* Version control and workspace management * Provides controlled access to software assets, including requirements, design documents, models, test plans and test results. * Manages and controls source code, libraries, documentation, binaries, web artifacts and virtually any project artifact that can be represented as digital content. * Supports thousands of users, working at dozens of sites, managing terabytes of data. Provides development and integration models, private workspaces and public integration areas that allow you to work independently, yet collaborate effectively with the team. * Allows you to delete previous versions, create and delete branches, list version histories, and compare and merge versions. * Advanced parallel development * Facilitates more effective configuration management with improvements in performance, security, usability, integration and deployment. * Increases productivity with parallel development support, automated workspace management, asset reuse and activity-based change management. * Provides extensive support for parallel development, enabling developers to work on the same code base or release, more easily resolve conflicts and reduce confusion. * Isolates specific changes or versions, allowing multiple developers on the same and different teams to work independently from the same code base. * Creates applications more rapidly using parallel development support, automated workspace management and baseline management. * Effective IP security * Helps ensure high-quality code with security-rich version management and reliable build auditing. * Shows user authentication and audit trails to help your organization meet compliance requirements with minimal administrative hassle. * Provides a robust centralized repository where development assets are captured and versioned in a security-rich way. * Uses access control to help ensure that only authorized individuals make changes. * Provides access virtually anytime, anywhere to give you the freedom to work efficiently where and when needed. * Authoritative build auditing * Helps to prevent mistakes, reduce bugs and identify errors earlier in the delivery cycle to resolve issues more quickly. * Provides dynamic views for transparent access to versions of elements on the network. * Provides snapshot views to use local copies of file versions while disconnected from the network.

* Helps protect your team from accidental file loss. * Allows back-tracking to earlier versions of a file. * Supports branching, sharing, merging, and management of file releases. * Tracks versions of entire projects. * Tracks modular code (one file that is reused, or shared, by multiple projects). * Visual SourceSafe allows the quick and efficient sharing of files among projects. The organization of files into projects makes team coordination intuitive. * Using the Visual SourceSafe automation interfaces, you can write extensions based on Visual SourceSafe as needed for your environment. Extensions are usually provided in the form of stand-alone applications written to the automation interfaces. You can also extend Visual SourceSafe functionality by writing an add-in or plug-in that is compatible with the integrated development environment (IDE) of the third-party program that will run the software package.