Best practices, version control.

[smcnulty2000]

I'm tasked with figuring out how best to handle version control in a shop that doesn't have any. The rpt files are Crystal 9 and that isn't likely to change any time soon. They also have a set of text files with a .ial extension that are how they load their views. These ial files are a block of PL/SQL code that build a view in an Oracle 9i database for the middleware, which is IFS (2004).

The versioning should include the text file and the crystal report file, since as people work on projects they get both as their output.

Also, there is a test database and a production database. There may later be a 'dev' database as well. And there are currently three people working, and will be up to five people in the near future working on this.

So the question: what versioning systems have you used that you've been satisfied with, or what would you recommend given the above? I'll listen to software and non-software based answers, of course.

Scott.

 

[IdoMillet]

Sounds like a case for a folder\subfolder setup with read permissions for some and write permissions for those who are allowed to approve moving content to production.

hth,
- Ido

Visual CUT & DataLink Viewer:
view, e-mail, export, burst, distribute, and schedule Crystal Reports.

http://www.MilletSoftware.com

 

[eo]

I have to do something very similar. Have you found the answers you were looking for yet?

EO
Hertfordshire, England

 

[smcnulty2000]

Only sort of.

I built a little MS-Access database. It gave me the ability to attach notes directly to a file. I also built a macro in it to lock the file for updates (based on a checkbox) and another to put a timestamp in another field whenever a file is updated.

Nothing fancy, though.

I have been steered toward a variety of version control software but none of them seem sufficient. (CVS, subversion).

The folder system doesn't seem especially effective because of the difficulty in attaching any information to a file.

The database also stays smaller if I don't 'save data with the report', of course. The crystal files stay below 100k in general then.

I've also dropped in zip files with the files that go together put into the same file.

The database also has a text field for projects so that multiple files can be pulled together.

The database doesn't enforce discipline outside it's realm.

If you come up with something better, I'd certainly be interested in considering it for myself. Hopefully some of this helps you.

Scott.