A Snapshot preserves the state and data of up to five Applications at a specific point in time. This version includes all the Blocks, data, and Boards within the Application. Once a model is snapshotted, the Snapshot functions as a read-only version of the Application.

Table of Contents

Permission Requirements

What is a Snapshot?

When you take a Snapshot, you create an uneditable copy of the selected Application(s). This means that all formulas, data, Boards, and Blocks will become static, except for Blocks in the Security folder, where you can still input data to grant or modify access to a Snapshot. You will not be able to adjust formulas or figures within Applications in the Snapshot, including the switchover date. Additionally, you will not be able to view any items added to lists after the Snapshot was made.

When should you take a Snapshot? 

Snapshots allow you to freeze your model at a specific point in time, allowing you to reference the data later. This can be particularly useful before making significant model changes (in case something goes wrong) or after an important meeting to retain an accurate copy of the figures presented.

When you open a Snapshot, you can view Items within items within a List, formulas, and other Application settings, and you can also drill down into the details. However, this View is only available when you directly open the Snapshot—you can’t view old formulas when comparing Snapshots with Scenarios.

How to take a Snapshot

You can take a Snapshot at Workspace or Application level. A Snapshot can contain up to five Applications.

Take a Snapshot from your Workspace

To take a Snapshot from your Workspace:

1. Click the Snapshot button (camera icon) in the top-right corner of your Workspace.
2. In the Take a Snapshot pane, enter a name for your snapshot under Snapshot Name. Each Snapshot must have a unique name. By default, the name will be the date on which the Snapshot was taken.
3. From the Applications dropdown select the Application(s) you want to Snapshot.

4. For Applications with Scenarios activated, use the dropdown to select which Scenarios you want to snapshot. Only data from shared Scenarios can be taken in Snapshots containing more than one Application.
5. Before taking the Snapshot, you can review the data that will be taken in the Snapshot. The Applications section displays the list of Applications selected for which all data will be taken as part of the Snapshot. The Dependencies section displays the Blocks from other Applications which will be taken as part of the Snapshot due to being referenced by formulas in Blocks within the selected Applications. The Scenarios section lists the Scenario data selected as part of the Snapshot.
6. Click Take Snapshot.

Take a Snapshot from Your Application

To take a Snapshot from your Application:

1. Open the Application.
2. From the sidebar, select History.
3. Click on the Snapshots tab at the top of the panel.
4. Click the +Take a Snapshot button in the right corner.
5. In the Take a Snapshot pane, enter a name for your Snapshot under Snapshot name. Each Snapshot must have a unique name. By default, the name will be the date on which the snapshot was taken.
6. From the Applications dropdown, select any additional Applications that you want to Snapshot. By default, the current Application is selected.

7. For Applications with Scenarios activated, use the dropdown to select which Scenarios you want to Snapshot. Only shared Scenarios can be used in Snapshots containing more than one Application.
8. Before taking the Snapshot, you can review the data that will be taken in the Snapshot. The Applications section displays the list of Applications selected for which all data will be taken as part of the Snapshot. The Dependencies section displays the Blocks from other Applications which will be taken as part of the Snapshot due to being referenced by formulas in Blocks within the selected Applications. The Scenarios section lists the Scenario data selected as part of the Snapshot.

  9. Click Take Snapshot. 

Depending on your Application’s size, this operation may take a few seconds or minutes. You can’t edit your application during this time.

Refresh the page after a short period to verify if your Snapshot is complete. You will also receive a notification in your sidebar once the Snapshot is complete.

How to Cancel a Snapshot

When taking a Snapshot, a progress bar will visually indicate its progress. If you are the creator of the Snapshot, you can cancel a Snapshot at any time by clicking the Delete icon on the right of the Snapshot name.

Access a Snapshot

You can access all Snapshots of an Application from its Snapshot panel. To open a Snapshot:

1. Open the Application.
2. From the sidebar, select History.
3. Click on the Snapshots tab at the top of the panel.
4. Hover over a Snapshot and click Open Snapshot.

When navigating a Snapshot, the camera icon and Snapshot name are visible in the sidebar of the Application. To exit the Snapshot, click the arrow next to the Workspace name or select the Back to Workspace option in the banner.

