Collaboration when working offline
This topic explains how to work with models when you are not connected to the centralized server. While working offline, you can work on models, make the required updates or changes to the models, and consolidate the changes to the corresponding models and local databases when reconnected to the server. You can do this with a 2–way or a 3–way merge method that is explained in this topic. With this method, you do not have to check-out or lock the model that you will be working on in the offline mode. The following diagram illustrates the workflow involved, the steps of which are explained further down.
Steps explaining the process to work on models offline
1. Create a sandbox.
Create a sandbox of the model that you will be working on in the offline mode. This sandbox receives all the changes made to the model when working offline. You do not have to checkout the model or mark the areas that you anticipate to change.
2. Export the model.
Export the required model, that will be imported for offsite changes.
3. Version the model.
When you create the sandbox, the base version will be a read-only version; therefore, create a version of the model to continue working onsite.
4. Import the model.
Import the model allowing you to work on the whole model.
5. Version the model, again.
You must version the model again due to the following reasons; to make the model editable as the model that you had exported was a read-only model, and to allow you to track the changes you make to the model.
6. Work on the model, make the required changes.
Once you complete working on the model, generate a Diff report to identify the parts of the model that must be sent to the sandbox created in Step 1.
7. Create a component sharing file.
This component sharing file contains all the information about the changed packages in the model. You will need this file later to update the sandbox.
8. Import component into sandbox.
Use the component sharing file to update the changes to the model in the sandbox.
9. Reconcile the sandbox.
Merge the changes into a new trunk version of the model. You can directly resolve the differences in the model.
10. Optional: Conflict resolution.
You must manually resolve all conflicts, such as, ordering contained elements or resolving completely different textual information. You can use the Diff report that provides links to the elements that need resolving.