Checking Out Records 

Sometimes you may want to allow one or more users to edit a copy of a record over an extended period of time as part of a collaborative process without changing the original until you are ready to commit the changes, and only then make them visible to users all at once. MDM allows you to do this with a versioning mechanism known as check out.

When you use the Check Out commands to check out an existing main table record, MDM does the following:

●      MDM creates a private duplicate copy of the record for editing, and simultaneously protects the original from editing or deletion.

●      The user who checks out the record owns the checkout; authorized users can specify which other users can join the checkout.

●      The owner and users who join see the duplicate instead of the original everywhere, and any of them can edit the duplicate.

●      While the record is checked out, the duplicate is hidden from all other users, who continue to see the original.

●      MDM displays a checked out icon in the [Checked Out] column of the Records grid and highlights the original in read-only gray.

●      When an authorized user performs a Check In, MDM replaces the original with the edited duplicate, which becomes visible to all users.

You can use the Check Out New commands to check out a new rather than an existing record, which creates a private new record with no visible original.

Checking out an existing or new record can be: (1) Exclusive, which grants join permissions to no other roles or users (by default, no other users can join the checkout); and (2) Nonexclusive, which grants join permissions to the Everyone role (by default, all users can join the checkout).

Instead of checking in the duplicate record, the owner can use the Roll Back command to delete the duplicate and abandon changes.

You can use the All Versions command to display both versions (originals and duplicates) of all checked out records. This is the only way for other users to join the check out of new records.

You can use role-based privileges to decide whether owners and/or non-owners are permitted to check in, roll back, or modify join permissions of checked out records; and also whether users are allowed to add, modify, merge, or delete original records.