SourceGear vs Git for Enterprise Use

[ChrisElecsys]

We currently have 15 Vault user licenses assigned to our firmware/software development team. A number of our developers have experience with Git and prefer the use of Git over Vault. I expect that familiarity with Git is a primary driver for this preference because the advantage specific features or functionality has not been clearly articulated. We now have a few developers which are starting to push again to replace Vault with Git. Though it is important that our developers are able to use tools which they are comfortable with, centralized administration of our software development and version control is important from the standpoint of ensuring that we have systematic access and control of our source code. Can you point me to any resources related to the advantages of the use of Vault versus Git for enterprise level source control?

[lbauer]

It's true that everyone likes to use tools they're familiar with. And many developers like using the latest technologies.

If we did a feature-by-feature comparison, you’d find that Vault and Git have most of the same functionality, but these features are implemented in entirely different ways, with very different interfaces.

Vault has been around longer than Git, but Vault has been continually updated with new features and technologies.

Some Vault features from recent releases:

• Vault supports branching and merging, and we recently updated the Merge Branches Wizard to streamline the process.
• Vault supports Shelve to store work in progress securely in the database. Vault provides real-time and email Notifications on updates to the Vault repositories.
• Vault stores comprehensive source code history, so you can track who did what, and when. Vault has Source Control reports that show last activity, checkouts, security settings and label contents.
• Vault supports file rollback and Vault 7.2, due out soon, will allow you to rollback a folder with the new Working Folder Rollback feature. With Vault you can retrieve files changed after a specific date or label with our Folder Archive feature. NOTE : Working Folder Rollback did not make it into release of Vault 7.2.
• You can copy a label. You can share files and folders in Vault.
• Vault has an easy-to-use GUI interface. If users prefer the command line, they can use the Vault Command Line Client.
• With Vault, the server, clients, diff tool, Visual Studio integration, work item tracking (Vault Pro) all come from one vendor (SourceGear) and are all designed to seamlessly work together.
• Vault provides a dedicated Technical Support team, with phone and email contact to promptly resolve any problems. Open source products generally don’t offer that.
• With Vault, the database is centrally located and can be easily managed.
• Features Git doesn't have: Vault supports access control to repositories and folders in the tree. You can obliterate in Vault and permanently delete items in the repository. Vault has checkouts and exclusive locks, which are important to many development teams.

From a management standpoint, you may want to consider that adopting a new version control tool can take time and have an impact on productivity. For some of your developers, Git could be a steep learning curve if they are accustomed to a GUI client.

New policies and best practices will need to be implemented for branching, merging, rebasing, reviewing and staging. Will the cost of retraining and retooling (changing build systems, etc) result in improved in productivity or decrease development costs?

Ultimately, the question for you is: what source control problems are you trying to solve?
We might be able to solve those with Vault and consultation with our Technical Support team.

[ChrisElecsys]

Linda,

Thanks for providing this information. Our developers that prefer Git have not yet identified the specific features or functionality that are driving their preference. If specific issues are identified then I think that setting up a consultation with your support team will be a good wait to address the issues.

Chris Thomas

[lbauer]

We would be happy to do a consultation. When you're ready to schedule a date, email me at support at sourcegear.com, ATTN: Linda.

Please include a link to this forum post.