The accounting term for the chronological record of transactions is a journal.
A journal is the first formal place where many business transactions are recorded in bookkeeping. Entries are normally arranged by date and describe the accounts affected, the amounts debited and credited, and often a brief explanation or reference. This chronological sequence creates an audit trail from the original event to the company’s financial reports.
Under double-entry bookkeeping, each journal entry must have equal total debits and credits. After recording, the amounts are posted to the appropriate accounts in the general ledger, where transactions are grouped by account rather than by date. Businesses may keep a general journal or separate special journals for activities such as sales, cash receipts or purchases.
The journal is often confused with the ledger. The journal answers “when and what happened?” while the ledger organizes the effects in individual accounts and helps determine their balances. A journal is also not the same as a journal entry: the journal is the record or book, while an entry is one recorded transaction or adjustment within it.