How to use Version Context option?

Hi Hanna,

I am feeling quite comfortable with the explanation from the help:

Workspace: Identifies the database content that has not been versioned yet / or the latest version if not changed yet. It can be edited.

Current version: Corresponds to the database content last versioned. This version includes the entire versioned content of a database. You have only read access for the content.

Change list number: Enables you to select versions that were created before the currernt version. You have only read access for the content.

What exactly you like to get explained?

Regards, Volker

Hi Volker,

Thanks for quick reply. I was not able to find even this info in help, so thanks.

I have questions about Current version and Change list number.

1). What does it mean last database version? As I understand versions are on model levels, not database. So if I select current version when I login to database, what does it mean? Different models can have different number of versions, does it mean the database shall open versions previous to workspace version? 

2). Change list number: again the same question - I select versions of what ? What does it mean versions of databases? 

Another question is how do you use these three options - If I login to make new changes I have to login to workspace? If I login to current, does it mean I wnat to version previous to workspace? And how is it different from change list? I could just login to change list is select version previous to workspace?

Thanks!

Hi Hanna,

please let me tell you how I would explain it.

We have to distinguish between version numbers and change list numbers.

Version Numbers => linked to models or /and objects. starting from 1, without gaps

Change List numbers => linked to a stage in the database, usually covers a number of objects with different versions, also without gaps.

Ok, now let's run a versioning process. You are in a model and you like to version it. You open the version window and automatically your version activity gets a change list number assigned (the next available).

You enter a comment (the change list comment) and you press enter. The versioning mechanism is now looking for all objects used by and all models linked to your current model (if requested) and will activate a new version. We can't foresee this time what individual version number every object will get, as the objects may already have different version numbers assigned. But because our change list number is unique, I can "cover" all individual object / model objects with this change number.

As you do not have to version all objects in your database all the time, if you later query (open) your database with one of the change list numbers, you will get exactly (and only) the objects coverd by the change number.

The so called "current version" = "latest" = "head" will reflect the highest change list number and it's objects.

To give a simple example:

Model A: Version 1,2,3

Model B: Version 1,2

Model C: Version 1,2,3,4,5

Change List 1 covers: Model A in Version 1 + Model B in Version 1

Change List 2 covers: Model A in Version 2 + Model B in Version 2 + Model C in Version 1

Change List 3 covers: Model A in Version 3 only

etc.

Hope this helps!

Best Regards, Volker

 

Hi Volker,

Thanks a lot for your explanation and examples. It is now more understandable for me.

But looking at the example you gave A, B, C , I still see that I do not understand this completely (sorry for that).

Why in your example Change List 1 does not contain version 1 of Model C?

Why change list 3 contains only Model A in version 3? Where all versions of Model C will go?

Thanks again for giving your time to this, it is very valuable information for us as we are starting to use versioning and we need to bring clear structure into how we will use it.

Thanks!

Hanna

Hi Hanna,

Why in your example Change List 1 does not contain version 1 of Model C?

A: Model C was just not yet in the database, as it was not yet modeled.

Why change list 3 contains only Model A in version 3? Where all versions of Model C will go?

A: You can select what models you are going to version. If you do not have any remarkable relationship between these models you may only want to version model A. In this case the other models are not touched. you do not have to version always the whole database!

I would propose to give a try, create a small database with only some demo models in it and start different version steps. Then you can see clearly what is happen and also you can try out different scenarios. This will give you a better view about "versioning".

Best Regards

Volker