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Surrogate Default Version
A variation on the two-tier approach is to use a surrogate DEFAULT version as a reconcile and post target for all other versions. This is another way of protecting the DEFAULT version from direct editing and unauthorized or unintentional modification. A new named version, in this case called Mapping_DEFAULT, is created as a child of the DEFAULT version; all other versions are then created from this new version as required.

This isolates the changes made to the published version of the geodatabase until such times as it is considered appropriate to integrate these changes. A database administrator or project supervisor can reconcile, resolve any conflicts, and post the Mapping_DEFAULT version to the DEFAULT version without affecting other database users.

Pros

  • Simplicity—It is easy to set up and supports persistent design alternatives and/or historical snapshots of the database as required.
  • Safe—It prevents accidental or unauthorized modifications to the published database.

Cons

  • Only suitable for smaller applications where the number of edits will be limited for the following reasons:
    • If there are many versions created from this Mapping_DEFAULT version, the reconcile and post of all these versions may take time to complete.
    • If a large number of edits is posted to Mapping_DEFAULT, the overhead of auditing all the changes in that version may prove impractical.
    • Reconciling a large number of changes between the Mapping_DEFAULT and DEFAULT versions may also take time to complete.
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