How to Track and Compare Report Changes in Bold Reports Using Version Control?

Tracking changes and maintaining a version history of reports is essential for transparency and troubleshooting. Bold Reports stores Report Definitions in XML format, which allows users to compare different versions of reports using the following methods:

Steps to Compare Two Report Versions

1. Use XML comparison tool
   1. Use an Online XML Comparer
   2. Use Notepad++ for comparing XML files.
      
      

2. Storing Reports in Git for Version Control System (VCS)
   1. Initialize a Git Repository: Run git init in the folder where your reports are stored.
   2. Commit Initial Version: Add and commit the first version using git add . followed by git commit -m "Initial report version".
   3. Track Changes Over Time:
      • After modifying the report, commit the changes with git commit -am "Updated report properties".
      • Use git diff to compare differences between commits.
      • Use git log to track the version history.
   4. Revert to an earlier version: If necessary, revert to a previous version with git checkout <commit-id>.
      
      

Benefits of Version Control

• Visibility: Easily identify which properties or elements have changed.
• Collaboration: Multiple users can work on reports with clear change tracking.
• Rollback Capability: Restore previous versions if changes lead to issues.
• Integration with CI/CD: Automate report deployment with version tracking.

Additional Resources:

• Git Documentation
• Visual Studio Code Git Integration