SQL Server must utilize centralized management of the content captured in audit records generated by all components of the DBMS.

Without the ability to centrally manage the content captured in the audit records, identification, troubleshooting, and correlation of suspicious behavior would be difficult and could lead to a delayed or incomplete analysis of an ongoing attack.

The content captured in audit records must be managed from a central location (necessitating automation). Centralized management of audit records and logs provides for efficiency in maintenance and management of records, as well as the backup and archiving of those records.

SQL Server may write audit records to files in the file system, to other kinds of local repository, or directly to a centralized log management system. (If the Trace facility is used for auditing - this is no longer recommended, but may be in place for legacy reasons - a trace table is another possible destination.) Whatever the method used, it must be compatible with off-loading the records to the centralized system.