Direct-selling records should connect seller onboarding, product orders, payments, returns, approved calculations and support history. Use stable identifiers and preserve material changes. The aim is to explain what happened and support legitimate review without collecting or exposing unnecessary personal information.
Separate operational records from legal retention decisions. Qualified advisers should identify the documents and retention periods that apply to the business. Developers then need a precise specification for access, storage, export and disposal.
Map the records and their relationships
Identify customers, direct sellers, products, orders and calculation runs as distinct record types. Define how they connect. A seller may also purchase a product, but the system still needs to distinguish the capacity in which each transaction occurred.
Keep references from external systems, such as a payment-provider transaction identifier or delivery reference. These help staff reconcile events without relying on names or screenshots.
Direct-selling records to include in the data map
| Record group | Questions for the specification |
|---|---|
| Onboarding | Which approved documents, agreements and status changes must be retained? |
| Product sales | Can an order be traced to its items, payment, fulfilment and customer? |
| Returns | Is the decision linked to the original sale and refund? |
| Calculations | Are inputs, policy version, adjustments and approval identifiable? |
| Support | Can staff see the issue, owner, response and outcome? |
| Changes | Can material edits be explained without overwriting their history? |
Translate recordkeeping obligations into requirements
India’s Direct Selling Rules include record-maintenance obligations and a register of direct sellers. Ask advisers to identify the applicable requirements and current amendments for your actual operation.
Do not assume one retention period covers every record. Document the approved purpose, access, retention and disposal treatment for each category. Make any legal hold or investigation process explicit.
Preserve an understandable change trail
For important changes, record the actor, time, affected field, previous value, new value and reason where appropriate. A correction should explain the earlier mistake rather than erase the evidence needed to understand it.
Restrict who can edit or remove audit records. Also monitor the logging process itself. An audit trail that stops silently during a failure cannot provide the evidence staff expect.
Limit access and unnecessary copies
Define which roles need personal records and which need only summaries. Protect exports as well as screens. A spreadsheet containing sensitive information should not become the default answer to every reporting request.
Review logs for unnecessary personal content. Keep useful event references instead of copying complete documents into every system. Include access removal when staff or suppliers leave their role.
Test export and restoration
Request a structured export with documented fields and stable relationships. Check whether another authorised team can understand the records without the original dashboard. Include historical adjustments and closed cases where they belong in scope.
Test backup restoration in a controlled environment. Confirm what can be restored, how records reconcile after restoration and who can authorise recovery. A backup file existing somewhere is not evidence of a successful restore.
Common questions
Are screenshots sufficient records?
They can provide context, but they are not a substitute for structured, linked records and an agreed retention process.
Should every user see the complete network history?
No. Access should follow the user’s legitimate role and the applicable privacy requirements.
Can old records simply be deleted after migration?
First confirm retention obligations, reconciliation and recoverability. Use an approved disposal process rather than a convenient default.
Request a record and export specification
Share your approved record categories, retention decisions and reporting needs with Solutions1313’s direct-selling software service. Include audit trails, exports and restoration evidence in the scope.
Review the commission tests alongside the record model. The admin dashboard guide explains how staff can find and investigate exceptions.
