Compliance Monitoring - AnomalyArmor

Audience: Data Governance, Compliance Teams, DPOs Regulatory frameworks like GDPR, SOX, HIPAA, and industry standards require organizations to demonstrate control over their data. AnomalyArmor provides the audit trails and change documentation needed for compliance.

Compliance Use Cases

Requirement	How AnomalyArmor Helps
Data Lineage	Track what data exists and where
Change Management	Document all schema modifications
Audit Trails	Immutable logs of detected changes
Access Documentation	Record what AnomalyArmor can see
Data Classification	Tag PII and sensitive data

Schema Change Documentation

Automatic Change History

Every schema change is automatically recorded:

Schema History: customers table
────────────────────────────────

2024-01-15 08:00:00 UTC
Change: Column removed - ssn (varchar)
Detected by: Discovery Run #1234
Details: Column no longer exists in source

2024-01-10 14:30:00 UTC
Change: Column added - gdpr_consent (boolean)
Detected by: Discovery Run #1200
Details: New column discovered

2024-01-05 09:15:00 UTC
Change: Column type changed - email
From: varchar(100)
To: varchar(255)
Detected by: Discovery Run #1150

Accessing Change History

Navigate to Assets
Click on any asset
Select Schema History tab
Filter by date range
Export for auditors

Exporting for Audits

Export schema change history:

Go to Assets → [Asset] → Schema History
Click Export
Select format: CSV, JSON, or PDF
Choose date range
Download

The export includes:

Asset name and location
Change type and details
Detection timestamp
Discovery run ID
Before/after values

Data Classification

Tagging Sensitive Data

Identify and tag PII and sensitive columns:

Navigate to an asset
Click Classification tab
Select columns to classify
Apply tags:
- PII - Personally Identifiable Information
- Financial - Financial data
- Health - Health/medical data
- Confidential - Internal confidential
- Create custom tags for your organization’s specific requirements

Classification Alerts

Alert when classified columns change:

Field	Value
Rule	PII Column Changes
Event	Schema Change Detected
Classification	PII
Conditions	Any change
Destinations	Email compliance@company.com, Slack #data-governance

Classification Report

Generate a report of all classified data:

Go to Assets
Filter by Classification
Export filtered results

Report includes:

All assets with classified columns
Classification tags applied
Column details
Last change date

Audit Trail Access

What’s Logged

AnomalyArmor maintains audit logs for:

Activity	Logged Details
Discovery runs	Start time, end time, assets found, changes detected
Schema changes	Before/after state, detection time
Configuration changes	Who changed what, when
User actions	Login, logout, settings changes
Alert activity	Alerts fired, acknowledged, resolved

Accessing Audit Logs

In the UI:

Go to Settings → Audit Log
Filter by date, user, or activity type
Export for compliance review

Via API:

GET /api/v1/audit-logs
?start_date=2024-01-01
&end_date=2024-01-31
&activity_type=schema_change

Log Retention

Plan	Retention Period
Standard	90 days
Enterprise	Configurable (up to 7 years)

Contact support for extended retention requirements.

Compliance Frameworks

GDPR Requirement	AnomalyArmor Support
Art. 30 - Records of Processing	Asset catalog documents data locations
Art. 32 - Security of Processing	Change monitoring detects unauthorized modifications
Art. 33 - Breach Notification	Alerts can notify of potential data issues
Art. 17 - Right to Erasure	Track when PII columns are removed

Recommended Setup:

Tag all PII columns
Alert on any PII column changes
Export monthly PII inventory reports

SOX

SOX Requirement	AnomalyArmor Support
Section 302 - Financial Controls	Monitor financial data tables
Section 404 - Internal Controls	Document all schema changes
Change Management	Audit trail of modifications

Recommended Setup:

Monitor all financial data tables
Alert on any schema changes to financial data
Weekly export of change reports

HIPAA

HIPAA Requirement	AnomalyArmor Support
Access Controls	Document what systems access PHI
Audit Controls	Log all data access and changes
Integrity Controls	Detect unauthorized modifications

Recommended Setup:

Tag all PHI columns
Alert immediately on PHI changes
Enable extended audit log retention

Reporting for Auditors

Monthly Compliance Report

Generate monthly reports showing:

Asset Inventory: All monitored tables and columns
Change Summary: Schema changes in the period
Classification Status: PII and sensitive data inventory
Alert Summary: Alerts fired and responses

Quarterly Review

Prepare for quarterly reviews:

Export schema change history for quarter
Export classification inventory
Export audit logs
Document any incidents and responses
Review and update classifications

Annual Audit Package

For annual audits, compile:

Complete asset inventory
12 months of schema change history
Classification inventory with evidence
Audit logs for the year
Incident response documentation
Evidence of regular monitoring (alert history)

