Concurrent users

Overview

The server-side platform offers support for managing changes from concurrent users who are logged into the server-side platform at the same time.

The following functionality is supported:

• Users see active collaborators displayed in the UI.
• Logged-in users receive in-app notifications about save and publish actions from other users.
• Saved changes from other users are made available to integrate into your unsaved changes.

To understand the possible concurrency scenarios, the following terms are helpful:

• Currently published version: the configuration set that is currently in production.
• Current version: the configuration set that you are working on.
• Your changes: the unsaved changes you have made to the current version.

How it works

When you are logged in and anticipate changes from concurrent users, it’s important to know which version you are working in. The current version is displayed in the heading, below the account and profile:

When you want to make changes, load the currently published version using the profile switcher and create a new version for your planned changes. Make all configuration changes to the new version. When the changes are completed and tested, publish the new version to production.

When you make changes to a version, all logged-in users are notified, even if you haven’t saved or published the changes. After you save the changes, concurrent users are notified that they must integrate those changes into their versions to ensure they have the latest updates.

Viewing other active users

When you log in, the product area that you are working in is highlighted in blue in the left navigation bar. If another user is also logged in and active on your version, that user’s initials appear as a circle with a unique background color at the top of the screen. The same unique color is used to highlight which area of the product the other user is currently working in, as shown in the following example:

Another user starts a change

If another user starts making changes to the version you are using, a message notifies you of unsaved changes in progress:

Click Got it to acknowledge the message.

Click Save to integrate the other user’s changes into your work. A new dialog will open that contains information about the save:

The Changes to be saved or Changes to be published table contains the following information:

• The type of change.
• The name of the item that changed.
• The action on that object (Updated, Created, or Deleted).
• The user who made the change.

If your changes and the latest published version modified the same item, publishing your version replaces the existing items in the published version with yours.

Another user publishes

When another user publishes a version, regardless of the version you are on, a message appears to inform you of that publish: