How to generate detailed usage reports in Adobesign for compliance

If your job depends on proving who did what in your e-signature system, you can't afford to wing it. Whether it's for audits, internal reviews, or just making sure nothing slips through the cracks, detailed usage reports are non-negotiable. This guide is for anyone on the hook for compliance—admins, IT folks, or the person everyone turns to when someone says, "Hey, do we have a record of that?"

You probably use Adobesign because it's supposed to make things easier. But generating the right reports—ones that actually satisfy compliance or audit requirements—isn't always obvious. Let's cut through the fluff and show you exactly how to get the data you need, what works, and what to ignore.

What Counts as a “Detailed Usage Report” in Adobesign?

First, some honesty: “detailed” means different things to different people. Auditors want one thing, your boss wants another, and you just want everyone off your back. Here’s what usually matters for compliance:

  • Who sent what, to whom, and when
  • Document status: Sent, viewed, signed, declined, etc.
  • Audit trails: IP addresses, timestamps, actions taken
  • User activity: Who logged in, who did what
  • Exportable format: Usually CSV or Excel—PDFs are nice to look at, but not to analyze

Adobesign gives you some of this out of the box, but not always in the format or level of detail you want. Some features are locked behind “admin” permissions or higher-tier plans. Fair warning: if you’re on a basic plan, you might hit some walls.

Step 1: Make Sure You Have the Right Permissions

Before you waste time clicking around, check your role in Adobesign. Only account admins (sometimes group admins) can access full usage reports. If you’re not an admin, ask your admin to either run the reports for you or bump up your permissions. No way around this.

Pro tip: If you only see your own documents, not everyone’s, you’re likely not an admin.

Step 2: Find the Reporting Section

Here’s how to get there (interface changes happen, but this is accurate as of mid-2024):

  1. Log in to your Adobesign account.
  2. Go to the Home or Dashboard screen.
  3. Look for the Reports tab or section. Sometimes it’s under “Account” or “Admin Tools.”
    • If you don’t see it: You probably don’t have admin rights.

Inside the Reports area, you’ll see a few types:

  • Usage Reports: Good for high-level activity.
  • Transaction Reports: More granular, often what compliance folks want.
  • Audit Reports: For document-level details.

Step 3: Choose the Right Report for Compliance

Don’t just download everything and hope for the best. Here’s what you actually want, depending on your needs:

1. User or Usage Reports

  • Shows who sent/received documents, and how often.
  • Good for showing adoption or unusual spikes.

2. Transaction Reports

  • Lists every document sent, its status, and timestamps.
  • Useful for proving nothing’s missing.

3. Audit Reports (per document)

  • The “paper trail” with IP addresses, exact times, and actions.
  • Overkill for broad usage reporting, but essential for legal disputes.

What to ignore: “Summary” or “Dashboard” reports look pretty but lack detail. They’re fine for PowerPoints, not audits.

Step 4: Run and Export the Report

Here’s how to actually get your hands on the data:

  1. Pick your report type (see above).
  2. Set your date range.
    • Most audits want the last month, quarter, or year.
    • Don’t pull “all time” unless you enjoy waiting.
  3. Filter by group or user if needed.
    • Useful if you only need a certain department or team.
  4. Generate the report.
    • There’s usually a “Run Report” or “Export” button.
  5. Download as CSV or Excel.
    • Stick with CSV if you want clean imports into spreadsheets or audit tools.
    • PDF exports are mostly for human eyes, not analysis.

Heads up: Large reports can take a while to generate. Adobesign sometimes emails you a link when it’s ready.

Step 5: Check the Data (Don’t Assume It’s Perfect)

Don’t just fire off the report to your boss or the auditors. Open it up and spot-check:

  • Are all the columns there? (Recipient, sender, timestamps, actions)
  • Any blanks or weird-looking data?
  • Does the count match what you expect for the time period?
  • Are there duplicate entries or missing users?

Pro tip: Auditors love to ask about gaps or anomalies. Better you find them before they do.

Step 6: Combine with Document-Level Audit Trails (If Required)

Sometimes, a general usage report isn’t enough. If you need to prove exactly who signed what and when (down to the minute), you’ll want the document-level audit trail.

How to get it:

  1. Go to the specific document in Adobesign.
  2. Look for the Audit Report or Activity tab.
  3. Download the audit log—usually a PDF.

Repeat for any documents under scrutiny. Yes, it’s tedious if you have a lot, but it’s the gold standard for legal compliance.

Step 7: Store and Protect Your Reports

Don’t just save these on your desktop and call it a day. Treat them like sensitive records:

  • Store on secure, access-controlled drives.
  • Know your company’s retention policy (how long you need to keep them).
  • Never email raw usage reports unless you’re sure it’s safe—these can contain personal data.

If your organization uses a document management system, drop your reports in there and set reminders to review or delete as required.

What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore

What Works

  • Scheduled Reports: Some Adobesign plans let you automate reports. Use this if you need regular compliance snapshots.
  • CSV Exports: They’re ugly, but flexible.
  • User Filters: Focus on the teams or users auditors actually care about.

What Doesn’t

  • Dashboard stats: They rarely have enough detail.
  • Manual compiling: Don’t try to copy-paste from the web UI. It’s error-prone and won’t hold up in an audit.
  • Ignoring permission issues: If you can’t see what you need, solve the admin problem first.

What to Ignore

  • Pretty charts: Nice for management, useless for compliance.
  • Exporting PDFs for bulk analysis: Fine for a few documents, but you’ll hate yourself if you try to analyze dozens.

Pro Tips and Real-World Gotchas

  • Date/time confusion: Adobesign sometimes uses UTC, sometimes local time. Note this in your reports.
  • Bulk downloads: For document audit trails, there’s no “download all.” Plan accordingly.
  • Data privacy: Don’t pull more data than you need. Stick to the minimum for compliance, especially with GDPR or similar laws.
  • APIs: If you’re technical, Adobesign’s API can pull even more granular data, but it’s not plug-and-play.

Keep It Simple—And Review Regularly

Don’t overcomplicate your reporting process. Start with what you’re required to show, not what looks impressive. Set a calendar reminder to review your settings and permissions every quarter—tools change, people change roles, and you don’t want to find out you’re missing data when an auditor walks in.

Compliance reporting doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Get your process down, automate where you can, and focus on what actually matters. If you keep it simple, you’re much less likely to get burned.