{"id":2864602,"date":"2025-10-13T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2864602"},"modified":"2025-10-13T11:25:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T18:25:42","slug":"prune-like-a-pro-introduction-to-the-prune-branch-history-tool","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/data-management\/prune-like-a-pro-introduction-to-the-prune-branch-history-tool","title":{"rendered":"Prune like a pro: Introduction to the Prune Branch History tool"},"author":12901,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[37501,37101,23851],"tags":[42181,442002,767792,23081,757531],"industry":[],"product":[36571,36561,515312],"class_list":["post-2864602","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-administration","category-announcements","category-data-management","tag-arcgis-pro","tag-branch-versioning","tag-enterprise-geodatabase","tag-utilities","tag-version-management","product-arcgis-enterprise","product-arcgis-pro","product-utility-network"],"acf":{"short_description":"This blog introduces the new Prune Branch History geoprocessing tool that was added with the ArcGIS Pro 3.5 release. ","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2879152,"id":2879152,"title":"AdobeStock_1314867753EE","filename":"AdobeStock_1314867753EE.jpg","filesize":63753,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1314867753EE.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/data-management\/prune-like-a-pro-introduction-to-the-prune-branch-history-tool\/adobestock_1314867753ee","alt":"Trimming tree branches with professional pruning shears - Banner photo \u00a9 Vom Baty \u2013 stock.adobe.com","author":"12901","description":"Trimming tree branches with professional pruning shears - Banner photo \u00a9 Vom Baty \u2013 stock.adobe.com","caption":"Banner photo \u00a9 Vom Baty \u2013 stock.adobe.com","name":"adobestock_1314867753ee","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2864602,"date":"2025-07-03 23:17:56","modified":"2025-07-03 23:18:25","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":650,"height":418,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1314867753EE-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1314867753EE.jpg","medium-width":406,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1314867753EE.jpg","medium_large-width":650,"medium_large-height":418,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1314867753EE.jpg","large-width":650,"large-height":418,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1314867753EE.jpg","1536x1536-width":650,"1536x1536-height":418,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1314867753EE.jpg","2048x2048-width":650,"2048x2048-height":418,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1314867753EE.jpg","card_image-width":650,"card_image-height":418,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1314867753EE.jpg","wide_image-width":650,"wide_image-height":418}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1314867753EE.jpg"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Many of Esri’s product enhancement ideas come from your suggestions on the Esri Community<\/a> site. In the Data Management Ideas section, you\u2019ll find numerous requests for the ability to trim the history of branch versioned datasets, including the following idea:<\/p>\n

Trim Archive History Tool for Branch Versioned Data<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

With more than 60 kudos given to this idea on Esri Community and a similar enhancement logged through Esri Support Services, we are pleased to announce that the Prune Branch History geoprocessing tool is available with the ArcGIS Pro 3.5 release.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Function of the Prune Branch History tool<\/h2>\n

The Prune Branch History<\/a> geoprocessing tool was designed to help you manage and clean up the historical records of branch versioned datasets. This means you can delete or prune retired archive records from branch-versioned datasets that are no longer needed. The tool identifies which records can be safely pruned based on specific criteria, ensuring that only appropriate entries are deleted while preserving the necessary historical data.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":"

The Prune Branch History tool is for branch versioned datasets; it\u2019s comparable to the Trim Archive History<\/a> tool, which is supported on nonversioned archived datasets.<\/p>\n","image_reference":false,"layout":"spotlight","image_reference_figure":"","snippet":"","spotlight_name":" Did you know...","section_title":" ","position":"Right","spotlight_image":{"ID":2871522,"id":2871522,"title":"Tip_Post_1","filename":"Tip_Post_1.png","filesize":25759,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Tip_Post_1.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/data-management\/prune-like-a-pro-introduction-to-the-prune-branch-history-tool\/tip_post_1","alt":"Tip","author":"12901","description":"Tip","caption":"","name":"tip_post_1","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2864602,"date":"2025-07-01 10:21:15","modified":"2025-07-01 10:21:40","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":290,"height":308,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Tip_Post_1-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Tip_Post_1.png","medium-width":246,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Tip_Post_1.png","medium_large-width":290,"medium_large-height":308,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Tip_Post_1.png","large-width":290,"large-height":308,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Tip_Post_1.png","1536x1536-width":290,"1536x1536-height":308,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Tip_Post_1.png","2048x2048-width":290,"2048x2048-height":308,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Tip_Post_1.png","card_image-width":290,"card_image-height":308,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Tip_Post_1.png","wide_image-width":290,"wide_image-height":308}}},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Branch versioned data uses a temporal-based archiving model\u2014while editor tracking must be configured as a prerequisite step, archiving is enabled automatically during registering as versioned.<\/p>\n

