Version Control

The term version control or version management describes a system used for detecting changes made to documents or files. For every change made to a document a new version of said document gets stored in a designated archive (with time stamp and user ID). Older versions of a document can be accessed via version control and, through logging, every change can be tracked.

Version management systems coordinate common access of multiple users to the files. Therefore, they are often used in software development or in Content Management Systems. Version control of documents in conjunction with Document Control postulated by DIN EN ISO 9001 - and the workflows based thereon - also play an important role. bitfarm-Archiv implements version control functions with the help of the open-source software setting SVN (SubVerSion).

Version Control with bitfarm-Archiv DMS

 bitfarm-Archiv document management implements versioning functions using the open source software environment SVN (SubVersioN).

There are two functions:

• Automatic versioning
• Manual versioning

With automatic versioning, the open source DMS automatically recognizes that a document has been changed. If this document is then left alone for an adjustable time (latency) and is no longer edited, the DMS server starts a versioning run. The differences compared to the previous version are stored in the SVN database. The next time the file is accessed, the user is shown the current version. For best practices, he also has access to the older versions at any time.

In contrast, manual versioning must be triggered manually by the user. This means that the user decides whether he or she has finished editing and then starts the versioning process. In contrast to automatic versioning, the user must then also enter a short version information. This has the advantage that the version lists are clearer, since a short summary appears for each version. By the way, versioning works with bitfarm-Archiv document management with many different document types, such as familiar Office formats, but also with CAD drawings, for example.

Version Management vs Version Control

Version management is a method of tracking changes to a file or set of files over time. Because each archived version is stored with a time stamp and a user ID, it is always possible to revert to a previous version at a later date. Version control is used in software development to keep track of source code. Office programs and content management systems, on the other hand, can no longer function without version management.

Working copies (arranged in a directory tree) can be synchronized with data from the repository using the version control system. This is required because it is the only way to work with the repository's files. A checkout, checkout, or update is the process of copying a version from the repository to the working copy. A check-in, a check-in, or a commit, on the other hand, is a transfer from the working copy to the repository. The files in the repository can now be modified using a variety of tools. These can be programs with a graphical user interface or command-line-oriented programs.

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