Archive 1.x:Version Control of Ontologies

Optimally, there would be a version control system at the heart of ontology management, as described in the Normative Landscape of Ontology Tools document (see second figure). However, in the absence of this capability, which is planned to be developed, here are some brief guidelines on version control of ontologies:


 * 1) Take periodic snapshots of your changes-in-progress for any given ontology. For structOntology, this is done by making changes, saving the ontology and then exporting it; these steps are explained in the Individual OSF-Drupal Ontology (structOntology) Tool document. For Protégé, the same steps are followed as explained in the Protégé Editing Tips document, except that the revised ontology must then be re-imported back into your portal. In either case, problems that might be exhibited at the portal level may then be rolled back to the previous version
 * 2) As you save each file, give it some form of sequential file name, e.g.,
 * 3) Make sure and change the ontology metadata to reflect that sequence (version). This is found under the same area as the ontology description (depending on the tool; see links above)
 * 4) If large or bulk changes are being made, assign an owner of the ontology. So long as this individual has ownership, no one else should be making any changes whatsoever to that ontology
 * 5) Communicate and enforce these guidelines for all individuals with ontology editing or maintenance rights.