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.
- User A checks out model file X, version 20, and makes changes
to it.
- User B checks out model file X, version 20, and makes changes
to it.
- User A checks in the file and creates model file X, version 21.
- User B attempts to check in the file.
- 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.
- User B accepts all non-conflicting changes, then resolves all
conflicting changes in the merge.
- 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.