Activity Log
The Activity Log provides a complete, append-only audit trail of every significant action taken in Metatate. It is stored in the app_data.activity_log table and is designed to be immutable -- entries are never updated or deleted.
the activity log page
Log Entries
Each entry in the activity log captures the following fields:
| Column | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
action | VARCHAR | The action that was performed (e.g., policy.created, deploy.applied) |
entity_type | VARCHAR | The type of object affected (e.g., policy, deployment, classification) |
entity_id | VARCHAR | The unique identifier of the affected object |
entity_name | VARCHAR | The human-readable name of the affected object |
actor | VARCHAR | The Snowflake user who performed the action |
actor_role | VARCHAR | The Snowflake role the actor was using |
details | VARIANT | A JSON object with additional context about the action |
created_at | TIMESTAMP | When the action occurred |
Common Actions
The following action types are recorded:
| Action | When It Occurs |
|---|---|
policy.created | A new policy is saved for the first time |
policy.updated | An existing policy is edited and saved |
policy.deleted | A policy is removed |
deploy.planned | A deployment plan is generated |
deploy.applied | A deployment plan is applied to governance tables |
deploy.materialized | Governance tables are rebuilt after deployment |
classification.completed | AI classification is run on a table |
catalog.synced | Catalog metadata is refreshed from the database reference |
Filtering and Pagination
The Activity Log page supports filtering to help you find specific entries:
- Action type -- Filter by action (e.g., show only
deploy.*actions). - Entity type -- Filter by the kind of object (e.g., only
policyentities). - Date range -- Narrow results to a specific time window.
the filter controls
Results are paginated to keep the page responsive, even with thousands of entries. Use the pagination controls at the bottom to navigate through older records.
Use Cases
Compliance Auditing
The append-only design makes the activity log suitable for compliance reviews. Auditors can see exactly who changed what and when, with full traceability from policy creation through deployment.
Troubleshooting
If governance rules are not behaving as expected, the activity log helps trace the sequence of events -- when a policy was last modified, when it was deployed, and whether materialization completed successfully.
Team Visibility
In multi-user environments, the activity log keeps everyone informed about changes made by other team members. The Dashboard surfaces the most recent entries for quick awareness.