Version control creates a new version on each save or check-in, retaining prior versions with author and timestamp. Check-out prevents simultaneous editing conflicts.
Version history supports reconstruction of a document's development.
Alternative Names:
Document Versioning, Version Management
Why it Matters?
Version history becomes evidence when the development of a document is at issue, particularly in contract disputes and internal investigations where who changed what and when matters. That cuts both ways: the same history that reconstructs a negotiation also documents internal edits a party might prefer were not preserved. Retention of prior versions should be considered in the retention policy rather than left at the system default.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Why does version history matter in litigation?
Should retention be configured?
