations can adjust retention periods in the admin settings to meet specific compliance or storage requirements.

Storage note: Longer retention periods increase database storage requirements. Self-hosted administrators should monitor storage capacity when extending retention beyond default periods.

Feature Purpose Scope Access level
Row change history Track individual row modifications Single row timeline All users viewing the row
Snapshots Full database backup at a point in time Entire database Admin users only
Audit logs System-wide activity tracking All workspace actions Enterprise admins only
Comments Discussion and collaboration notes Single row context Premium users only

Use row change history for detailed row-level auditing, snapshots for database-wide recovery, audit logs for enterprise security tracking, and comments for team collaboration.

Frequently asked questions

Can I restore previous values from the change history?

Not directly from the history panel. Change history is read-only for auditing purposes. To restore a previous value, manually copy the old value from the history entry and paste it into the current field. For database-wide restoration, use snapshots.

Does change history track who deleted a row?

Row deletion events appear in audit logs for Enterprise users but not in individual row change history since the row no longer exists. Row history tracks modifications to existing rows only.

Can I export change history for reporting?

Currently, change history is viewable only within the Baserow interface and cannot be exported directly. Enterprise users can access broader activity data through audit logs, which can be exported for compliance reporting.

What happens when the retention period expires?

Changes older than your plan’s retention period are automatically purged from the history. The current data remains intact, but the historical record of how it changed is removed. Upgrade your plan or extend self-hosted retention to preserve a longer history.

Can I filter or search change history?

Currently, the change history displays all modifications chronologically without filtering options. For large change logs, use the scroll bar to navigate through the timeline. Search functionality may be added in future updates.

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