Versions

A version is a snapshot of the definitions of a set of objects at a point in time.

The object definitions typically represent an application or application area.

Versions enable you to track the changes to a set of objects, restore objects to a previous version if you need to fall back, and promote changes from one system to another.

Versions can be created in one of three ways:

When using Change Management, you can define a version scope (the objects to be included in a version) and then use the GV line command on the Version Scopes (ADB2C42) to generate a version based on that scope.
When you run a change using Change Management, you can specify to have a version of the objects generated after the changes have been applied.
When you use IBM® Db2 Object Comparison Tool for z/OS®, you can have versions of the source and target objects generated. When Change Management is enabled, you have the option of storing versions in data sets or in the Change Management database.
Tip: Consider storing all of your versions in the Change Management database, which makes them easier to track, access, and recover.

When you promote a set of changes from one system to another, you need two versions. The starting version represents the state of objects before any changes are made and the ending version represents the state of objects after the promoted changes are made. During the promote process, Db2 Admin Tool compares the ending version with the starting version and generates a delta changes data set the contains the SQL statements that are required to bring the other system up to the same level as the system from which your promoting the changes. You can then import the delta changes data set into a new change on the system to which you are promoting the changes, analyze the change, and run them.

When you implement them carefully, you can also use versions as the base version for subsequent changes to a set of objects. When you analyze a change, Db2 Admin Tool needs a base set of definitions for the change for the analyze process. Db2 Admin Tool either extracts the object definitions from the catalog to use as the base version, which can be time consuming, or uses an existing version as the base version. You can specify that Db2 Admin Tool uses an existing version when there are no prerequisite changes for the objects.

The CM - Manage Versions panel, which is shown in the following figure, is the main panel for managing versions:

Figure 1. Manage Versions panel (ADB2C4)

DB2 Admin ------------------- CM - Manage Versions ---------------------- 16:59
Option ===>                                                                    
                                                                               
                                                                               
   1 - Display versions                                  DB2 System: DD1A      
   2 - Display version scopes                            DB2 SQL ID: ADM001     
   3 - Insert a version scope                                                  
   4 - Import version file                                                     
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
Enter display selection criteria (Using a LIKE operator, criteria not saved):  
Name . . . . . . .                    >  Created by . .          >             
Owner  . . . . . .          >            Altered by . .          >             
Created within . .                       Version ID . .                        
Altered within . .

Versions that have been generated in explicitly named data sets when you use IBM Db2 Object Comparison Tool for z/OS are not displayed because they are not stored in the Change Management database. When you use IBM Db2 Object Comparison Tool for z/OS and Change Management is enabled, you have the option of storing versions in data sets or in the Change Management database.