1. May 7, 2010

2. We manage documents and their changes with versioning and check out/check in procedures.

3.  When you check out a file, you ensure that others cannot make changes to the file while you edit it.  You save the file on your local computer. Westat computers are set-up to save SharePoint documents to H:\My Documents\SharePoint Drafts.  You can work with the file even are logged in to CIPPSite.org.  To check out a document: ◦ Select a library on the Quick Launch. ◦ Point to the file name, click the arrow that appears, and then click Check Out. ◦ Some users will see a message that asks whether you want to work with the file as a local draft. If you want to work on a copy of the file on your hard disk, leave the Use my local drafts folder check box selected.

5.  If the Check Out command is not available, the file may already be checked out to you or to someone else.  Later, if you decide to check in the file without saving your changes, you can discard your changes. ◦ You lose any changes that were made while the file was checked out. ◦ The file reverts to the last checked-in version, and no version history is kept for the unsaved changes.  After you check out a file, you usually edit the file and then check it back in.

7.  After you check out a file and update it, you check in the file so that other people can view the changes.  To check in a document: 1.In the document’s library, point to the file that you want to check in, click the arrow that appears, and then click Check In (see Figure 9.) 2.In the Document Check In section of the page that appears, if you are prompted to choose which type of version you are checking in, then your library is tracking both major and minor versions of files. Click Minor version (draft) or Major version (publish,) depending on the type of changes that you made to the file (see Figure 10.) 3.The version options also assign a number to the version that you are checking in. For example, 2.3 is the third minor version of a file that was published twice as a major version, and 3.0 is the next major version of that file. 4.You can check in the file so that others can see your changes and keep the file checked out while you continue to work on it. To do so, select the Keep the document checked out after checking in this version check box when you check the file back in. 5.In the Comments section, type a description of the changes that you made to the file. 6.Click OK. 7.If you are prompted to confirm the check-in, click Yes.

9.  Versioning enables you to store, track, and restore in a library as they are changed.  When versions are tracked, revisions and file properties are stored. ◦ This enables you to better manage content as it is revised and even to restore a previous version - for example, if you make a mistake in the current version. ◦ Versioning is especially helpful when several people work together on projects, or when information goes through several stages of development and review.  The recorded version history will track: ◦ when a file was changed and who changed it ◦ information about the file ◦ Comments about changes.  If a revised document has a mistake, you can easily replace your current version with a previous version. Your current version then becomes part of the version history. Also, you can view a previous version without overwriting your current version  Libraries can track both major versions, such as those to which a new section was added, and minor versions, such as those in which a spelling error was corrected. Lists can track only major versions. Lists and libraries can also limit the number of versions that people can store.

10.  Versions are created in the following situations: ◦ When file is uploaded. The file must first be checked in to create its first version. ◦ When a file is uploaded that has the same name as an existing file and the "Add as a new version to existing files" check box is selected. ◦ When the properties of a file are changed. ◦ When a file is checked out, changed, and then checked back in.  When you check out a file, a version is created only when you check the file back in, so that you can specifically designate when a version is created. You cannot add a file of the same name, change a file, or change the file's properties without first checking out the file. When you check in the file, you are prompted to provide comments about the changes that you made, which helps to create a more meaningful version history. ◦ Note: If you or another user discards the checked-out version, no version is created.  You can choose to delete a single version of a file - for example, if you know that you made a mistake in that version - which removes that version from the version history. ◦ However, if you delete the actual file, all of its versions are deleted with it. ◦ By default, when you delete a version, the version is sent to the Recycle Bin, where it can be recovered for about 30 days.

11.  There are two types of versions: minor and major. ◦ A major version is more likely to represent a milestone in the file's development, such as when a file is submitted for review or distributed to others. ◦ A minor version is typically used as a routine increment, such as a version that you save or check in while you are still writing the content, or a version in which you correct some minor errors. When you want to view the version history of a file, the major versions may help you to identify the stages of the file's development and make the history easier to browse through.  The major versions are whole numbers, and the minor versions are decimals. For example, 0.1 is the first minor version of a file, 1.3 is the third minor version of a file that was published once, and 2.0 is the second major version of a published file. A version is stored by default as a minor version, unless you designate the version as a major version when the document is checked in.  Minor versions will be removed approximately a month after the next major version is created.