GS522 – Cloning, Extending, and Managing Feature Versions in Globalization Studio

Once you’ve deployed a working Globalization Feature (like we did in GS521), your business will likely ask for changes:

• “Can we add a new footer to the XML?”
• “Now the government wants an extra field…”
• “This customer has a special tax setup, can we handle that?”

The good news is: you don’t have to rebuild anything from scratch. In Globalization Studio, you can clone, extend, and version your features safely and easily.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• How to safely create a new version of a live feature
• How to modify only what’s needed
• How to test changes without affecting production
• How to rollback if something goes wrong

This expands on what you learned in GS512 – Version Control and GS510 – Reusing Microsoft Features.

🧠 Why Feature Versioning Matters

When a Globalization Feature is deployed, it becomes part of a compliance-critical process. Any change to it could:

• Affect customers
• Impact regulatory submissions
• Break integrations with government portals

That’s why Microsoft enforces feature versioning:

• You cannot edit a live feature
• You must create a new version
• You decide when to complete and deploy the new version

This gives you safe control, traceability, and rollback options.

🪜 Step-by-Step: Cloning and Updating a Feature Version

Let’s say your live feature is ES_B2G_Invoice_Facturae v1, and the Spanish government now requires a new field in the XML.

Here’s how you handle it:

✅ Step 1: Clone the Existing Feature Version

1. Open your ES_B2G_Invoice_Facturae feature
2. Go to the Versions tab
3. Click New Version
   • This creates a new Draft version: v2 (Draft)

You’re now working in a safe sandbox version.

✅ Step 2: Modify the Needed Component & Complete

Let’s say you need to:

• Add a new XML node in the ER format
• Update pipeline step description
• Adjust an applicability rule (e.g. apply to B2C customers too)

Do it now. You can:

• Edit or derive from the existing ER format
• Update any processing pipeline step
• Test it without affecting v1

✅ You can even simulate pipeline execution using test invoices.

✅ Step 3: Test and Validate

1. Post sample invoices in UAT
2. Trigger the feature
3. Review:
   • Signed output
   • Submission result
   • New XML field (if required by government or customer)

If all checks pass, continue.

✅ Step 4: Mark as Deploy

1. Go to the feature version → change status to Complete
2. Go to the Deployment tab
3. Click Deploy

Now v2 becomes the live version. The older version (v1) is archived but still visible for auditing.

🔁 How to Roll Back to a Previous Version

Let’s say something goes wrong in v2. You want to go back to v1.

Steps:

1. Open feature version v1
2. Click New Version → This creates v1.1
3. Mark it Complete and Deploy

You’ve now rolled back, without deleting or overwriting anything.

🛡️ Your audit trail remains intact.

🧭 Real Use Case: Extending Spain’s Facturae Feature

💡 Tips for Managing Multiple Versions

📁 Where to View Version History

You can review all versions under:

• Feature → Versions tab
• Shows:
  • Draft/Complete/Deployed status
  • Author
  • Date
  • Comments
  • Deployment environment

This helps you:

• Track changes over time
• Reuse older logic when needed
• Prove compliance during audits

🧭 Related Articles

• GS510 – Cloning Microsoft Features
• GS512 – Version Control Basics
• GS521 – End-to-End Scenario: Spain Invoice

📘 Coming Up Next

In GS523 – Power Platform for Compliance Workflows in Globalization Studio, we’ll extend your compliance framework using Microsoft Power Platform.
You’ll learn how to:

• Monitor real-time submission events and failures
• Trigger Teams, Outlook, or SharePoint notifications for exceptions
• Use Dataverse virtual entities and business events for low-code automation
• Architect scalable compliance flows across Dev, UAT, and Prod

📖 Continue reading: GS523 – Power Platform Compliance Integration →

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