What is an event log?
An event log is a structured collection of operational process events. In classic process mining each event contains at least a case ID, activity and timestamp. Optional attributes include resource, site, material, quantity, cost or system.
Minimum structure
| Field | Business question |
|---|---|
| Case or object | Which instance or business object does the event belong to? |
| Activity | Which business step occurred? |
| Time | When did the step start, end or get posted? |
| Attributes | Which characteristics explain variants or performance? |
Cases and objects
Manufacturing and logistics often connect orders, materials, batches, handling units and deliveries. One case ID can lose relationships or multiply events. Object-centric process mining can preserve those relations.
Quality checks
- stable IDs and complete relevant cases
- timestamp meaning, time zones and resolution
- duplicates, cancellations and technical repeats
- overwritten states and late manual postings
An event log is therefore a documented business data model, not a neutral raw export. See van der Aalst's practitioner's guide and our guide to process mining in production and logistics.
Event log in practice: Our services overview brings together the relevant planning and consulting approaches.