> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.omni.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

<AgentInstructions>

## Submitting Feedback

If you encounter incorrect, outdated, or confusing documentation on this page, submit feedback:

POST https://docs.omni.co/feedback

```json
{
  "path": "/content/develop/drafts",
  "feedback": "Description of the issue"
}
```

Only submit feedback when you have something specific and actionable to report.

</AgentInstructions>

# Developing content with Draft-only mode

> Every Omni document has two states: draft and published.

Drafts are isolated instances of a document, including its workbook and dashboard. When a draft is published, a new, read-only version of the document is created. All users who have access to the document will see this version.

## Document drafts in Omni

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What's a draft?">
    A draft is an isolated copy of a document, including its workbook and dashboard. In a draft, you can make changes to the queries in the document, add visualizations, modify the dashboard, and so on without impacting the live - or published - version of the document.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why use drafts?">
    Incorporating drafts into your Omni workflow allows you to:

    * **Make incremental progress.** With small, manageable goals, it's easy to show progress without waiting for your work to be perfect.
    * **Explore without commitment.** Whether you're working solo or with a team, utilizing drafts lets you iterate on ideas without worrying about the final product.
    * **Increase your efficiency.** Drafts enable you and your teammates to view each other's changes and collaborate in a controlled environment, preventing overlap and ensuring that everyone's contributions remain distinct.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Who can use drafts?">
    Users with the ability to create documents can use drafts. The initial draft for a document is created when the document is saved.

    To access or publish drafts for other users' documents, you'll need permissions that allow you to edit the document.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do drafts work with models and themes?">
    No, models and themes don't work with drafts.

    * **Workbook models** - While you can make changes to a workbook model while in a draft, workbook model changes can only be promoted from the [published version of a document](#publishing-drafts). Refer to the [Model management guide](/modeling/develop/model-management#shared-model-promotion) for more information about promoting model changes.

    * **Themes** - Themes can only be managed from the published version of a document. The **File > Theming** option will be disabled while viewing a draft. Exit the draft to access and manage themes.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I start in a draft and move to a branch?">
    Yes! In a workbook, click **File > Move to branch** to move the current draft to an existing branch. Refer to the [Branch mode guide](/content/develop/branch-mode#moving-drafts-to-branches) for more information.

    You can also detach a draft from a branch if you change your mind. While in the branch, click **File > Move to different branch > Detach from branch** to detach the draft.

    <Warning>
      Branches can have one draft per document per branch. If you move a document draft to a branch that already has a draft for the same document, the draft already on the branch will be overwritten.
    </Warning>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Opening and editing drafts

Analyses must be [saved](/analyze-explore/workbook-basics#saving-a-workbook) as documents before you can create a draft. To create or open a draft, click **File > Edit** or the **Edit** button in the top right corner of the document. **Note**: If a draft already exists for a document, this opens the existing draft.

Changes in a draft - including those to models, queries, or the dashboard - are only visible in the draft, meaning they won't affect the [published version](#publishing-drafts) of the document. This ensures that you can safely iterate without impacting those viewing the published document.

Clicking **Leave draft** saves the changes made to the draft and opens the published version of the document.

### Collaborating in drafts

To collaborate efficiently, Omni recommends:

* **Ensuring only one user at a time edits a draft,** which will reduce the likelihood of authors stepping on each other. This is because, currently, a document can only have one draft at a time, which means authors will 'share' the draft.
* **Working small**. Creating and publishing small changes allows you to work more quickly and make a document's version history easier to follow.

<Accordion title="Want to explore without opening a draft?">
  Sometimes, it can be useful to explore a document without creating a draft. For example, when multiple authors want to edit the same document.

  There are a few ways to create copies that will allow you to explore without overwriting changes in a draft:

  | I want to copy...                         | Document state | How to                                                                                          |
  | ----------------------------------------- | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
  | An entire document (workbook & dashboard) | Published      | **File > Duplicate**                                                                            |
  | Current workbook tab                      | Any            | **Tab > Explore** or the (**Compass**) icon next to **Both** (published) or **Options** (draft) |
  | Workbook only                             | Any            | **Explore** button in top right corner of the document                                          |

  <Note>
    The ability to duplicate and create new explorations is controlled by the document's settings and your organization's [content permissions](/administration/content-permissions).
  </Note>
</Accordion>

### Drafts and branches

Drafts can be [added to or removed from branches](/content/develop/branch-mode#moving-drafts-to-branches) at any time, giving you the flexibility to pick the best workflow as you go. Refer to the [Common publishing workflows guide](/content/develop/workflows) for example workflows.

## Viewing and restoring draft changes

To view all changes made in a draft, click the 🕒 (clock icon) in a draft workbook. The **Draft changes** panel will display a list of all changes made to the draft workbook.

You can revert to an earlier version of the draft by clicking an individual change, then **Restore**.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/omni-e7402367/rE0DLfCWKMXIHEkL/images/docs/finding-content/drafting-publishing/assets/images/drafts-view-changes-f385e7d6b4cca00c6cbcc95d5d8d9128.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=rE0DLfCWKMXIHEkL&q=85&s=b012a6ed00a295d3dcbc9854353c2f84" alt="" width="853" height="578" data-path="images/docs/finding-content/drafting-publishing/assets/images/drafts-view-changes-f385e7d6b4cca00c6cbcc95d5d8d9128.png" />

## Archiving drafts

Archiving a draft allows you to remove an existing draft without deleting it. When a draft is archived, the draft is stored in a separate **Archived** section of the workbook. Archived drafts are retained for 30 days.

Any user with edit access to a document can archive or restore an archived draft:

1. Open the document's **Workbook**.
2. Click **View drafts** (document icon) near the bottom left corner of the page.
3. Click an **archived** draft and view it, restore it, or use it to start a new workbook.

**Note**: Restoring an archived draft will replace the document's active draft. Omni will prompt you to confirm the restoration before proceeding.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/omni-e7402367/rE0DLfCWKMXIHEkL/images/docs/finding-content/drafting-publishing/assets/images/drafts-archived-4614f54f74ee235576107d49e950ba6a.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=rE0DLfCWKMXIHEkL&q=85&s=6d7f50bbde9f8abe4ee6cffa5f96769b" alt="" width="1722" height="954" data-path="images/docs/finding-content/drafting-publishing/assets/images/drafts-archived-4614f54f74ee235576107d49e950ba6a.png" />

## Publishing drafts

When a draft is published, the changes in the draft will replace the currently published version of the document. The published version of a document is **read-only**, but you can still drill down and use dashboard filters. To make changes to the workbook or dashboard, [open a draft](#opening-and-editing-drafts) of the document.

You can restore a previously published version of a document using the **File > Version history** option. Refer to the [Workbook documentation](/analyze-explore/workbook-basics#workbook-versions) for more information.

### Viewing published documents

A document's folder location and permissions determine if it's visible to other users. For example, if you saved the document in your **Personal** folder but didn't grant access to anyone, only you will be able to see the document, regardless of whether it's been published.