Snapshots
RAMP automatically captures point-in-time snapshots of an instance’s complete state before significant changes. Snapshots provide an audit trail that allows you to review exactly what the instance looked like at any moment in its lifecycle.
What is a snapshot
Section titled “What is a snapshot”A snapshot is a frozen record of the instance’s entire state at a specific moment in time. It captures:
- Instance metadata — Title, status, version, scheduled dates.
- All step states — Status, assignments, durations, and execution details for every step (including virtual steps).
- Variable values — All variable names and their values at the time of the snapshot.
- Notes and comments — Instance-level and step-level notes and comments.
- Trigger information — What caused the snapshot to be created.
When snapshots are created
Section titled “When snapshots are created”Snapshots are created automatically before significant state changes:
Automatic triggers
Section titled “Automatic triggers”| Trigger | When it occurs |
|---|---|
| Variable Change | Before modifying a StringList variable with an iteration mode that affects virtual step generation |
| Version Upgrade | Before upgrading the instance to a newer template version |
Manual snapshots
Section titled “Manual snapshots”Users with appropriate permissions can also create snapshots manually at any time. Manual snapshots include an optional description field for documenting the reason.
Viewing snapshots
Section titled “Viewing snapshots”Snapshot list
Section titled “Snapshot list”- Open the instance detail page.
- Navigate to the History tab or the Snapshots panel.
- View the list of all snapshots, sorted chronologically.
Each snapshot in the list shows:
- Timestamp — When the snapshot was created.
- Created by — Who triggered the snapshot (or “System” for automatic snapshots).
- Trigger type — A color-coded badge: Manual, Variable Change, or Version Upgrade.
- Description — Optional description for manual snapshots.
Snapshot detail page
Section titled “Snapshot detail page”Click on a snapshot to open its full detail view. The snapshot detail page is organized into collapsible sections:
Trigger details
Section titled “Trigger details”For automatic snapshots, this section shows what triggered the snapshot:
- Variable Change triggers display: the variable name, the old value, and the new value.
- Version Upgrade triggers display: the source version number and the target version number.
Instance state
Section titled “Instance state”A summary of the instance’s metadata at the time of the snapshot:
- Title
- Status
- Template version string
- Start date and due date
Variables
Section titled “Variables”A table showing all variable values at the time of the snapshot:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Variable | The variable placeholder name (displayed as {{Name}}) |
| Value | The value at the time of the snapshot |
| Type | Data type and iteration mode (if applicable) |
A table showing every step’s state at the snapshot time:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Step | Step title and iteration values (for virtual steps) |
| Status | Step status (Pending, Running, Completed, Skipped, etc.) |
| Type | Regular or Virtual step, plus Orphaned flag if applicable |
| Assigned To | User assigned to execute the step |
| Duration | Recorded execution duration |
All instance-level and step-level notes captured at the snapshot time, including:
- Source — Whether the note originated from the Template, Template Version, or Instance.
- Scope — Whether it is an instance-level or step-level note.
- Deprecation status — Notes from template versions that were later superseded.
- Content — The full note content (rich text).
Comments
Section titled “Comments”All comments captured at the snapshot time, with:
- Author and timestamp
- Source — Template, Template Version, or Instance.
- Scope — Instance-level or step-level.
- Content — The comment text.
Use cases
Section titled “Use cases”Audit and compliance
Section titled “Audit and compliance”Snapshots provide evidence for regulatory audits:
- Prove what the procedure looked like when it was executed.
- Show that variables were set correctly before execution.
- Document the chain of changes from planning through completion.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”When an execution produces unexpected results:
- Open the instance’s snapshot history.
- Find a snapshot from before the issue occurred.
- Compare the step states and variable values with the current state.
- Identify what changed that may have caused the problem.
Variable change tracking
Section titled “Variable change tracking”For instances with iteration variables (StringList with Parallel or Sequential mode), snapshots before variable changes preserve the previous virtual step structure. This lets you:
- See what the step tree looked like before a list was modified.
- Compare virtual step assignments before and after the change.
- Verify that no execution progress was lost during virtual step regeneration.
Version upgrade review
Section titled “Version upgrade review”Before and after a version upgrade, snapshots capture the transition:
- Before snapshot — Shows the instance with the old version, including all step progress.
- After state — The current instance shows the upgraded version with new, modified, and removed steps.
Compare these to verify that the upgrade preserved the expected state.
Navigating back
Section titled “Navigating back”The snapshot detail page includes a Back to Instance button that returns you to the instance detail page.