Log Category

Desktop Cloud New Feature

Overview

Log Category is a new, optional classification field available on every type of Log — Account, Account Application, Client, Security Statement, Security Statement Item and User Logs. It lets you tag each Log with a business category of your choosing and then filter, group and report by that category across Reports, the Task Manager and the Cloud Logs grids.

The available categories are driven by an Information List — one list per Log type — so each site controls its own vocabulary. The field is presented as a combo box, so an operator can pick a defined value or type their own. The whole feature is opt-in: until you add items to a Log type's category list, the Category field stays hidden on that Log type, so nothing changes for sites that don't use it.

Because Log Category is stored in a Log table column that has existed in every finPOWER Connect database for many versions, this feature required no database change and ships as part of this patch release. Categories are limited to 50 characters.

Prerequisites

No licence or Add-On is needed for the core Client, Account and User Log categories

Account Application Log categories require the Account Applications Add-On

Security Statement / Security Statement Item Log categories require the Security Register Add-On

The applicable category Information List must have at least one item before the field appears on that Log type

Setup & Configuration

Log Category is turned on per Log type simply by populating its category Information List. Open Information Lists (Administration) and edit the relevant system list:

Log type	Information List	Availability
Account	`AccountLogCategories` — "Account Log Categories"	Always
Account Application	`AccountAppLogCategories` — "Account Application Log Categories"	Account Applications Add-On
Client	`ClientLogCategories` — "Client Log Categories"	Always
Security Statement	`SecStmtLogCategories` — "Security Statement Log Categories"	Security Register Add-On
Security Statement Item	`SecItemLogCategories` — "Security Statement Item Log Categories"	Security Register Add-On
User	`UserLogCategories` — "User Log Categories"	Always

Populate a category list

Open the relevant system Information List (for example, ClientLogCategories) and add the category values your organisation wants to use — for instance Compliance, Collections, Complaint, KYC. These lists ship empty.

Confirm the field appears

Once a list has items, the Category combo appears on the General page of the matching Log form / Log Edit widget. If a list is empty and the Log has no existing Category, the field stays hidden.

Categories are pick-or-type

The Category field is a combo bound to the Information List, but it is not strictly limited to the list — an operator can type a value that isn't yet defined. Keep the list current so operators mostly pick rather than type, which keeps your categories consistent for reporting.

How to Use

Assign a category to a Log

Edit the Log

Open or create a Log on any supported record. On the General page, choose a value in the Category combo (Desktop Log form, or the Log Edit widget in Cloud), then save.

Filter and group Task Manager folders

Add a Categories filter to a folder

In Task Manager 2, edit a Tasks folder and set its Categories range so the folder only shows tasks whose Log carries one of those categories.

Show the Category column

The Tasks grid displays a Category column whenever any listed task has a category, so you can scan and sort by it.

Report by category

Run a Log List report

The Log List reports (Account, Account Application, Client, Security Statement, Security Statement Item and User) now offer a Category column you can include, a Categories range to filter on, and Category as a grouping option — so you can, for example, produce a Client Log List grouped by Category.

Filter Cloud Logs grids

Use the category pills

In Cloud, Logs grids now show a row of filter pills above the grid — All, Uncategorised, and one pill per distinct category present in the data — so you can narrow a busy Logs grid to a single category with one click.

Platform Differences

Aspect	Desktop	Cloud
Assigning a category	Category combo on the Log form's General page	Category combo in the Log Edit widget (`HtmlWidget_LogEdit`)
Logs grid filtering	Standard grid filtering / layouts	Dedicated Category filter pill row (All / Uncategorised / per-category)
Task Manager 2	Category column and folder Categories filter available on both.
Reports	Log List reports gain the Category include / filter / grouping on both.

Permission Keys

Log Category introduces no dedicated permission key. Visibility is driven entirely by the data (whether the category Information List has items, or the Log already has a category). The existing Log form and Log report permissions continue to apply unchanged.

Settings

There is no Global, User or Role setting specific to Log Category. The only configuration is the six category Information Lists (see Setup). Task Manager folder category filters are stored in the folder's own configuration.

Tips & Best Practices

Tip — Start small and consistent

A short, well-chosen list of categories is far more useful than a long one. Agree a handful of categories per Log type up front (e.g. Client Logs: Compliance, Collections, Complaint) so that grouping and filtering stay meaningful.

Tip — Build category-specific work queues

Combine the Task Manager folder Categories filter with your existing folder conditions to create focused work queues — for example a "Complaints" folder that only surfaces Logs categorised as complaints.

Important — The field is opt-in per Log type

If the Category field isn't showing on a Log, its Information List is empty (and the Log has no existing category). Populate the relevant list — e.g. AccountLogCategories — to switch the feature on for that Log type.