AuditableBaseEntity

Namespace: RA.Utilities.Data.Entities

The primary purpose of the AuditableBaseEntity class is to extend the functionality of BaseEntity by adding auditing capabilities. While BaseEntity tracks when a record was created or modified, AuditableBaseEntity also tracks who performed those actions.

This is essential for applications that require accountability, security, and a clear audit trail for data changes.

🧠 Here's a breakdown of its purpose:

1. Unique Identification:

It provides a standard Id property, usually a Guid, which serves as the primary key for uniquely identifying each entity instance.

2. Timestamping:

It includes CreatedAt and LastModifiedAt properties. These properties automatically record when an entity was initially created and when it was last updated, providing valuable historical context for data changes. By using AuditableBaseEntity, you can easily answer questions like "Who created this customer record?" or "Who was the last person to update this order?".

Properties

The AuditableBaseEntity class includes its own CreatedAtandLastModifiedAt properties, and also inherits several key properties from its parent, [BaseEntity`](./BaseEntity.md).

Property	Type	Description	Source
Id	Guid	The unique identifier for the entity.	BaseEntity
CreatedAt	DateTime	The timestamp of when the entity was created.	BaseEntity
LastModifiedAt	DateTime?	The timestamp of when the entity was last modified.	BaseEntity
CreatedBy	string	The identifier of the user who created the entity.	-
LastModifiedBy	string?	The identifier of the user who last modified the entity.	-

This structure ensures that any entity requiring auditing capabilities also has the fundamental properties for unique identification and timestamping, providing a robust and consistent data model.

Example: Order Entity

When you need to track which user created or last modified a record, inheriting from AuditableBaseEntity is the perfect solution. It provides all the standard properties from BaseEntity and adds the necessary auditing fields.

Let's create an Order entity for an e-commerce system as an example.

using System;
using RA.Utilities.Data.Entities;

namespace YourApp.Domain.Entities;

/// <summary>
/// Represents a customer order in the system.
/// It inherits from AuditableBaseEntity to track creation and modification by users.
/// </summary>
public class Order : AuditableBaseEntity
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the ID of the customer who placed the order.
    /// </summary>
    public Guid CustomerId { get; set; }

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the date the order was placed.
    /// </summary>
    public DateTime OrderDate { get; set; }

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the total amount for the order.
    /// </summary>
    public decimal TotalAmount { get; set; }
}

Resulting Properties

By inheriting from AuditableBaseEntity, the Order class is automatically equipped with properties for identification, timestamping, and auditing. Here is a complete list of its properties:

Property	Type	Description	Source
Id	Guid	The unique identifier for the product.	Inherited from BaseEntity
CreatedAt	DateTime	The timestamp of when the product was created.	Inherited from BaseEntity
LastModifiedAt	DateTime?	The timestamp of when the product was last modified.	Inherited from BaseEntity
CreatedBy	string	The identifier of the user who created the order.	Inherited from AuditableBaseEntity
LastModifiedBy	string?	The identifier of the user who last modified the order.	Inherited from AuditableBaseEntity
CustomerId	Guid	The ID of the customer who placed the order.	Defined in Order
OrderDate	DateTime	The date the order was placed.	Defined in Order
TotalAmount	decimal	The total amount for the order.	Defined in Order