Comparing and merging versions of a model

This section provides guidance on how to effectively compare and merge models in a team development environment.

About this task

When team members develop models in parallel, they compare and merge models to resolve conflicts or differences between versions of a model. Team members that work with models in a configuration management system can compare file versions to understand the history and development of the files. Team members frequently need to merge files when they develop models in parallel.

Example

Consider the following example, which shows how multiple team members work in parallel.

In a repository, model file X is at version 20.
  1. User A checks out model file X, version 20, and makes changes to it.
  2. User B checks out model file X, version 20, and makes changes to it.
  3. User A checks in the file and creates model file X, version 21.
  4. User B attempts to check in the file.
  5. The configuration management system detects that a parallel version of the model exists in the repository and initiates a merge so that the changes User B made can merge with the changes that User A made.
  6. User B accepts all non-conflicting changes, then resolves all conflicting changes in the merge.
  7. User B saves the merged model and completes the check in, creating model file X, version 22.

For more information on comparing and merging models, as well as compare and merge capabilities and best practices, read also the articles on IBM® developerWorks® at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/05/712_comp/ and Rational Software Architect RealTime Edition Wiki.


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