Available with Standard or Advanced license.
When working with branch versioned datasets, it is helpful to compare the changes that have been made to the data in a named version. The Differences view allows you to see changes that have been made to the data in a named version since the version was created or last reconciled with the default version.
The differences displayed include changes that have been made to the data in the named version from the time it and the default version were identical. This means that changes that are made to the data in the default version since the named version was created or last reconciled are not included as a difference. The Differences view lists the changes made for all layers in the map document based on the selected web feature layer (feature service). If the layer is not currently visible, changes to that layer are still present in the view.
The Differences view lists the modified layers and the features that were edited in those layers. You can explore these changes in your version as compared to the representation of the data in the default version.
Open the Differences view
Follow these steps to open the Differences view:
- In the Contents pane, click the List By Data Source button
. - Ensure that the web feature layer is accessing a named version. To change versions, right-click the web feature layer data source
and click Change Version 
. - Click the contextual Versioning tab, and click the Version Changes button
.The Differences view opens.
Once opened, you can dock the Differences view anywhere in the app or position it as a floating window. This allows you to interact with a map view at the same time to provide context and further explore the data.
Use the Differences view
When the Differences view is opened for a web feature layer that is accessing a named version, the Differences tab displays differences between the current named version and the default version. Differences between versions are symbolized by a red indicator as shown below.
The total number of changes is shown, in parentheses, in the list on the Differences tab. Totals are shown for each web feature layer, each sublayer, and each type of edit.
Click the arrow next to each type of edit—Insert, Delete, or Update—to see a list of the object ID values for each feature that was edited. Select an object ID value to compare the feature's attributes and values for the named version, default version, and common ancestor representation of the data in the information grid. Attribute values with a red indicator and displayed in bold signify that edits made in one version are different than those made in the default version.
Click the arrow next to the Change Display label to open the change display viewer at the bottom of the Differences view. This allows you to compare the changes to the selected feature's geometry as they appear on a map, as well as navigate and identify features in the display.
Use the drop-down menus at the bottom of the viewer to compare the feature's representation for its current state in the named version (Current), the state of the feature in the default version (Target), or the state of the feature in the named version before it was edited in the named version (Common ancestor).
Right-click the selected object ID value in the list on the Differences tab to open a context menu with the following options:
- Flash in active map—The feature will briefly flash blue and change to red in the map. This helps you identify where the feature is in the overall layer. This option is more useful if you are zoomed out to a smaller scale on the active map.
- Zoom to in active map—Zoom the map to center on the selected feature.
- Pan to in active map—Pan the map to the selected feature. This maintains the scale of the map but moves the map's view to the location of the selected feature to allow you to view the feature in context with other features in the layer and other layers in the map. For example, if you used the Flash in active map option but didn't see the feature on the map, use the Pan to in active map to ensure the feature is in view on the map. Now when you use the Flash in active map option, you should see the feature flash blue to red on the map.
- Select in active map—Select the feature in the map.
- Flash—If you zoomed out to a small scale in the Change Display viewer, use the Flash option to visually identify the feature. It will briefly flash blue and change to red in the Change Display viewer.
- Zoom to—Zoom to the center on the selected feature in the Change Display viewer.