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Version control is the practice of keeping identifiable revisions of a digital asset so a team can distinguish the current version from earlier ones and trace changes over time. In digital asset management (DAM), it helps people find the right image, document or design. A version number identifies a revision; it does not prove that the asset is approved or licensed for use.
HOW IT WORKS
When content changes, a team needs a clear relationship between the new revision and the asset it replaces. Retaining that history helps colleagues understand which revision they are using and investigate an earlier decision without treating every copy as an unrelated file.
For a marketing team, a useful process records what changed, identifies the owner and makes the approved revision easy to find. A corrected product claim may warrant a new version of a brochure. A separate language edition or campaign design may need its own asset record instead. Agree that distinction before uploading.
Names such as v01 and v02 can help identify exported files, but filenames alone do not preserve a controlled history or record approval. Keep the change record and usage information with the asset.
IN PRACTICE
Asset Bank’s asset versions guidance explains how to retain an earlier file and its metadata while saving a new revision. Ask Support to enable the feature. During an individual edit, choose to save a new version rather than simply save changes; that option is not available for bulk updates.
The latest revision retains the original asset ID and the older revision receives a different ID, allowing embedded links to use the new asset. Check the configuration for who can find, edit or delete older versions.
Downloader notifications can alert eligible users to file or version changes. They depend on configured time limits and users’ notification settings. An alert does not replace copies already downloaded, inserted into presentations or sent to a printer.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
A marketing team has approved brochure v03 and supplied it to sales colleagues. A product specification changes, so the designer creates v04. Uploading v04 does not by itself make it ready to distribute.
The asset owner records the correction, retains v03 in the version history and sends v04 through the agreed review. Once the revised specification and usage permissions are checked, the team marks v04 as approved and makes it the revision colleagues should use.
The owner also checks where v03 has been shared. Sales colleagues replace their downloaded PDFs, and the print supplier is told which artwork to use before production. Any configured version alerts support that handover; they do not change files already on someone’s computer.
Takeaway: version history explains the change, approval authorises the next use, and distribution checks address copies outside the library.
No. A version identifies a revision, while approval records a decision about whether that revision is ready for an agreed use. Check approval status and usage rights before publishing, even when the file is the newest version.
No. Version control helps teams distinguish revisions and follow changes during everyday work. Backup supports recovery after data loss or failure. Retaining a version history does not remove the need for backup, access controls or an agreed retention policy.
Do not assume so. Downloaded copies, email attachments and files supplied to printers need a separate replacement process. Asset Bank can notify eligible previous downloaders when configured, but alerts depend on time limits and user settings; they do not replace those external copies.
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