Multiple versions of the "same" submodel #136
Description
It is not immediately clear whether it is allowed to have different versions of the "same" submodel (in a single AAS) and if there are valid use cases for this. After a discussion with Michael Hoffmeister that resulted from the Factory-X project, I propose the following Q/A:
Q: Can I have several versions of the "same" submodel in parallel? Are there any use cases for this?
A: Changing the version of a submodel does not create a "copy" with a separate ID automatically (in contrast to version control systems like Git). Consequently, to have several versions of a submodel in parallel, one needs to (1) create a copy of the submodel, (2) give it a distinct ID, and (3) assign a new version.
As already discussed here (https://github.com/admin-shell-io/questions-and-answers?tab=readme-ov-file#idgh14), references ignore versioning information. Hence, each version can be referenced separately using its distinct ID. Thus, multiple versions of a submodel can be referenced from ("included in") the same AAS.
One potential use case for having several versions of the "same" submodel within a single AAS would be to indicate different available firmware options for an asset. In this case, several versions of the SM "Nameplate for Software in Manufacturing" would be referenced from a single AAS representing a component type. Thereby, each version of the SM would represent one available firmware version.