Adding 'versioning management' section to README (#2691)

garrettjonesgoogle · web-flow · commit cdef3f2086fa · 2017-12-12T13:00:39.000-08:00
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -64,6 +64,8 @@ libraryDependencies += "com.google.cloud" % "google-cloud" % "0.32.0-alpha"
 
 For running on Google App Engine, see [more instructions here](./APPENGINE.md).
 
+If you are running into problems with version conflicts, see [Version Management](#version-management).
+
 Specifying a Project ID
 -----------------------
 
@@ -258,6 +260,61 @@ a higher priority.
 **Alpha**: Libraries defined at an Alpha quality level are still a work-in-progress and
 are more likely to get backwards-incompatible updates.
 
+Version Management
+------------------
+
+The easiest way to solve version conflicts is to use google-cloud's BOM. In Maven, add the following to your POM:
+
+```
+  <dependencyManagement>
+    <dependencies>
+      <dependency>
+        <groupId>com.google.cloud</groupId>
+        <artifactId>google-cloud-bom</artifactId>
+        <version>0.32.0-alpha</version>
+        <type>pom</type>
+        <scope>import</scope>
+      </dependency>
+    </dependencies>
+  </dependencyManagement>
+```
+
+This BOM is only available starting at version 0.32.0-alpha. If you are having problems with prior versions of
+google-cloud, use the following table as a reference to make sure that your versions are compatible. Definitions:
+
+* **alpha**: The version of any alpha package in google-cloud
+* **beta**: The version of any beta package in google-cloud
+* **GA**: The version of any GA package in google-cloud
+* **gax**: The version of com.google.api:gax
+* **gax-grpc**: The version of com.google.api:gax-grpc
+
+Something to be aware of is that a package can be promoted from alpha -> beta or beta -> GA between versions, which
+means that after a certain point for any given package, the alpha or beta version won't be valid any more.
+
+alpha         | beta         | GA         | gax        | gax-grpc
+------------- | ------------ | ---------- | ---------- | --------
+0.30.0-alpha  | 0.30.0-beta  | 1.12.0     | 1.15.0     | 1.15.0
+0.29.0-alpha  | 0.29.0-beta  | 1.11.0     | 1.15.0     | 1.15.0
+0.28.0-alpha  | 0.28.0-beta  | 1.10.0     | 1.14.0     | 1.14.0
+0.27.0-alpha  | 0.27.0-beta  | 1.9.0      | 1.13.0     | 0.30.0
+0.26.0-alpha  | 0.26.0-beta  | 1.8.0      | 1.9.0      | 0.26.0
+0.25.0-alpha  | 0.25.0-beta  | 1.7.0      | 1.8.1      | 0.25.1
+0.24.0-alpha  | 0.24.0-beta  | 1.6.0      | 1.8.1      | 0.25.1
+0.23.1-alpha  | 0.23.1-beta  | 1.5.1      | 1.8.1      | 0.25.1
+0.23.0-alpha  | 0.23.0-beta  | 1.5.0      | 1.5.0      | 0.22.0
+0.22.0-alpha  | 0.22.0-beta  | 1.4.0      | 1.5.0      | 0.22.0
+0.21.1-alpha  | 0.21.1-beta  | 1.3.1      | 1.5.0      | 0.22.0
+0.21.0-alpha  | 0.21.0-beta  | 1.3.0      | 1.5.0      | 0.22.0
+0.20.3-alpha  | 0.20.3-beta  | 1.2.3      | 1.4.2      | 0.21.2
+0.20.2-alpha  | 0.20.2-beta  | 1.2.2      | 1.4.2      | 0.21.2
+0.20.1-alpha  | 0.20.1-beta  | 1.2.1      | 1.4.1      | 0.21.1
+0.20.0-alpha  | 0.20.0-beta  | 1.2.0      | 1.3.1      | 0.20.0
+0.19.0-alpha  | 0.19.0-beta  | 1.1.0      | 1.3.0      | 0.19.0
+0.18.0-alpha  | 0.18.0-beta  | 1.0.2      | 1.1.0      | 0.17.0
+0.17.2-alpha  | 0.17.2-beta  | 1.0.1      | 1.0.0      | 0.16.0
+0.17.1-alpha  | 0.17.1-beta  | 1.0.0      | 1.0.0      | 0.16.0
+0.17.0-alpha  | 0.17.0-beta  | 1.0.0-rc4  | 1.0.0-rc1  | 0.15.0
+
 Contributing
 ------------
 