If your Snapshot contains more than one Application, you can navigate between these Applications by clicking the arrow beside the Application name.

Manage access rights and permissions in a Snapshot

When a Snapshot is created, your Application data is preserved in a static state and cannot be modified, except for the security Blocks located in the Security folder.

By default, access rights and permissions Metrics are stored in the Security folder. You cannot update access rights and permissions in a Snapshot from the Roles, Permissions & Access page. 

Snapshots are read-only for calculations and formulas on all Blocks, but data input is allowed on Blocks from the Security folder to manage access rights and permissions. Snapshot Blocks never recompute, even if they depend on Blocks from the Security folder on which inputs have been made. This allows you to grant or modify access for new or existing Members. To update access rights and permissions:

1. Open the Snapshot.
2. Go to the Security folder of any Application from the Snapshot or its dependencies.
3. Select any Block from the Security folder.
4. Update access rights or permissions by directly inputting data in the Security Block needed to grant or modify access for a specific Member.

How to update dependent Applications

If your Snapshot(s) depend on Blocks from other Applications, these dependencies will be captured and listed in the Dependent Applications section of your Snapshot. The security of both these Blocks and your primary Snapshot can be managed using the Security Blocks from Dependent Applications. To do this:

1. Open the primary Snapshot.
2. From the Applications dropdown, go to the Dependent Applications dropdown.
3. Go to a dependent Application. The dependent Application Block Explorer contains only Blocks on which any of the Snapshot's primary Applications depend on, including Blocks from the Security folder that enable your Snapshot configuration. Boards are not available in dependent Applications.
4. Go to Blocks and select the Security folder.
5. Adjust the Security Settings in the relevant Blocks for the desired Member(s).

Edit a Snapshot

Rename a Snapshot 

Members need to be a Builder and Display Application permission in order to rename a Snapshot. If you have selected multiple Applications as part of the Snapshot, you will need to have Display Application permission on each of the selected Applications within the Snapshot in order to rename the Snapshot.

To rename a Snapshot:

1. Hover over a Snapshot in the Snapshot panel to reveal editing options.
2. Click the Pencil icon to edit the Name.
3. Enter a new Name and click Rename.

Rename a Scenario in a Snapshot

If a Snapshot includes Scenarios, you can rename them directly within the Snapshot or through the Scenario Selector in a live Application.

It’s best practice to rename your snapshotted Scenarios to easily distinguish between snapshotted and current Scenarios. To do this:

1. Select a Snapshot.
2. In the Application Snapshot, select More Options.
3. Click Scenarios.
4. Click the three dots to the right of the Created column for the Scenario.
5. Click Edit Scenario details.
6. Type a new Name or Description.
7. Click Save.

Hide a Snapshot

You can compare live data to a Snapshot in a View or on a Board by selecting a Snapshot in the Scenario Selector. By default, Application Snapshots are visible in the Scenarios from Snapshots section within the Scenario Selector.

To declutter the Scenarios from Snapshots section, simply hide the Snapshot(s) in the Snapshot panel of the Application. This removes it from the Scenario Selector. To do this:

1. Go to the Snapshot panel in an Application.
2. Hover over the desired Snapshot.
3. Select Hide Snapshot. The Hidden Snapshot icon will appear next to the Scenario column. To show a Snapshot, hover over the Snapshot and select Show Snapshot.

To bulk hide Snapshots, tick the checkbox next to each relevant Snapshot and choose Hide.

Remove an Application from a Snapshot

You can remove an Application from a Snapshot. You need to be the Owner of the Application in order to do this.

1. Navigate to the Snapshot panel in a specific Application.
2. Click the ellipses (…) to the right of the Taken by column on the Snapshot panel.
3. Click Remove Application from Snapshot. This removes the current Application from the Snapshot.

Deleting a Snapshot

You can delete entire Snapshots and their dependencies individually or in bulk. To delete a Snapshot, you must be the Owner of all Applications included in it. To do this:

1. Go to the Snapshot panel in a specific Application.
2. Hover over the Snapshot or tick the checkboxes next to multiple Snapshots if deleting in bulk.
3. Select Delete Snapshot.