Day books are simple journals that are used to record daily events as they occur. Books of this type provide a daily written document that normally includes details such as the date, time of day, and the basic data regarding the event. A day book can be helpful in a number of business situations, including the creation of a chronological listing of transactions that are later recorded in accounting records.

The use of a day book is common in a number of settings. Many law enforcement agencies, such as local police stations, will make use of this tool to record arrests and other activities as they take place. The book can later be used to cross check the accuracy of other reports that are filed with the department, thus creating a valuable backup resource for any information entered into a permanent record.

In like manner, corporate executives sometimes use day books to create an ongoing record of the tasks they completed during the course of the business day. Events such as meetings and conferences, discussions with department heads, or time spent entertaining clients are examples of the data that is usually recorded in an executive day book. As with other records, these simple books make it much easier to create a more permanent record later, without providing much of a distraction as the events are occurring.

The sales day book serves a similar purpose for the salesperson. The book serves as a record of any events or transactions associated with the sales effort. This includes any transactions that may take place, such as a new sale, meeting with a prospective or existing client, or signing a new customer, or renewing a contract with an existing customer. The day book in this application provides a quick and easy way to record relevant events, making it easier to provide a fuller account of each event at a later time.

While a traditional day book is an actual book composed of pages and a sturdy binding and cover, there are also electronic versions of this handy tool available. Many electronic versions of the day book are configured to load with ease on handheld devices, making it very easy to access and update the entries for a given day. In some cases, the software that drives the electronic day book will also allow the notes to be downloaded into other programs, such as a sales database. This makes it possible for the user to then access each recently downloaded entry, add more detail to the entry, and thus create a complete record of each event that occurred on that day.