How best to perform Version Control

David SCOTT Johnson

Is there a way to develop enhancements to a development-sheet without working in the live-production-sheet, and then copying the development-sheet into Production when it's done being tested? Simply making a new copy of sheet, with a development-name seems to break the linkage the production-sheet's metric sheet and dashboard, reports and form.

Stefan

Hi @David SCOTT Johnson,

you could use Smartsheet Control Center (SCC) and template sets:

https://www.smartsheet.com/marketplace/premium-apps/control-center

I understand, that you have your "development-sheet" interlinked with other sheets, reports etc.

So, if you need to modify the structure of your "development-sheet" while work is in progress, you should make a copy of the whole linked set and work there.

When done and depending on the amount of modifications you could either only do the changes to the productive sheets etc. while no one has access, or you could migrate data delta from the productive workspace into your copy and then make the copy the productive version.

Hope this helps

Stefan

David SCOTT Johnson

Thank you, Stefan. Your answer was helpful. I've come to understand there is no systematic way to transfer modifications en-masse to a production set. Instead the work is done and tested once in a development instance, and then repeated in the production instance.

I did have a follow-up question on how to create the "whole linked set" as a development instance.

At what level does the linkage occur - single folder, multiple folders or individual objects?

Meaning, I'd like to confirm if we need to combine the Sheet, Dashboard, Metric Sheet and Reports into a single folder, because it is at that new folder level that you request to use all new links from the development instance?

Or if instead, I can "save as new" the same 3 folders I use today. 1 folder for reports, 1 folder for Dashboard and 1 folder for main sheet and metrics sheet.

Or if instead I can "save as new" the individual objects within the existing folder and send the new copies to pre-existing development folder.

Stefan

Hi @David SCOTT Johnson,

as you probably have found out already, you can use "save as new" for individual sheets/reports etc., single folders and workspaces. You cannot select several individual sheets, reports... from a folder and save them as new.

"Save as new" allows you to select if links, comments, attachements etc. should be kept and where the links should go to.

In your case it sounds like your 3 folders could be moved into one workspace (the productive one) and from there you could save the whole workspace as new and thus create a fully functional copy of all sheets, reports etc..

It's basically the same technique used for project template sets you can copy manually into a new folder and it's also possible fully automated with Smartsheet Control Center.

Hope this helps

Stefan

Stefan

Hi @David SCOTT Johnson,

you could use Smartsheet Control Center (SCC) and template sets:

https://www.smartsheet.com/marketplace/premium-apps/control-center

I understand, that you have your "development-sheet" interlinked with other sheets, reports etc.

So, if you need to modify the structure of your "development-sheet" while work is in progress, you should make a copy of the whole linked set and work there.

When done and depending on the amount of modifications you could either only do the changes to the productive sheets etc. while no one has access, or you could migrate data delta from the productive workspace into your copy and then make the copy the productive version.

Hope this helps

Stefan

David SCOTT Johnson

Thank you, Stefan. Your answer was helpful. I've come to understand there is no systematic way to transfer modifications en-masse to a production set. Instead the work is done and tested once in a development instance, and then repeated in the production instance.

I did have a follow-up question on how to create the "whole linked set" as a development instance.

At what level does the linkage occur - single folder, multiple folders or individual objects?

Meaning, I'd like to confirm if we need to combine the Sheet, Dashboard, Metric Sheet and Reports into a single folder, because it is at that new folder level that you request to use all new links from the development instance?

Or if instead, I can "save as new" the same 3 folders I use today. 1 folder for reports, 1 folder for Dashboard and 1 folder for main sheet and metrics sheet.

Or if instead I can "save as new" the individual objects within the existing folder and send the new copies to pre-existing development folder.

Stefan

Hi @David SCOTT Johnson,

as you probably have found out already, you can use "save as new" for individual sheets/reports etc., single folders and workspaces. You cannot select several individual sheets, reports... from a folder and save them as new.

"Save as new" allows you to select if links, comments, attachements etc. should be kept and where the links should go to.

In your case it sounds like your 3 folders could be moved into one workspace (the productive one) and from there you could save the whole workspace as new and thus create a fully functional copy of all sheets, reports etc..

It's basically the same technique used for project template sets you can copy manually into a new folder and it's also possible fully automated with Smartsheet Control Center.

Hope this helps

Stefan

David SCOTT Johnson

Stefan,

Thank you very much for your patient and complete response. Yes, I did see exactly what you explained. I replicated the whole workspace and the three folders underneath were replicated automatically.

Most appreciate it.

Regards,

Dave

Stefan

Hi @David SCOTT Johnson,

pleasure!

Stefan