# Trace a file and its processing result

Use File History when you need to identify what CMA created or received. Select the correct application and Company, then filter by the relevant dates, direction, or file type. This example shows historical DMA files for Company four during a limited period. Compare the filename, item count, and amounts to the run you are investigating. Open the History ID for details. A similar filename is a clue, but it is not enough to identify the correct processing event.

Here is History ID ninety-one thousand four hundred twenty. It is an outbound DMA client-check file, with one item and a gross and net amount of one hundred fifty two dollars. Its creation time is recorded, but Date Processed and Status are blank. Those blanks do not establish delivery or failure. Read the metadata as evidence of what is recorded, then find the related processing evidence. This details screen can save changes; avoid editing status just to match an assumption.

Trace the file to its underlying payments or disbursements using the History ID filter where the report supports it. Compare the record IDs, amounts, and current statuses with the file totals. For an incoming return, read the import results and the resulting tasks as well. A file stored in History may have been archived without automatic updates, so storage alone does not prove the return was applied. Keep the file reference with the record references so the sequence can be reconstructed.

Finish by matching CMA's evidence with the external acknowledgment or bank result. File creation, transfer, acceptance, and settlement are different events. If any stage is unclear, assign the investigation and retain the original reference before repeating the operation. When the cause is known, use the appropriate payment, return, or disbursement workflow to correct the records. Record the outcome and the supporting references so another staff member can verify what happened without guessing from the filename.