Your ArcGIS Enterprise portal's hosting server must use the relational data store provided through ArcGIS Data Store. If you want to upgrade your ArcGIS Enterprise deployment to 10.8.1 from a 10.6 or earlier release, and your hosting server currently uses an enterprise geodatabase you registered as the managed database, use one of the following options to switch to using a relational ArcGIS Data Store with your hosting server:
- Preserve existing feature services by changing the existing managed database to a registered database.
Use this option if you are happy with the performance and functionality of the existing hosted feature layers and if these layers are used in a large number of maps and apps in which it would be impractical for you to reset sharing and symbology and republish the apps.
- Export data and republish your hosted feature layers.
If you cannot keep the existing managed database as a registered database, or you want your existing hosted feature layers to have the additional functionality available when you use a relational data store, export the data from the existing hosted feature layers, delete the layers, replace the managed database with a relational data store, and republish. Be aware that this method copies the data and creates new services and layers and, therefore, requires you to reset sharing and other properties on the new hosted feature layers, reapply styles to layers in maps, re-create presentations, and republish apps.
Option 1: Change the existing managed database to a registered database
You can change the status of an existing enterprise geodatabase managed database to a registered database. With this option, the data in the layers is preserved in the enterprise geodatabase and the services that power the layers still exist on the GIS Server site.
Once you've configured the enterprise geodatabase as a registered database, you can install ArcGIS Data Store and configure a relational data store with your hosting server to be used for all newly published hosted feature layers.
In this scenario, your existing geodatabase becomes a system of record rather than a data store for hosted features.
Pros of using this option include the following:
- The settings applied to the feature layers persist.
- You don't have to rebuild the apps that contain the feature layers.
- You're not moving the existing data.
- Since you will continue to maintain the existing enterprise geodatabase, you can use it as a data source for new web services.
- This option requires you to complete fewer steps.
Cons of using this option are as follows:
- The layers continue to have limited functionality. For example, you cannot calculate values for fields in this layer in Map Viewer or manage editor tracking or attachment settings in the ArcGIS Enterprise portal website.
- Although the feature layers are no longer hosted, they still run on the GIS Server site you have designated as your portal's hosting server, and the services appear in the Hosted folder in ArcGIS Server Manager. This may prove confusing to publishers or subsequent administrators.
- You must maintain two data sources; the existing enterprise geodatabase and the relational data store.
Follow these steps to change the existing managed database to a registered database and preserve the existing feature services.
- Sign in to ArcGIS Server Manager as the portal administrator and open the Data Stores page (Site > Data Stores).
- Click the Edit button for the enterprise geodatabase you have registered as the site's managed database.
- Uncheck the Managed database check box and click Save.
- Install ArcGIS Data Store. If possible, install ArcGIS Data Store on a different server than your existing database or other ArcGIS software.
- Create a relational data store, providing the URL to your hosting server to register the data store with it.
When portal users publish new hosted feature layers, data will be copied to the relational data store. Existing feature layers continue to function.
If you need to, you can use the enterprise geodatabase as a data source for new ArcGIS Server web services.
Option 2: Republish
Republishing gets all your hosted feature layer data in the same data store and provides all your hosted feature layers with the same level of functionality. However, it involves more steps since you are replacing the existing layers.
Pros of using this option include the following:
- The republished hosted feature layers have more functionality.
- Potentially confusing hosted labels will not be present on existing layers in the portal or ArcGIS Server Manager.
- All your portal's hosted feature layers will be stored in the same place and have the same functionality.
Cons of using this option are as follows:
- It takes longer because you are moving the data and re-creating the layers.
- You are starting from scratch with the feature layers and have to reset all layer item settings. You also need to reset layer settings in maps and re-create presentations and apps that contain the feature layers.
Follow the steps in each of these sections to republish hosted feature layers:
- Export the data from existing hosted feature layers.
- Delete existing feature layers.
- Replace the managed database with a relational data store.
- Republish hosted feature layers.
- Reset sharing and other item properties on the new hosted feature layers, resymbolize and change settings on layers in maps, re-create presentations, and republish apps.
