Versioning for data entity?

[davout davout]

I'm looking for some help on how to design a schema that covers data versioning on a database entity.

For example: there is a requirement for a database to store details of a company's products for all staff to view. The 'product' entity comprises of a main product table and multiple subordinate data tables that hold various properties and sub properties of a product's profile. In otherwords there are multiple linked tables that in total hold all of the data associated with a product.

This product information has to move through a authoring, submit, review and approve cycle. Eventualy when the product info is approved it is available for all users to see.

The product information authors can subsequently post updates/revisions to the original product data. Yet whilst the updates are being submitted and approved the original product data has to be available for all users to view. Hence, the database schema must be able to simultaneously store the original product info as well as the updated info which is going thru the authoring, submit and approve cycle. Eventually when the revisions are approved the original data is replaced with the revised data, so that all users now only see the revised data.

In thinking of hiow to design a scheme to address this requirement I am split between using...
* Separate tables to hold the public approved data and the yet to be approved revision data; or
* Having all the data in a single table with a sub key to identify public versus private

Thoughts?