In a multi-user environment, there may be times when two or more users are making changes in parallel. Authoring functions, including adding, deleting and editing workspaces, are always performed against a work order or a standing task. (Exception: users can always change their own private Knowledge Views, Search Definitions and Display Filters, without a work order or standing task.) Work orders and standing tasks are always opened with some scope--assets, workspaces, Knowledge Views, and other objects--and any one object can only be changed by one work order or standing task at a time.


Users who work in the production view can never edit or lock objects. When an object has been changed in a work order or standing task but has not yet been published, users in the production view will all the production values, and none of the changes. The only indication that changes are in progress is that users in the production view will see a Work In Progress icon at the top right-hand corner of dialogs, which alerts then that changes are being made.


Users who work in a work order or standing task whose scope includes an object and can make whatever changes to the object they are authorized to perform. If multiple users work in the same work order at the same time, the first user to make a change will lock out the rest of the users. Other users in that work order will see a lock icon. When the first user saves his work, then other users working in the same work order will be able to make further changes to the object.


When multiple users work in the same standing task at the same time, the first user to make a change to an object will lock out the rest of the users. When that first user publishes his changes to the production view, then other users working in the standing task will be able to make changes.

Users who in one work order or standing task and who inspect an object that has been changed in a different work order or standing task are treated as users in the production view for purposes of that object. Objects can only be changed in one work order or standing task at a time, so objects that have been changed in one work order are read-only while in another work order, and the work order without control over the object will see the production version of the object, not any in-progress changes.