A complete historical record of all modifications for branch versioned data is kept. Each modification\u2014whether it’s inserting, updating, or deleting\u2014is logged as a new entry in the business table. Six system fields are added to the business table to store and manage all edits made to the branch versioned feature class or table.<\/p>\n

This detailed recording allows you to access the history of a branch versioned dataset by viewing a historical moment<\/a> or even work with the archive class<\/a> in ArcGIS Pro. The tracking of changes for branch versioned data is referred to as the branch history<\/a> for the dataset.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

When to use the tool<\/h2>\n

When you no longer need the entire branch history for your data or want to do a scheduled cleanup, the Prune Branch History tool can be used to help manage the growth of historical data and reduce the overall storage size for branch versioned datasets.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":"

Key Concepts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Active row\u2014<\/b><\/strong>The latest representation of a feature that has not been deleted.
\nRetired archived records\u2014<\/b><\/strong>Data that is no longer referenced by any version or replica
\nBranch history<\/strong><\/a>\u2014<\/b><\/strong>All changes for branch versioned data added to the business table to store and manage edits for the default version. This includes inserts, updates, and deletes to data.
\nReferenced moments<\/strong><\/a>\u2014<\/b><\/strong>A moment or point in time from which a version or feature service replica references. Referenced moments prevent certain records from being pruned.<\/p>\n","image_reference":false,"layout":"standard","image_reference_figure":"","snippet":"","spotlight_name":"","section_title":"","position":"Center","spotlight_image":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

Prune Branch History tool parameters<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look at how to use the Prune Branch History tool with branch versioned data by reviewing the tool parameters.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2871292,"id":2871292,"title":"Short_PruneBranchHistory_gptool","filename":"Short_PruneBranchHistory_gptool.png","filesize":13175,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Short_PruneBranchHistory_gptool.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/data-management\/prune-like-a-pro-introduction-to-the-prune-branch-history-tool\/short_prunebranchhistory_gptool","alt":"Prune Branch History geoprocessing tool","author":"12901","description":"Prune Branch History geoprocessing tool","caption":"Prune Branch History geoprocessing tool","name":"short_prunebranchhistory_gptool","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2864602,"date":"2025-07-01 08:18:16","modified":"2025-07-01 08:19:15","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":325,"height":329,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Short_PruneBranchHistory_gptool-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Short_PruneBranchHistory_gptool.png","medium-width":258,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Short_PruneBranchHistory_gptool.png","medium_large-width":325,"medium_large-height":329,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Short_PruneBranchHistory_gptool.png","large-width":325,"large-height":329,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Short_PruneBranchHistory_gptool.png","1536x1536-width":325,"1536x1536-height":329,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Short_PruneBranchHistory_gptool.png","2048x2048-width":325,"2048x2048-height":329,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Short_PruneBranchHistory_gptool.png","card_image-width":325,"card_image-height":329,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Short_PruneBranchHistory_gptool.png","wide_image-width":325,"wide_image-height":329}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Short_PruneBranchHistory_gptool.png"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Input Dataset<\/strong> (required)\u2014<\/b><\/strong>The source for the Input Dataset<\/strong> parameter for the tool must be a table, feature class, or feature dataset that is registered as branch versioned<\/a>.\u00a0 It cannot participate in any controller datasets<\/a>, except a topology<\/a> or utility network<\/a>. This must be branch versioned data from a branch database connection created as the owner of the input dataset. When your data resides in a feature dataset, you must input the feature dataset, as all classes in a feature dataset and related data will be processed together.<\/p>\n

Output Log File<\/strong> (required)\u2014<\/b><\/strong>Reports the feature classes and tables that were\/will be pruned. Will also list the replicas and versions that prevented performing the prune with the requested date in the Prune Before Date <\/strong>parameter.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Optional parameters<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The following optional parameters can give you more control over how and what gets pruned.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":"