What is the difference between batch update sets and merge update sets

[Rithvik2]

What is the difference between batch update sets and merge update sets and

what exactly batch update set will do and what merge update set will do?

Can anyone explain in simple words

[aditya174]

Hi @Rithvik2  ,

Update Set :  

An update set is a group of configuration changes that can be moved from one instance to another. This feature allows administrators to group a series of changes into a named set and then move them as a unit to other systems for testing or deployment.

An update set is an XML file that contains:

A set of record details that uniquely identify the update set.
A list of configuration changes.
A state that determines whether another instance can retrieve and apply configuration changes. 

Now, coming to Batch Update set and Merge Update set: 

Update set Batching:

• Batch update sets enable you to group update sets together so you can preview and commit them in bulk.
• It helps to avoid committing of update sets in the wrong order, so batching is used to avoid the problem of leaving behind any un-committed update set behind.
• The system organizes update set batches into a hierarchy. One update set can act as the parent for multiple child update sets.
•  A given set can be both a child and parent, enabling multiple-level hierarchies. One update set at the top level of the hierarchy acts as the base update set.
• When you preview or commit the base update set, you preview or commit the entire batch. The system determines the processing order, and checks for collisions, based on the dates the changes were recorded, and on their sequential ancestry. Their ancestries are the specific instances in which the changes in the update sets took place.
• The individual updates stay within the respective sets.

Merge Update Set: 

• Use to merge multiple update sets into a single update set. 
• Once they are merged you can not unmerge the update sets.
• No hierarchy is followed in the merge update set.
• The latest update overrides the oldest one.

So above are the few differences between Merge and Batching of update set. I hope you find this explanation satisfactory.

Some Links to refer:

Merge update set: merge update set

Batch Update set: batching update set