Being a ’’Software Librarian’’ in a team which consists of 50 people is not as easy as making maggie noodles !!!! and I have been performing this task with great efficiency for the past 2 years ......well let me take some credit for that ...but then it would rally be unfair if I dont mention the software configuration managent tool that I have used. Yes I have been using Visual source safe for the last 2 years and believe me that for any person who needs to do some sort of SCM(software configuration management) this is the Tool!!!
SCM is one of the KPA (Key Process areas) that is mandatory for a company to be SEI -CMM compliant. and mostly all companies follow this KPA to the fullest.There are many tools that are available for SCM and one that I have evaluated is one which comes with the Rationjal Suite of products is ’’Source safe’’ and let me tell u that VSS(Visual Source safe) beats it hands down in terms of ease of usability data handling capabilities.
VSS comes with the Visual studio Enterprise which is quite cost effective and the lisencing model is quite simple(unlike other MS products).Every client that accesses that VSS database needs a license which is somewhat around Rs 25, 000.
The salient features of the product are:
1)Very easy to understand (The learning curve on the product is not steep).
2)VSS management is very easy.
3)Provides for database analysis and fixing through the admin.
4)The help and documentation on VSS is ample and self explanatory.
5)Provides for Labelling of various versions and retrival of the same.
6)The search facility in VSS is very powerful.
7)The history feature is very helpful as it maintains file differences for individual files across versions and also lets me check differences across any version.
8)File organisation can be done in a similar fashion as on the Hard drive of your server.
All in all I think that after comparing VSS with other competitive tools .....i conclude that it is the best of the lot.
Excuse me for the use of excess technical jargon but then it was really necessary here!!