The Logic behind Document Version Control

Document version control software is quite rampant in the market right now. In fact, it is so rampant that you just may have heard of it at one point in time or another. When performing a search for this software on any search engine, you will be given a lot of options that you can try yourself on the Internet. However, before you do decide on getting a particular make or version of this software, you should first have an in-depth understanding on what the software is all about. This way, the process of choosing amongst the many existing products in the market will be made easier for you. Moreover, the process would become more sensible, too.

So, what exactly is the software about? To discuss this, there is a need to mention the concept underlying what is known as version control. Other terms that can be used are source control and revision control. All the same, this operates on the concept of human error. Human as we are, we do make mistakes, even in the process of producing or writing articles. Let us say you are attempting to write an article on the basics of the golf swing. After gathering relevant sources for your material, you then proceed to writing your article via MS Word or some other word processor. However, as you go along, you just might make a couple mistakes or so, and you end up needing to revert to previous versions of your articles. This way, you can then correct the mistakes that you have made along the way. This inevitable process is made possible via version control.

Now that we know the underlying concept of the software, let us then delve into its technical side. Every time you make changes in your document, this is actually assigned a revision number. Just for discussion’s sake, let us presume that the first revision you make is given “1” for its revision code number. For your next revision, it would then be assigned the code number of “2”, while the next would be assigned “3”, and so on. This way, the software would find it easier to keep track of the revisions made for each and every article it processes. Not only that; the software itself also assigns codes according to the person making the revisions as well. This means the software takes note of the person or author who is presently revising the article in question.

The typical version control features are normally integrated into a number of software applications, including MS Word, MS Excel, and more. Have you ever tried clicking the Undo option when composing something on MS Word so that you can go back to the previous version of the file you are processing? Another convenient way of doing this is by pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Z. This function operates on the premise of document version control already. The same premise actually underlies this operation. By knowing the different features offered by the various software applications in the market, you can then narrow down your choices more accordingly.