Document Versioning

What Does Document Versioning Mean?

Document versioning refers to the use and management of multiple versions of a document. This is more generally known as file versioning or file version management, for general file types.

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Techopedia Explains Document Versioning

The idea behind document versioning is that text editors, word processing programs and other types of software should be able to handle multiple versions of a single file and provide access to users. This can be done in many different ways. One fundamental aspect of document versioning is tracking changes and tracking the creation of multiple document versions, for example, by numbering file versions in succession.

Along with tracking changes, there is the issue of file integrity or determining whether changes have been made to files. Some programs use hashing features or other indicators to see whether files have been altered. Another useful tool for document versioning services is auto-save features, which can help preserve file changes if the system crashes or some other event jeopardizes an unsaved file.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…