Document History and Records Workflow

Overview

Document History is the platform-wide activity history for all your actions in MyApprentice. It records every action performed across quotes, invoices, jobs, clients, and other records — sent, edited, updated, created, accepted, paid, deleted, and more. Document History also gives access to Deleted Items, where deleted records are kept and can be restored. Deleting any record in MyApprentice keeps the record rather than erasing it, so a deleted record can always be restored. This gives you a complete personal record of your business activity and a safety net for anything deleted by mistake. This guide covers viewing the activity history, downloading sent documents, exporting records, and restoring deleted records.

Who This Workflow Is For

This workflow is for a sole trader — a single operator running the business alone. As the Business Owner of your business, you have full access to Document History and Deleted Items.

Before You Start

You need to be signed in. Document History builds automatically as you use the business, so there is no setup required — activity is recorded as it happens.

End-to-End Workflow

Step 1: Open Document History

1. In the left sidebar, select Document History.
2. The page opens showing all recent activity, newest first, with 25 records per page. Each row shows Date & Time, Document, Customer & Job, Activity, Created By, Sent Version, and Details.

Step 2: Filter the activity list

1. Use the filter tabs to narrow the list: All, Quotes, Invoices, Accepted, Sent, Edited, Created, Paid, Deleted, Other.
   • For example, filter by Sent to see when a quote or invoice was sent, by Deleted to see what has been deleted, or by Accepted to check whether a client accepted a quote.

Step 3: Search for a specific record

1. Use the search bar to find a record by document number, date and time, customer name, or activity type (for example, “quote sent by email”). This makes it easy to locate a specific document quickly.

Step 4: Expand a record to review the detail

1. Select Show on any row to open the full detail panel, which displays Document Type, Document Title, Job, Activity Type, Summary, Document Number, Customer, Created By, and Sent Version.
2. Select Hide to collapse the row.

Step 5: Download a sent document

1. Where a record has a finalised PDF attached — such as a sent quote or invoice — a Download button appears in the expanded row.
2. Select Download to download the exact version that was sent to the client at that point in time. The Sent Version column shows which version was sent (for example, v1), and if a document is resent, multiple sent versions may appear as separate rows.

Step 6: Export the full activity history

1. Select Export CSV at the top right of the page (next to Deleted Items).
2. The CSV download begins automatically and includes all Document History records regardless of any filter currently applied to the page view.
3. Open the file in spreadsheet software for reporting or audit purposes.

Step 7: Open Deleted Items

1. Select Deleted Items at the top right of the Document History page.
2. The Deleted Items page opens with the note: “Restorable records deleted by users. These records are excluded from all normal screens and calculations.”

A deleted record is kept and can be restored — it simply no longer appears on standard screens or in calculations until you restore it.

Step 8: Find and restore a deleted record

1. Use the Object type filter dropdown to narrow the list. Object types include All, Jobs, Schedules, Clients, Suppliers, Quotes, Invoices, Materials, Categories, Items, Inventory, and Users.
2. Search by title, object, deleted-by, or key fields, and sort using the Sort dropdown (default: Deleted Date, Newest).
3. Select a record and select Restore.
4. A confirmation pop-out naming the object appears — confirm to complete the restore.
5. The record then reappears in standard application screens. This applies to any record type, including restoring a deleted client.

Common Issues & Limitations

• Download only where a PDF exists. The Download button appears only on records with a finalised PDF version attached.
• Export ignores filters. Export CSV always exports all records, regardless of the active filter tab.
• Deleted records are kept, not erased. A deleted record is excluded from standard screens and calculations until it is restored — but it is never permanently lost and can always be restored.
• Restore confirmation required. A pop-out naming the object appears before any restore is finalised.

What Happens Next

A restored record returns to active use immediately and reappears in standard screens. Document History continues to record new activity as you operate the business, providing an ongoing audit reference. Use it alongside the Dashboard to confirm when documents were sent, accepted, or deleted.

Related Guides

• Dashboard and Reporting Workflow
• Accepted Quote to Paid Invoice
• Client Portal Workflow