Guide
What is an electronic approval record
An electronic approval record is the structured history of a decision: who submitted the document, who approved or rejected it, when each step happened, and which version was approved. In Segel the record is frozen when the route finishes, then sealed with hashes and a trusted timestamp so any later change becomes detectable.
- Author
- Horulabs
- Published
- Updated
A short definition
An electronic approval record is structured evidence that a document passed through an approval route. It is not a picture of a signature. It is a sequence of events: the document was submitted, reviewed by named people, then approved, rejected, or returned for changes. Every event stores who acted, when, and which version of the document was current at that moment.
That makes it answer a different question from a signature. A signature answers who signed a file. An approval record answers how a decision was formed, who took part, and whether the file you hold today is the same file that was approved.
What the record usually contains
- The source document and its SHA-256 hash, so the approved version can be recognised again.
- The submitter and every approver, with their roles and the order they acted in.
- The time of each event: submission, review, approval, rejection, and return for changes.
- The decision at each step, including any comment or reason.
- A hash-chained audit trail, so a single altered row breaks the chain.
- A timestamp from a trusted time authority at the moment the record is sealed.
The last point is what separates an ordinary record from one you can check. An approval file in a shared folder can be edited without a trace. A sealed record carries mathematical evidence that its contents have not changed since sealing, and anyone holding the file can verify that evidence without trusting the issuer.
Upload the file and see the result for yourself.
How it differs from an e-signature
The terms get mixed up, but they solve different problems. An electronic signature focuses on the signer's identity and their intent to be bound. An approval record focuses on the process and the history of decisions about a document.
| Aspect | Electronic signature | Electronic approval record |
|---|---|---|
| Main question | Who signed this file? | How was this decision formed? |
| What it proves | Signer identity and the signing time | The sequence of steps, actors, decisions, and versions |
| Multiple parties | Usually one or a few signers | Can be layered, sequential, and conditional |
| What gets checked | Certificate validity and identity | Document integrity, audit trail, and timestamp |
How the seal works
When the approval route finishes, Segel freezes the record and seals it. Three layers make the seal checkable.
- Document hash. A SHA-256 fingerprint of the approved file. Change one character and the hash changes.
- Audit root. Every event is written into a hash chain, so removing one step breaks the chain.
- RFC 3161 timestamp. A trusted time authority attests that the record already existed at a given time, rather than being produced later.
All three go into the sealed PDF. The first page is the certificate of approval, the following pages are the original document. Outside the file, the system stores the final package hash: the hash of the sealed PDF itself. That package hash is what the verification page shows and what an uploaded file is compared against.
The split is deliberate. A certificate cannot contain the hash of the package that contains it, because adding the certificate would change that hash. So the certificate carries the document hash and the audit root, while the package hash lives in the seal record and on the verification page.
When an organisation needs one
An approval record earns its keep when a decision involves more than one person and the document moves between departments. Common examples:
- Invoice approval that must pass a manager and finance before payment.
- Contract approval that needs a legal review and a director's sign-off.
- Purchase requests that need a line manager and a budget owner.
- Internal documents that must show they were reviewed by the right authority.
In routes like these, the question that comes up later is rarely who signed. It is usually who approved this version, when, and whether anything changed afterwards. An approval record answers all three at once.
What it does not prove
Segel makes a record hard to change without detection, and makes it checkable by anyone holding the file. It does not guarantee that the approval was correct, does not replace human judgement, and does not make a document automatically valid under any particular law.
What can be said precisely: the record is tamper-evident, meaning changes become visible, and independently verifiable, meaning the check does not depend on the issuer's word. That is a strong enough claim for day-to-day operations, and an honest one to defend during an audit.
Segel does not make forgery impossible. Segel makes every change to the record findable.
Two things often confused, explained side by side.
The evidence layers and their limits.
Getting started
You can create a free organisation, set up one approval route, and upload your first PDF. Every completed document produces a sealed record with a permanent verification link that opens without an account.
The free plan is enough to try one full route.
Common questions
Is an electronic approval record the same as an electronic signature?
No. An electronic signature proves the signer's identity and intent to be bound to the document. An electronic approval record proves the process: who submitted, who approved, when, and which version was approved. The two can be used together on the same document.
Can a sealed record be altered?
Any file can technically be copied and edited, but the edit will be detected. The document hash, the audit chain, and the package hash will no longer match the seal record. The verification page shows that mismatch.
Does this make a document legally valid?
No. Segel is not a certified electronic signature and does not promise any particular evidential weight in court. It provides technical evidence that the record has not changed since it was sealed, and that anyone can check it again.