Snapshots are useful for comparing changes to objects over time. A snapshot saves a copy of an object in Xml format in the snapshot database file. Snapshots are just like other objects: they can be compared to live objects and to other snapshots.

To use a snapshot in a comparison:

• Open Object Compare, and select File -> Select Left Side or File -> Select Right Side from the main menu.
• In the Select Left or Right Side dialog, select the Snapshots tab.
• The Snapshots tab lists all snapshots sorted in alphabetical order. To change the sort order, click the column header to sort by (either Name, Date Created or Path).
• You can drill down into the snapshot to choose child objects for the comparison by expanding the + icon next to each snapshot object.
• Single click the snapshot object you wish to use and click the OK button. 
• When both left and right side objects have been selected, select File -> Start Comparison from the main menu to start the comparison.

Note: Because snapshots are a copy of the original object, they must be re-created at run time. This re-creation incurs an overhead that generally means comparisons using snapshots are slower than those using live objects.

See Also