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git follower mode best practices

Omni’s git follower mode gives you a powerful way to manage model development across environments while keeping them in sync. To ensure smooth deployments, we recommend following the best practices outlined in this guide.

git setting configuration​

Setting up follower mode involves configuring a few git settings for both the leader and follower models:

  • Base branch - The target branch for Omni pull requests
  • Always create branches - When enabled, a corresponding Omni branch is created when a pull request is opened, updated, or merged in the connected repository.
  • Git follower mode - Enables follower mode. The model will be read only and can only be updated by merging pull requests to the base branch.
  • Source model name - Determines the path to the model files in the connected repository. The leader and follower(s) must match.

The following table details Omni's recommendations for each of these settings:

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Development workflow​

When developing against models with git follower mode enabled, it’s important to follow a clear workflow that keeps your environments aligned and predictable. Omni recommends a two-part process: first, deploy and develop changes in the leader model, then refresh, test, and promote those changes through the follower. This ensures you can iterate safely while maintaining stability in the "live" models.

Part 1: Deploy & develop the leader​

  1. In Omni:
    1. Open a branch against the leader model.
    2. Make a change to the model.
    3. When finished, click Create pull request in the branch header. This will prompt you to create a pull request against the leader's base branch in the git repository. Omni recommends using the main branch.
  2. In the git repository: Merge the pull request, which will merge the branch into the leader's base branch.
  3. In Omni: Verify that the changes you merged are available in the leader model.

Part 2: Refresh, test, & deploy the follower​

  1. In Omni: Perform a schema refresh on the follower model. This step is required to ensure that the follower's schema model matches the schema model of the leader.
  2. In the git repository:
    1. Create a new branch off of the leader's base branch. Omni recommends using a name like release-to-prod-YYYYMMDD, where YYYYMMDD is a date. For example, release-to-prod-20250901
    2. Create a pull request that will merge the release-to-prod-YYYYMMDD branch into the follower's base branch. With the Always create branches setting enabled for the model in Omni, this will create a branch in Omni with the same name.
  3. In Omni:
    1. Navigate to the follower model and open the model IDE.
    2. Open the release-to-prod-YYYYMMDD branch.
    3. Test the changes, including checking the Content Validator for issues.
  4. In the git repository: Merge the pull request, which will merge the branch into the follower's base branch.
  5. In Omni: After the pull request is merged, confirm that the changes are present in the follower model.