Glossary · Automation software engineering and architecture
Rollback
Also known as: Roll back, Downgrade
German: Rollback
In software deployment and data management, a rollback is the return of a system to a previous known-good state, for example reinstalling the previous software version after a failed update or undoing an incomplete database transaction.
- Software engineering
In one sentence
A rollback returns a system to a previous known-good state, for example the prior software version after a failed update.
Example
After the new HMI version shows communication errors, the service technician rolls back to the previous release using the stored backup partition.
How it applies
- Engineering: A rollback path is designed with each update: previous images kept, data format changes reversible or migrated back, configuration restored. Rollback capability describes this property of the system.
- Operation: Rollback criteria and the decision owner should be defined before a deployment, so the decision is quick when problems appear.
- Documentation: The update instructions should include rollback steps and state limits, for example that parameters changed after the update are lost, or that a rollback below a certain version is blocked for security reasons.
Rollback vs. rollback capability
A rollback is the action of returning to a previous state. Rollback capability is the designed ability of a system to do so reliably.