Workbook versions and version history

Workbooks have versions. The default versions are Published and Draft, and you can add new custom versions called "tagged versions". For more details about version tagging, see Add version tags to workbooks and data models. For more details about editing and publishing workbooks, see Edit, draft, and publish a workbook.

Workbook version history is a list of all prior publications of a workbook. Each published version listed contains a detailed list of edits, called the edit history. Both the version and edit histories are helpful when reviewing drafted changes, comparing or reverting to older published versions, identifying who on your team made a specific edit or set of changes, or identifying which version is tagged with a specific version tag. There is no limit to the retention period of workbook version history.

Requirements

  • Workbook version history, including edit history and any edits to the current draft, is only available for users with Can Edit permission on a workbook.
  • Only users with Can Edit permission can restore old versions of a workbook.

In addition to those requirements, edit history is not available for changes made prior to December 13, 2022. Beginning on December 13, 2022, all organizations with Live Edit enabled track edits in the edit history. Edits made prior to Live Edit being enabled remain untracked. For more information see Workbook collaboration with Live Edit.

Workbook versions overview

You can access workbook versions from the Versions menu, next to the workbook name in the title bar. The Versions menu displays as PUBLISHED or DRAFT. Select the View version history option.

Screenshot of open Versions menu

A workbook can have one of the following versions:

  • Draft: While you are editing a workbook, it is in draft mode and is only visible to you.
  • Published: When you are ready for other people to see the workbook, you publish it.
  • Tagged: If you want to have a read-only version of a workbook, you create a tag and use it to provide more context for the state of the workbook. For example, you may tag a workbook as "Development" or "Production". You can tag a version from the Tag this version menu option. For more information see Add version tags to workbooks and data models.

For more information, see Edit, draft, and publish a workbook.

Access a workbook's version history

  1. Click the workbook header's version menu, which is labeled either PUBLISHED or DRAFT.

  2. Select View version history.
    The Version history panel opens with a list of versions. 

    version-history-right-panel.png

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    To see a version's edit history without opening the version, click the downward pointing chevron to the left of the version name.

  3. Click the version you want to view, then Sigma does the following:

    • Loads the version you selected into the canvas.
    • Changes the version menu to show the name of the version.
    • Changes the Edit link to Go back to latest version.
    • Expands the edit history list for the most recent changes. It shows the name of the editor, change activity, and date and time of the changes.
  4. When you select a version entry, Sigma shows the workbook as it was at that point in time.

  5. Use the version history options as described in the following section.

  6. To close the version history panel, click X.

Version history options

Each version in the VERSION HISTORY list has a more menu More menu with the following options:

  • Restore version as draft: Resets a published version to be a draft. When you restore an older draft, newer versions remain available in the version history.
  • Edit name and description: Change the name and description of a version.
  • Save as new workbook: Save the version as a new workbook.
  • Copy link: Copy a link to the version.
  • Set tag on this version: Add a version tag to the workbook. The tag must already exist to add it. For more information, see Add version tags to workbooks and data models. The Set Tag on Version modal includes additional options:
    • Allow saving as a new workbook: Gives users Can View access to the data sources used in the tagged copy, if they have permission to the tagged workbook version. Allows "Save As" to work without errors. 
    • Swap sources of the tagged version: Specify a different data source to use for this tagged version. 
    • For workbooks with a dataset as the data source, Select version of dataset to use on tagged version: If there are multiple versions of a dataset used with the workbook, Sigma selects the latest published version. You can select a different version. If there are no datasets used by the workbook version, this option does not apply.