Changing Base Code

Just as it is important to create high-quality base code, it is equally important to ensure that base code is changed in a very controlled manner. The base code project within Visual SourceSafe should be regarded as the highest-security project in your organization. As such, only a select core of developers should have anything but read-only access to the project. Remember that any changes to the code will be incorporated in every other application the next time the applications are built.

Controlling changes to the base code is also extremely important. A strict change control process needs to be in place for the base code and every change request must be fully justified. When a change cannot be fully justified, alternative solutions need to be found. See the sidebar on the following page for one possible scenario (along with a solution).