Overview
The Version History pane provides users with a detailed overview of the historical changes that occurred throughout the life of a spreadsheet since the initial onboarding. These changes include modifications, copies, and renames. The Version History pane is divided into three sections: Version Index, Currently Open File Details, and Modification History.
To Access Version History
1. Open an onboarded file.
2. In the Apparity Ribbon, click on the Version History icon.
Version History Icon in the Apparity Ribbon
3. The Version History pane appear.
Navigating the Version History Pane
Version History Pane
1. Version Index
The Version Index appears in the far left of the Version History pane, and it offers a quick reference point to the files that are associated with the open file. The Version Index is divided into two sections: Lineage and All Copies. The Lineage section will show all files directly related to the open file. To conceptualize this point, think of these files as the parents and grandparents of the open file. Conversely, the All Copies section will show files that are not directly related to the open file.
The open file is indicated by a star icon next to its listing in the lineage tree. You can click on the bullet point arrows to expand or collapse certain branches on display. Once you click on any file listing, the corresponding file details will populate in the Modification History section.
You can also look for a file listing in the search bar of the Version Index and utilize the Show Older and Show All buttons to enhance the display view. The ellipsis to the right of these buttons also offers additional functionality. Here, you can choose to Add File or Export. With Add File, you can manually add a file to the open file’s lineage tree. The Export option allows you to export the Version History for a quick audit.
To Add a File to the Version History
1. Click on the Version History icon in the Apparity Ribbon.
2. Navigate to the Lineage panel on the left and click on the three dots underneath the search bar as depicted below.
3. Select Add File.
4. Choose a file and click on Open.
5. An onboard summary page will appear. Click on Start Onboarding to continue.
6. A confirmation box will appear. Click on Ok to close it.
7. To see the new file in the Version History, click on the Version History icon in the Apparity Ribbon. Navigate to the Lineage section, and you will see a new entry with the file.
2. Currently Open File Details
The Currently Open File Details section is located at the top of the Version History pane. It provides users with the open file’s basic information including: the file name, full UNC path, the file it was created from with the creation date, and any associated copies. For more information about the direct copies derived from the file, click on View Details to get an overview with the file name, UNC path, who last modified it, and the time of the last modification.
NOTE: Direct copies only pertain to immediate copies (children files NOT grandchildren files).
3. Modification History
The Modification History section is located in the center of the Version History pane. Its purpose is to provide users with a detailed history of events that correspond to the selected version in the Lineage section, which is also noted at the top of the table. Users can can adjust the displayed time period of events by selecting a timeframe from the time dropdown in the top right of the Modification History section. They can also update the table with the refresh button (circular arrow) and search for comments with relative ease using the search bar to the right of the time dropdown.
Layout of the Modification History Table
- Modifier – user who last modified the associated version
- Date/Time – when the event occurred
- Comments – unique to the modifier and created during a save and close or a change log submission
- Review Status* – current status of review request
*You can view a detailed breakdown by hovering over “Details” to the right of the Review Status within the table.
How to Filter the Modification History Table
- Click on the filter icon to the right of a column header.
- Set custom parameters in the dialogue box that appears.
- After reviewing the parameters, click on the Filter
button to apply the rule.
- To remove the filter, click on the filter icon and select Clear Filter.
Note: You can also drag any column header to the gray bar at the top of the table to readjust the layout of the Modification Table.
Executable Actions from the Modification Table
Available Actions When Clicking on an Entry
When you click on a line item entry, the following executable actions appear at the top right of the Modification Table:
- Restore – restores open file to this selected version
- Note: SharePoint files cannot leverage this functionality directly; to restore to an older modification using Apparity, use "Export" and "Add File" features.
- Create Read-Only Copy – makes a read-only copy of the selected version
- Export – creates an export of the file version
- Rapid Review - submits the version of the file for review, without first generating a change log
- Add to Compare – compares two versions in a change log and provides the option to send for review
How to Generate a Change Log
- Select version from the Modification History table and click Add to Compare.
- The file will appear at the bottom of the Version History pane.
- Select another version to compare using the steps above.
- Click on Compare on the bottom right of the Version History window to generate the change log.
For more information about change logs, please refer to the Change Management: Operational Review Workflow page.
In-Change
If you are leveraging the In-Change functionality of Active Management, there are several notable differences worth mentioning.
When the Version History pane is open, you will be able to verify whether or not you are viewing the Production Version. If so, it will be indicated at the top of the File Details section, and there will also be a green indicator in the Lineage branch.
In-Change: Production Version Is Open
If the open file is a Non-Production Version, this will be indicated at the top of the File Details section with the option to Mark as Production.
In-Change: Non-Production Version Is Open
To mark this particular file as the Production Version, click on the Mark as Production Version button in the Currently Open File Details section. A confirmation box will appear, click on Yes to proceed. The Version History pane will be updated accordingly, and you will be able to verify the change at the top of the Currently Open File Details section.
Submitted requests, approvals, and rejections pertinent to the In-Change workflow will be reflected in the Modification History. For more information about the In-Change functionality and workflow, please refer to the Change Management: In-Change Review Workflow page.