Configure Operational Maps in ArcMap

Before creating an operational map in ArcMap, global IDs need to be added to use your feature service locally in a client application and are required even for one-way replication.

Add Global IDs

Add Global IDs on all datasets to be used in ArcFM Mobile by using ArcCatalog or a Python script.

Use one of these methods to add Global IDs:

To do this using a Python script, refer to Esri’s Add Global IDs for further details.
To do this using ArcCatalog, right-click on your dataset and select Manage > