Adding binaries to Source Safe (VSS) is looking for pain, what about TFVC?
Anyone who had the privilege of recovering and/or running daily consistency checks on Source Safe depositories containing huge binary and documentation files knows that the storage of binary and large documentation files is not recommended for Visual Source Safe. In all fairness, the solution is a “source” depository … but then where should one keep the documentation and binaries matching the source trees?
Does the same concern apply to Team Foundation Version Control? Can we actually store binaries and documentation in TFVC? Do we the “store only last version” option that saved us in VSS days, in TFVC? Where should we store documentation, if not in TFVC?
… these are common questions we are asked on a regular basis.
Let us respond to them to the best of our ability. TFS creates a Sharepoint Portal for each Team Project, which is an ideal location to store documentation and ‘possibly’ even the binaries. However, for those that like to keep everything together in one happy solution, storing source, documentation and binaries in TFVC is a feasible option.
TFVC stores all files in a compressed format (which VSS did not) and the reverse delta algorithm used for binary files has dramatically improved since the VSS days. It is therefore feasible to add your binary and documentation files to the solution.
No, we do not have the “store only latest version” option in TFVC, but the product team has been notified and already the VSTS MVPs are discussing the feature and possible improvements over VSS … so watch this space.