Overview of the Branching Operation

The following provides a basic overview of what happens during the project-branching operation.

Phases of the Project-Branching Operation
Branching Phase		Description
Phase 1	Launch of Branch Project wizard	The user opens the Branch Project wizard to set up the project-branching operation. Details about the entire setup process is described in Setting Up and Starting the Project-Branching Process.
Phase 2	Creation of branched project during setup	As part of the setup, the branched project is created once the project properties on the Project Information page of the wizard have been validated (upon clicking Next), as described in Step 1: Creating the Branched Project.
Phase 3	Codebase uploads and SCM synchronization configuration during setup	As part of the setup, one or more codebases can be uploaded directly from the Upload Codebase page in the wizard, as described in Step 2: Uploading a Codebase (Optional). Additionally, as part of setup, the user can configure one or more Source Control Management (SCM) instances from the Version Control Settings page, enabling the branch process to synchronize the project with remote codebase repositories in your site’s SCM applications. Unlike codebase uploads, synchronization takes place once the automated part of the branching process begins (Phase 5). Codebase uploads and synchronization are optional, as the user might want to simply perform an inventory copy (Phase 7).
Phase 4	Initiation of project-branching operation	After all appropriate setup information is provided in the wizard, the user initiates the branching operation by clicking Finish on the Summary page of the wizard, as described in Step 5: Initiating the Branching Operation.
Phase 5	Synchronization with remote codebases through SCM instances	During the branching operation, the branched project is synchronized with one or more remote Source Code Management (SCM) repositories to obtain codebase files. This synchronization occurs only if SCM instances were configured during setup on the Version Control Settings page of the wizard (as described in Step 3: Configuring Synchronization with a Source Code Management Instance (Optional)).
Phase 6	Scan of branched project codebase	The branching operation then scans the codebase of the branched project. The codebase includes any of the uploaded codebase files as well as any codebase files obtained through synchronization with SCM instances. Note that the size of the codebase can impact the length of time needed for the scan.
Phase 7	Copy of project information	The branching operation copies (that is, imports) file-audit data, inventory, and inventory-review information from the source project to the branched project. If no codebases have been uploaded or obtained through synchronization with SCM repositories, only inventory and inventory-review information is imported; no information about files associated with the inventory is included in the import.
Phase 8	Operation completion	Once the branching operation successfully completes, users can open the branched project and begin auditing files and reviewing inventory.