Compare and Merge

You can visually compare two versions of a process app and manually copy selected items from one process app to the other. For example, suppose you receive a new version of a solution that you previously deployed. The solution contains a process app; before deployment, you changed it to meet your specific needs and processes. Now you want to upgrade to the new version, while keeping the changes you made to the earlier version.

This feature lets you view both versions of the process app side-by-side in SBM Composer. You can see the items that differ between them, copy new items from the new version, and modify existing items to match the new version. You can "dismiss" differences you do not want to merge, so there is no need to process them again if you need to finish the comparison in a later session. If you localized a process app, you can specify that the translated strings are not displayed as differences when you compare it with a new, unlocalized version.

Note: For details about using the compare and merge feature, see Compare Process Apps Mode and Comparing and Merging Process Apps.

Examples

A company has version 2.1 of the Problem Management solution. Before the solution was deployed, Paul made modifications to the process app. The company wants to upgrade to version 3.0 to adopt new features and enhancements, but wants to keep the changes Paul made.
Paul examines the differences between the version 2.1 and 3.0 process apps. Because the changes to version 3.0 are quite substantial compared to his changes, he copies his changes from version 2.1 into version 3.0.
Before the company deployed version 3.0, Ramini made additional changes to the process app. The company now wants to upgrade to version 3.1 to adopt bug fixes. The version 3.1 changes are minor, so Ramini copies the modified items from version 3.1 to the version 3.0 process app that she customized.

Key Benefits

Two versions of a process app can be compared side-by-side, with the differences highlighted in meaningful, customizable colors.
New items in the comparison process app can be copied into the open process app using the standard editor.
Changed items in the comparison process app can be manually modified in the open process app using the standard editor.
Differences you do not want to merge can be dismissed, so you do not have to process them again in subsequent SBM Composer sessions. This is especially useful when you need to perform large or complex comparisons.
Strings that can be translated can be ignored during the comparison. This is important when you compare a localized process app with a new version, because it eliminates the need to manually dismiss differences based solely on language.