Allow Snapshot Creation from Actual Current Inventory During Active Deployment Execution

Currently, when a snapshot is created during an Application Process using APIs such as:

/cli/snapshot/createSnapshotOfEnvironment

the generated snapshot reflects the deployment's target inventory ("Versions to Deploy") rather than the actual versions currently installed in the environment before deployment.

Based on discussions with IBM Support, this behavior is working as designed because the environment inventory is updated to the target deployment versions before process steps are executed.

However, this behavior is functionally incorrect for rollback and recovery use cases.

A snapshot created before or during deployment is expected to represent the actual currently installed versions in the environment at that point in time. In our scenario, the snapshot instead captures the configured “Versions to Deploy”, even before those versions are fully deployed and validated in the environment.

This creates a logical inconsistency from a deployment and rollback perspective:

• the snapshot no longer represents the true pre-deployment state

• rollback cannot reliably restore the original environment

• before/after version tracking becomes inaccurate

• automated recovery workflows become unsafe

Effectively, the snapshot reflects the intended target state rather than the actual existing state of the environment. If the inventory is updated to the target versions before deployment completion, then the snapshot generated at that stage cannot be considered a reliable snapshot.

We also understand from your confirmation that there is currently no API available to reset or reconstruct the snapshot inventory afterward.

Based on the current behavior and the absence of a supported API/workaround, this appears to be a product limitation for automation-driven rollback scenarios.

Possible implementation examples:

• Additional API parameter:
  inventorySource=currentInstalled

• Additional UI option:
  "Create snapshot from current installed inventory"

Expected Result:

Users should be able to create a snapshot during an active deployment process that accurately reflects the actual environment state before deployment changes are applied.