Question 1

How do I track which user made a change with PaperTrail?

Accepted Answer

Configure the originator in your config to link users, then pass the user as an originator parameter in insert/update/delete calls. The version records will include originator_id for querying, and you can preload the relationship to access the user details.

Question 2

PaperTrail vs using PostgreSQL triggers for auditing

Accepted Answer

PaperTrail is application-level, offering Elixir-native integration and transaction safety, while triggers are database-level and can be faster but harder to debug. Choose PaperTrail for better control and Ecto compatibility, or triggers for pure performance without app logic.

Question 3

Can PaperTrail handle soft deletes?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but it requires manual handling. PaperTrail records a delete event in the versions table when you use PaperTrail.delete, but to implement soft deletes, you'd need to combine it with a deleted_at field in your model and adjust queries accordingly.

Question 4

How to revert a change to a previous version?

Accepted Answer

PaperTrail doesn't provide a built-in revert function. You need to manually fetch the desired version using PaperTrail.get_version, extract the item_changes, and apply them via a new changeset with PaperTrail.insert or update, ensuring transactional safety.

Question 5

What's the impact on database size with PaperTrail?

Accepted Answer

The versions table can grow quickly, as it stores full snapshots on insert and delete, and changes on updates. Consider periodic archiving or pruning strategies, as PaperTrail doesn't include automatic cleanup features.

Question 6

How to configure PaperTrail for UUID primary keys?

Accepted Answer

Set item_type and originator_type to Ecto.UUID in your config, and update the migration to use :uuid types. Also, adjust the originator_relationship_options to reference :uuid, as detailed in the README's configuration section.

Question 7

Is PaperTrail suitable for real-time applications?

Accepted Answer

It can work, but the extra write latency from versioning might affect real-time performance. For critical low-latency needs, consider batching writes or using asynchronous versioning, though PaperTrail doesn't support async out of the box.

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