Timeline

Timeline answers a specific compliance question: was this record valid or active at a particular point in time? “Was this contract in effect on December 31?” “When did this board member have authority?” “What was this license’s status during the audit period?”

A timeline is a dated history of a record’s states. Lextree builds it by deriving states from your data automatically. You can also add context manually where there’s no record to derive from.

Timeline entries

Each entry records one state and when it took effect:

• State — the status being recorded (the available states are configured per record type — for example, Formed, Reinstated, Merged, Dissolved).
• Effective date — when that state became valid.
• Description — optional context for the change.

Entries are either derived or manual. Derived entries come automatically from a related record, an attached document, or a date field. Manual entries are ones you add for events that aren’t otherwise documented.

Retrospective, not a reminder

Timeline records what has happened or is currently true — it is a backward-looking validity view, not a place for future deadlines. Future dates that should prompt action (expirations, renewals) belong in the record’s fields and the Calendar, where they drive reminders.

Timeline also isn’t the evidence itself — it synthesizes validity from your authoritative sources (records, documents, and workflows). The proof stays in those sources; the timeline gives you the at-a-glance answer.

Configuring states

The states available for each record type are configurable. Account admins manage them in Settings → Timeline Settings, where you can add, reorder, and retire states per dataset. Each state maps to an overall status such as Active or Inactive.

Who can see the timeline

The timeline inherits access from its record: if you can view the record, you can see its timeline. On Enterprise plans, organizational unit (OU) scoping applies as it does everywhere else.