vb.net how can i monitor logged in user task such as add, delete, update data in programme

Question

I am creating an application in vb.net in which many users can add, update, and modify data stored in sql, but one user at a time. Users have to login to the application and then they can start their work. I want to know how I can monitor their work after they log out, like which user updated the record and at which time. Please help me with the logic and how I can make this application for monitor user task.

I already created the database in mysql in which I can store user log in and log out time now I want to store their work.

Answer 1

For a very basic solution, create a new table that's used exclusively for logging. Each action creates an entry (row) in that table that links their user account with a description of the action.

CREATE TABLE UserActivity
(
  ActivityId INT NOT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,

  UserId     INT NOT NULL,
  Message    VARCHAR(255),
  Timestamp  TIMESTAMP
);

If you want more detail, you could create the table to accept foreign keys to the actual entries in the table(s) that was/were changed. But I would start simple with a VARCHAR concise description, eg

INSERT INTO UserActivity (UserId, Message)
VALUES                   (123,    'Updated user 456');

If you're not looking for a complete history and are just looking for who last touched it, you can add two columns to each table: LastUpdated & LastUser, then update those two columns when anything is altered. (As @MarkHall suggested in a comment)

ALTER TABLE mytable
ADD COLUMN  last_updated TIMESTAMP
ADD COLUMN  last_user    INT;