Alert Rules for Compliance

PII Monitoring

Field	Value
Rule	PII Data Changes
Event	Schema Change Detected
Classification	PII, Personal Data
Conditions	Any change
Destinations	Email dpo@company.com, Email compliance@company.com, Slack #data-governance

Financial Data Monitoring

Field	Value
Rule	Financial Data Changes
Event	Schema Change Detected
Scope	Classification: Financial, OR Assets: revenue, payment, transaction
Conditions	Any change
Destinations	Email finance-compliance@company.com, Slack #finance-data

Unauthorized Access Detection

Field	Value
Rule	Discovery Failures
Event	Discovery Failed
Scope	All data sources
Destinations	Email security@company.com, Slack #security-alerts

Repeated failures may indicate permission changes or unauthorized access attempts.

Best Practices

Documentation

Tag everything sensitive: Don’t miss PII or financial columns
Regular reviews: Quarterly review of classifications
Export regularly: Don’t wait for audits to export data

Monitoring

Alert on all sensitive data changes: Better to know than miss
Include compliance team on alerts: They need visibility
Document incident responses: Keep records of how you responded

Retention

Extended retention for regulated data: Match your regulatory requirements
Backup exports: Keep copies outside AnomalyArmor
Immutable storage: Use write-once storage for audit exports

Checklist

For compliance readiness:

All databases connected and discovered
PII columns identified and tagged
Financial data identified and tagged
Health data identified and tagged (if applicable)
Alert rules for classified data changes
Compliance team added to alerts
Export schedule established
Retention policy configured
Audit log access documented

Common Questions

AnomalyArmor supports GDPR Articles 30, 32, and 33 by cataloging where personal data lives, tracking every schema change, and alerting on modifications to PII-tagged columns. Tag PII columns in the Classification tab and create an alert rule that routes any change to your DPO. See the GDPR table for the full mapping.

How long are audit logs retained?

Standard plans retain audit logs for 90 days. Enterprise plans support configurable retention up to 7 years to match regulatory requirements like SOX and HIPAA. Contact support if you need extended retention beyond the default.

Can I export schema change history for an auditor?

Yes. Open the asset’s Schema History tab, click Export, and choose CSV, JSON, or PDF over any date range. The export includes change type, detection timestamp, discovery run ID, and before/after values, which is usually enough to satisfy a SOX or HIPAA change-management review.

How do I tag PII columns so I get alerted when they change?

In the asset view, open the Classification tab, select the columns, and apply the built-in PII tag (or a custom tag). Then create an alert rule scoped to that classification with event Schema Change Detected and route it to your compliance channel. Repeat for Financial, Health, or custom classifications.

Does AnomalyArmor store the actual PII values?

No. AnomalyArmor reads metadata and schema, not row data. We record that a column named ssn existed and was removed, never the values inside it. That keeps the audit trail useful without creating a new compliance surface to defend.

Data Classification

Tagging and classification features

Security Overview

Security and compliance documentation

​Compliance Use Cases

​Schema Change Documentation

​Automatic Change History

​Accessing Change History

​Exporting for Audits

​Data Classification

​Tagging Sensitive Data

​Classification Alerts

​Classification Report

​Audit Trail Access

​What’s Logged

​Accessing Audit Logs

​Log Retention

​Compliance Frameworks

​GDPR

​SOX

​HIPAA

​Reporting for Auditors

​Monthly Compliance Report

​Quarterly Review

​Annual Audit Package

​Alert Rules for Compliance

​PII Monitoring

​Financial Data Monitoring

​Unauthorized Access Detection

​Best Practices

​Documentation

​Monitoring

​Retention

​Checklist

​Common Questions

​How does AnomalyArmor help with GDPR compliance?

​How long are audit logs retained?

​Can I export schema change history for an auditor?

​How do I tag PII columns so I get alerted when they change?

​Does AnomalyArmor store the actual PII values?

​Related Resources

Data Classification

Security Overview

Compliance Use Cases

Schema Change Documentation

Automatic Change History

Accessing Change History

Exporting for Audits

Data Classification

Tagging Sensitive Data

Classification Alerts

Classification Report

Audit Trail Access

What’s Logged

Accessing Audit Logs

Log Retention

Compliance Frameworks

GDPR

SOX

HIPAA

Reporting for Auditors

Monthly Compliance Report

Quarterly Review

Annual Audit Package

Alert Rules for Compliance

PII Monitoring

Financial Data Monitoring

Unauthorized Access Detection

Best Practices

Documentation

Monitoring

Retention

Checklist

Common Questions

How does AnomalyArmor help with GDPR compliance?

How long are audit logs retained?

Can I export schema change history for an auditor?

How do I tag PII columns so I get alerted when they change?

Does AnomalyArmor store the actual PII values?

Related Resources