Manage branch versions

You can work with and manage branch versions using several tools in ArcGIS Pro. The Versions view displays all versions and their properties in a given feature service. Using the ribbon items and the context menu, you can create versions, modify version properties, delete versions, and reconcile and post edits between versions.

The image below shows the Versions view and its ribbon. In this view, you can see that the user Jon has created a named version called Weddington and set Access to Public.

Version access

To manage branch versions, access a web feature layer from your ArcGIS Enterprise portal connection. The web feature layer's underlying feature service must have the version management capability enabled. Version access is based on a combination of the active portal user's privileges and the access permission of the version.

Note:

Branch versions are only available in the feature service in which they were created.

Portal user privileges

For branch versioning, version ownership is based on the active portal user. The portal user's privileges also determine the versions the user can view, edit, and manage.

• The connected portal user can view, edit, and manage branch versions they own.
• The connected portal user can view all public and protected branch versions.
• The connected portal user can view and edit all public branch versions.

  Note:

  To edit branch versions, the portal user must be assigned a role that has the Edit privilege.

Version administrator

Certain portal users can serve as the version administrator for branch versions in a feature service. The version administrator can view, edit, and manage branch versions for the feature service regardless of the version owner or access permission.

The following portal users are considered the version administrator for a feature service:

• The owner of the web feature layer (typically the user that published the feature service)
• A portal user that has the Administrator role assigned
• A portal user that is assigned a custom role with the Manage all privilege assigned

Note:

When the Versions view is accessed from a database connection as the geodatabase administrator, versions for all services that access datasets in the geodatabase are listed. The geodatabase administrator can view branch versions, modify version properties, and delete branch versions in the Versions view.

Access permission

The access level of a version is set to protect it from being edited or viewed by users other than the version owner. You can set one of the following permissions on a version:

• Private—Only the owner or the version administrator can view and edit the version.
• Protected—Any user can view the version, but only the owner or the version administrator can edit the version.
• Public—Any user can view and edit the version.

When setting access permissions on versions, consider your version workflow strategy along with the needs of the various users working within that framework. Use version access permissions along with portal user privileges to control access to the data.

Open the Versions view

You can open the Versions view for data in your active map from the Contents pane.

1. Click the List By Data Source button in the Contents pane.

   

2. Right-click the web feature layer data source and select Manage Versions .

   The Versions view appears.

The following buttons are available in the Manage Versions group. You can also right-click in the grid view to access these commands.

Note:

Many of the commands are dependent on the versions selected in the grid view.

• New —Create a named version.
• Delete —Delete a version.
• Restore —Restore a deleted version prior to Save operation.
• Reconcile/Post —Reconcile and post versions.
• Save —Save changes.

The Versions view contains the following properties for branch versions:

Properties of branch versions using the Versions view

Version property	Description
Name	The name of the version.
Owner	The owner of the version.
Parent	The parent of the current version.
Description	A text description of the version.
Access	The permission access level for the version (public/private/protected).
Created	The date and time the version was created (UTC).
Modified	The date and time of the last modification to the version (UTC). Newly created versions inherit the modified time of the parent version. For branch versions, this includes operations such as editing, reconcile, and post.
Reconciled	The date and time of the last reconcile operation (UTC). If the version has never been reconciled, or it has not called reconcile since the last post operation, this column is empty. This property is only available for branch versions.
Validated	The date and time of the last evaluation of geodatabase rules for the version with the Modified in this branch option set to true (UTC). This property is blank if Evaluate Rules has never been called on the version. This property is only available for branch versions.
Service	The name of the feature service for the branch version. This property is only available for branch versions when accessed through a database connection that has Versioning Type set to Branch.

Search, filter, or refresh the versions displayed in the Versions view

To find and modify a specific version in the enterprise geodatabase or portal connection, you can filter the versions by owner, search for a specific version name, or refresh the view.

To filter the versions listed in the Versions view by owner, click the Owner drop-down arrow in the Filter Versions group on the Versions ribbon. The drop-down list includes users that own a version. Select an owner name from the drop-down list; the Versions view displays only the versions owned by that user. To clear the filter and view versions owned by all users, select the empty value at the top of the drop-down list.

To search for a version by version name, use the Name search box in the Filter Versions group on the Versions tab. As you type text, only those versions with matching text appear in the Versions view.

Click Refresh Versions in the Filter Versions group on the Versions tab to refresh the view to display the most recent information for all versions.

Modify version properties

Properties for existing versions can be modified by the version owner or the version administrator for the feature service in the Versions view.

The following version properties can be modified:

• Name
• Owner
• Description
• Access

To modify properties of an existing version, complete the following steps:

1. Open the Versions view.
2. Double-click the column of the property you want to modify.

   Note:

   To modify the Name or Owner property, there must be no active connections to the version.

3. Click Save on the Versions tab.

Protect the default version

The default version is the ancestor of every other version in a geodatabase and the version that is published for branch versioned datasets.

If you've chosen a strategy in which no one directly edits the default version, the geodatabase administrator should set the access level of the default version to protected. With the permissions set to protected, any user can view the default version, but only the version administrator can edit the version directly and post edits from other versions.

To change the default version to protected, a database connection must be used that is established as the geodatabase administrator. Follow the steps above using the Versions view to modify the default version properties. The Alter Version geoprocessing tool can also be used.

Manage replica versions

A new geodatabase version (referred to as a replica version when using offline workflows), is automatically created each time you download and take a map offline that contains an editable feature service that is published with the Create a version for each downloaded map option enabled. When a client synchronizes edits to the feature service, the client's edits are applied to the replica version. See Work with offline maps and branch versioned data for more information on using this option.

All replica versions are visible and can be managed in the Versions view. To save the edits from the replica version to the default version and share them with others, right-click the replica version in the Versions view to reconcile and post the edits to the default version. For an automated process that validates, reconciles, and posts replica versions, see Automate reconcile and post operations for sync-enabled branch versioned data.

The replica version name includes the following to ensure the version name is unique:

• The name of the portal account that downloads the map
• The name of the feature service
• A unique identifier (ID)

Note:

If you try to delete a version that is in use by an offline map, an error message appears indicating it is in use. Once the offline map is no longer needed, removing the offline map from the project automatically unregisters the replica and allows the replica version to be deleted. Review all edits to the replica version and if any are valid, reconcile and post the edits to the default version before deleting the replica version. Any edits that have not been reconciled and posted to the default version will be lost when the replica version is deleted.

For more information on this configuration, see this detailed workflow example to synchronize with a replica version.