Note:
Hosted feature layers published from ArcMap or an ArcGIS Pro map to your portal can be republished from ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro, but only if the hosted feature layer was never used for editing. If any edits were made through the hosted feature layers, those edits are lost when you republish.
If you are positive no edits were made through the hosted feature layers published from ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro, you can republish from the maps in these clients to preserve layer symbology and sharing properties.
Export data
Export the data from existing hosted feature layers before you remove the managed database from the GIS Server site you have registered as your portal's hosting server. This ensures you have the most current version of the data.
The portal administrator can perform these steps to export all hosted feature layer data before you configure ArcGIS Data Store. Alternatively, each portal member who owns hosted feature layers can export the data for each of their hosted feature layers.
You must export the data from the hosted feature layers because if any edits were made to the hosted feature layers, those edits would be lost if you republished from the original data source, such as a shapefile, CSV file, or file geodatabase.
- Sign in to your portal.
- If you sign in as the portal administrator, click Organization and click the Members tab. Click the More options button
for the member whose items you want to export, and click Manage Items. This opens a list of all content owned by this member. - If you sign in as the hosted feature layer owner, open My Content.
- If you sign in as the portal administrator, click Organization and click the Members tab. Click the More options button
- Open the item details for the first hosted feature layer you want to migrate.
- Export to a file geodatabase. Click Export > Export to FGDB.
This creates a file geodatabase containing a feature class for each layer in the hosted feature layer. The item page for the new file geodatabase opens.
- Repeat these steps for every hosted feature layer you want to preserve and move to an ArcGIS Data Store relational data store.
Next, delete the existing hosted feature layers, remove the managed database, configure ArcGIS Data Store, and republish from the exported files.
Delete existing layers
Hosted feature layer names must be unique, so owners must delete the existing hosted feature layers before republishing.
Caution:
When you delete hosted feature layers, the data is also deleted from the managed database. Before you have the owners delete their hosted feature layers, create a backup of the managed database. This provides you with another copy of the data in case you find there are any problems with the data exported in the previous section.
Once the existing hosted feature layers are deleted, maps and apps that used these layers will no longer function. You must re-create them after configuring ArcGIS Data Store and republishing.
The portal administrator or hosted feature layer owners must delete the same hosted feature layers they exported in the previous section.
- Sign in to your portal.
- If you sign in as the portal administrator, click Organization and click the Members tab. Click the More options button next to the portal member's name and click Manage Items. This opens a list of all content owned by this member.
- If you sign in as the hosted feature layer owner, open My Content.
- If you sign in as the portal administrator, click Organization and click the Members tab. Click the More options button
- Check the box next to every hosted feature layer you are migrating and click Delete.
Next, remove the existing managed database and configure ArcGIS Data Store.
Replace the managed database
Remove and replace the existing managed database with ArcGIS Data Store.
First, remove the existing managed database.
- Sign in to ArcGIS Server Manager as an administrator.
- Click Site at the top of ArcGIS Server Manager.
- Click Data Store.
- Click the X next to the existing managed database to remove it from the GIS Server site.
- Click Yes to confirm that you want to unregister this database.
Next, install ArcGIS Data Store and configure a relational data store with the GIS Server site.
Once you have configured ArcGIS Data Store, all newly published hosted feature layer data is stored in the relational data store.
If you don't need the existing enterprise geodatabase as a data source for other clients or web services, you can delete it after you republish all your hosted feature layers.
Republish hosted feature layers
Publishers need to republish hosted feature layers from the file geodatabases they exported earlier. Be sure the new hosted feature layers have the same names as the old hosted feature layers.
Note:
Whoever publishes the data owns the hosted feature layer item in the portal. If you exported the data as the portal administrator but you want individual portal members (publishers) to continue to own the hosted feature layer, share the file geodatabases to a group to which publishers belong.
- Open the item details for an exported file geodatabase.
- Click Publish.
- Reset properties, such as sharing, editing, and delete protection, on the new hosted feature layer. See Manage hosted feature layers in the Portal for ArcGIS help for instructions.
- Repeat these steps for every exported file geodatabase.
Update maps and republish apps
The new hosted feature layers have different IDs than the ones they replaced. You need to replace the hosted feature layers in existing maps, reset styling in the map, re-create presentations in the maps, and republish apps that used these maps.