Objective: To analyze the Revision History Table and to show users how to compare previous revisions of your products and components by utilizing the Compare Revisions tool.

Difficulty: Easy

In this article:

1. Revision History Table
   • Data in the Revision History Table
2. Importance and usability
3. How to compare the current version to a previous revision
4. How to compare two previous revisions
5. Analyzing the results

Duro's integrated Compare Revisions tool presents a user-friendly solution for comparing any two iterations of a product or component. As items progress through different stages of their lifecycle, the need to retrospectively analyze specific updates becomes evident. This practice is crucial for identifying what changes were introduced and when they occurred, enabling a comprehensive view of progress and ensuring the optimal utilization of one's Duro account.

Revision History Table

The Revision History Table houses all Change Orders submitted on a product, component, or assembly. This is where Duronauts are able to utilize the Compare Revisions tool. To access the Revision History Table, follow the steps below:

1. Login to your Duro account.
2. Navigate to a component, from either your dashboard or the component library.
3. Click on the Revision History icon in the upper right toolbar.

The Revision History table is a foundational element that helps organizations manage their product lifecycles, maintain data integrity, ensure compliance, and support efficient collaboration among teams. It is an essential tool for tracking changes and maintaining a complete historical record of a product's development and evolution.

Data in the Revision History Table

The History Table offers an extensive analysis of the subsequent product/component attributes: author, timestamp, type of alteration, revision value, status, and any associated specifics. This table constitutes how revisions within Duro can be. 

Each field is described below:

• Author: Lists the creator of the Change Order
• Timestamp: Lists the day, month, year, and time that the Change Order was submitted. 
• Type: Specifies the type of Change Order (Engineering, Manufacturing, or Documentation) and the Change Order number, which is hyperlinked to the Change Order page.* Green indicates approval; red indicates rejection.
• Rev: Specifies the revision status resulting from the approval or rejection of the Change Order. This value reflects the changes made due to the Change Order action. A red triangle serves as an indicator of incomplete approval for the revision, (e.g., modifications may have been implemented but not yet officially documented within a Change Order, or modifications partially approved). 
• Status: Specifies the lifecycle stage resulting from the approval or rejection of the Change Order. This value reflects the changes made due to the Change Order action.
• Details: Shows the title of the Change Order.

Note: Clicking on the hyperlinked Change Order number transports you to the Change Order page, as demonstrated below.

Importance and usability

In the context of hardware and manufacturing enterprises, the capacity to effectively compare revisions within products, assemblies, and components plays a pivotal role, particularly when harnessed within a comprehensive Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) framework. This capability engenders meticulous scrutiny and evaluation of modifications undertaken across various phases of design and production. By comparing and contrasting revisions, organizations are empowered to discern nuanced alterations, improvements, or anomalies within their products. This, in turn, facilitates the assurance of quality benchmarks, adherence to regulatory protocols, and the facilitation of seamless cross-functional collaboration.

Beyond its inherent value in issue identification, the ability to compare revisions within a PLM framework serves as a linchpin for informed decision-making, mitigating errors, curtailing redundant rework, and streamlining the trajectory to market introduction. Ultimately, this reinforces the capacity of hardware and manufacturing entities to uphold precision, uniformity, and innovation, consequently fortifying their competitive stance within their respective domains.

How to compare the current version to a previous revision

There are two methods of revision comparison using the Compare Revisions tool: comparing the current version of a product/component to an earlier revision and comparing two previous versions of a product or component. 

To compare the current version to a previous revision, follow the instructions outlined below:

1. Log into your Duro account.
2. You can select a product from your dashboard or Product Library or a component from your dashboard or Component Library. 
3. Open the History Table by clicking on the Revision History icon || from the toolbar in the upper right-hand corner. By clicking on the white carat located directly to the left of the author's profile picture (or initial if no profile picture has been set), you can view individual elements altered within each revision.
4. Choose one of two revisions to compare. The first revision is hard-coded to be the topmost revision listed and is denoted by a greyed-out arrow.* You can select the second revision to compare against by marking the bubble for the line item.
5. Click on Compare Revisions in the upper right-hand corner of the History Table to generate the results.
6. Click Close when you are finished comparing revisions.

Note: While the initial choice is set as the current iteration of your item in the code, this can be modified by reverting to a prior version. Comprehensive instructions on this procedure are elaborated in the subsequent section.

How to compare two previous revisions

Contrasting two prior product/component revisions, rather than comparing the current or most recent version to an older one, yields a helpful grasp of the product's evolution. This approach enables teams to pinpoint changes between two specific timeframes, unveiling the progression of features, design decisions, and user input. It proves particularly valuable for evaluating targeted updates across iterations. This method also uncovers potential improvement areas not apparent when solely contrasting with the latest version, guiding more impactful future design enhancements.

To compare two previous revisions of an item, please follow the instructions below:

1. Log into your Duro account.
2. You can select a product from your dashboard or Product Library or a component from your dashboard or Component Library. 
3. Open the History Table by clicking on the Revision History icon || from the toolbar in the upper right-hand corner. 
4. Click on one of the two earlier revisions you wish to compare. You will then be transported to the page of that revision. This is denoted by two things: (1) a red banner at the top of your screen reading "Currently viewing Revision __ from YYYY-MM-DD" and (2) the revision number will be watermarked diagonally across your screen.
5. Click on the Revision History icon from this view. The revision you're currently viewing is denoted via a greyed-out arrow within the Revision History table. This is now hardcoded as option 1. 
6. Now, choose the revision you wish to compare by marking the bubble for the line item.
   Click on Compare Revisions in the upper right-hand corner of the History Table to generate the results.
7. Click Close when you are finished comparing revisions. 

Analyzing the results

Once the Compare Revisions tool results have been generated, you'll want to determine what was revised between iterations of a product or component. Duro highlights each alteration so that you can view them quickly and efficiently. You'll spend less time tracking down details and more time getting the answers you need.

A summary of all changes is shown in the right sidebar, and these can also be seen on the product or component page. Color coding makes it easy to see what was added, removed, or modified. Content highlighted in green displays the new version; content highlighted in red displays the old version.

Be sure to flip through Documents, Sourcing, and Assembly to see what changes were made in each background tab. The following information will be highlighted in each:

• Documents: documents added, documents deleted.
• Sourcing: components added to production, components removed from production, alterations made to current components sourced (including MPN, manufacturer, minimum quantity, unit price, lead time, and last updated).
• Assembly: additions and modifications to the BOM assembly.

Using the Compare Revisions tool banner (in light green at the top of your screen), you can quickly access the history table to quickly switch between different revisions of the product or component you're viewing to quickly find what's changed.