Check in, check out and auto saving

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1. Overview

To facilitate collaboration on projects, every item you can open for editing in Dundas BI uses a check in / check out model, including data connectors, data cubes, dashboards and more. This allows multiple people to make changes to these items without risk of overwriting or losing any changes. The change history is also saved and can be rolled back if needed.

The workflow is generally as follows:

  • Check out or create an item
  • Edit the item and apply your changes
  • Check in the item so others can see your changes

You might have noticed there is no Save button in the Dundas BI toolbar. That's because Dundas BI saves your work automatically so you don't need to be worried about losing your changes. You still need to check in your work though so others can see it too.

Related video: Auto Save and Version Control

2. Check out an item

To check out an item for editing, go to Open in the main menu or to the Explore window, right-click (or long-tap) your item, and then choose Check Out.

Check out a time dimension for editing
Check out a time dimension for editing

When you check out an item, you are reserving the item for editing for yourself. When others view the item, they will see only the last checked-in version.

The item now appears with a green checkmark icon which indicates it is checked out to you.

Next, right-click/long-tap again and select Edit to begin modifying the checked-out item.

Edit the item after check out
Edit the item after check out

You can also open an item without checking it out first. For full screen items, you can then click Check Out in the toolbar, or just click with a mouse on the grayed-out part of the screen below for an automatic check out.

Check out from the toolbar
Check out from the toolbar

Tip
Items that open in a dialog can be edited directly without checking out first because they have simpler settings, but it's a good idea to check out first if a team member could be editing at the same time so neither of your changes are overwritten.

2.1. Item is already checked out

If an item is already checked out by another user, the item will appear with a red 'minus' icon.

Item is already checked out to another user
Item is already checked out to another user

You'll need to wait for the other user to check the item back in or undo their check out.

To find out who the other user is, see Checked Out To in the file's read-only properties.

Tip
If the other user is unavailable, administrators have a Transfer Check Out option in the file's context menu if needed.

3. Auto saving

While editing a dashboard or other full screen item in Dundas BI, your changes are automatically saved as needed.

The status bar at the bottom displays a message whenever Dundas BI has performed an auto-save operation.

Status bar indicates dashboard was auto-saved
Status bar indicates dashboard was auto-saved

4. Check in an item

Check in your changes so that others can see them or check out the item themselves. Newly created items are also not visible to other users before it's checked in the first time.

Go to Open in the main menu or to the Explore window, right-click (or long-tap) the item, and then choose Check In.

Check in an item
Check in an item

You can also Check In an item from its toolbar while it's open.

Check in from the toolbar
Check in from the toolbar

In the Check In dialog, optionally enter a comment and then click the submit button at the bottom.

Check In dialog
Check In dialog

Each time an item is checked in a new entry is recorded in the item's revision history and a new version of the item is created. You can restore a previous version of an item from the Revision History dialog. For more information, see the File and folder properties article.

5. Undo a check out

If you aren't happy with the changes you made to an item, you can undo the check out.

This will discard all of your changes since you checked out the item for editing, and the item won't be checked out to you anymore.

You can undo a check out from the toolbar or the right-click menu.

Undo a check out
Undo a check out

6. See also

Dundas Data Visualization, Inc.
400-15 Gervais Drive
Toronto, ON, Canada
M3C 1Y8

North America: 1.800.463.1492
International: 1.416.467.5100

Dundas Support Hours:
Phone: 9am-6pm, ET, Mon-Fri
Email: 7am-6pm, ET, Mon-Fri