Versions (IBM® FileNet® P8)

The documents that you work with can require many changes during their lifetimes. They are first created and then modified many times. Information about versions helps you manage your content. The versions of a document provide a history of the changes that the document had from the time it was initially created.

A version represents the document as it existed at a particular time in its history. Different versions of a document become the version series for the document. Document versions are created when you check a document out of a repository and then check it back in.

In addition, when you first add a document to a repository, the Major version check box is displayed only for classes that are configured for two-level versioning. With two-level versioning, you can use all of the following versioning states:

Released: The released state is the latest major version of a document. It is the version that is displayed in the list of results or in a folder.

In Process

When a document is in an in-process state, it is checked in or added as a minor version. The In Process version of a document is not displayed in the list of results or in a folder unless there is no Released document in the version series.

If a major version, also called a Released document, exists, it is shown in the results list with a state icon that indicates that it has a minor version document. You must open the Property page and view the Versions tab to see the In Process version of the document. To see the In Process version in a search, select the Current Versions or All Versions option.

Reservation: When a document is in a reservation state, its content is being edited. The author who is editing the document reserved it for his or her own use.

Superseded

When a document is in a superseded state, the major or minor version of that document is no longer the most recent version. A major released version is replaced when a more recent major released version exists. A minor version is replaced when there is a more recent minor in-process version. Many superseded major and minor versions can exist in a version series.

For example, Juan adds a document to a repository as a minor version (0.1). The document is in the in-process state. Michelle checks out that document and edits it. The document remains a minor version (0.2) and moves into the reservation state. After Michelle checks the document back in, the minor version (0.1) is superseded by the minor version (0.2) that Michelle updated.

When documents are in a draft state, such as In Process, Reservation, and Superseded, the access to the documents is more limited than documents in the Released state. The Released state has general or public access. In addition, your administrator can configure the repository to automatically apply different security settings to documents based on the state.

With two-level versioning, you use both major and minor versions, where major versions are whole numbers and minor versions are decimal numbers. For example, version 3.2 is major version 3 and minor version 2. Minor version 2 is the second incremental version in the major version 3.

Repository settings determine whether documents default to a major version when they are added or checked in. The Major version check box is always shown when you add or check-in documents. By default, documents are added and checked in as a major version. When you add documents by using entry templates, you can override the repository setting and set it to read-only or hidden.

For example, editors and contributors are working on creating a company policy. They use the major and minor versions and the different versioning states to help them determine the significance of the changes that are made by others. The versions and versioning states distinguish formal, final versions of documents from working or in-progress versions.

Version promotion and demotion

During the lifecycle of a document, you might promote or demote a document version. If you and other contributors to a document are working on a draft of a company policy, that document remains a minor version. After one or more reviews and final approval, you promote the version to a major version. That document version is released and available to everyone. However, if the company policy that you released must be modified, you can demote the major version to a minor version. You and other contributors can revise the document before it is released again.

You can promote the current minor version to a major version or demote the current major version to a minor version without checking the document out or in. When you promote the version, the major version number is incremented by one and the minor version number is set to zero. For example, if version 2.5 is promoted, the version number becomes version 3.0. When you demote the version, the major version number is decremented by one and the minor version number is incremented by one. For example, if version 1.0 is demoted and there is an existing minor version 0.2, the version number becomes version 0.3.

Scenario: Document versioning that is used for company policies

Claire in human resources writes the new company policy and adds it as a new minor version document (0.1). The next day, her supervisor, Elena, checks out the document to add new information to the policy document. Elena checks the document back in as a minor version (0.2) and saves her edits. The policy document is still a minor version. Both Claire and Elena are modifying the document and the document is in process and not ready to be released to the rest of the company.

After she collaborates on the document with Claire, Elena is satisfied with the changes. Elena promotes the document to a major version (1.0) and sends a copy to Ivan, the vice president of human resources for review. Ivan checks out the document, adds his changes, and then checks the document back in as a minor version (1.2). Ivan tells Elena that he is satisfied with the company policy and decides that it is ready for formal approval from the company president. Marge, the executive assistant to the president, checks out the policy document and promotes the policy document to a major version (2.0). The new company policy is now available and released to the entire company.

A year later, Ivan decides to revise the company policy. Sabine demotes the released version to a minor version (1.2). Claire and Elena modify the company policy, and then promote the document to a major version (2.0) for Ivan to review. Ivan checks out the document to review the changes and modifies it. He checks the document back in as a minor version (2.1). He tells Elena that he is satisfied with the revised company policy and that it is ready for formal approval from the company president. Sabine checks out the policy document and promotes the policy document to a major version (3.0). The revised company policy is now available and released to the entire company.