CDR (Call Detail Record) — Call Detail Record
What is CDR (Call Detail Record)?
A CDR (Call Detail Record) is the structured log entry a phone system or carrier generates for every call, capturing metadata like the calling and called number, start and end time, duration, disposition (answered, busy, failed), and route taken — without necessarily including the audio itself. CDRs are the primary data source for call billing, reporting dashboards, and troubleshooting a specific call's path when something goes wrong.
More detail
A single call can generate multiple CDR legs if it's transferred, forwarded, or bridged through a conference, each leg logged as its own record with its own duration and disposition.
Because CDRs contain calling and called numbers, retention and access to them is typically governed by the same privacy and data-handling policies that apply to call recordings.
Frequently asked
- Does a CDR include the actual call recording?
- No — a CDR is metadata only (numbers, timestamps, duration, disposition, route); the audio recording, if one exists, is a separate file typically linked to the CDR by a shared call ID rather than embedded in it.
- Why would a call show up as multiple CDR entries?
- A single logical call can generate several CDR legs — for example, one for the inbound leg and another for each transfer or forwarded destination — since each hop through the system is logged as its own record.
See also
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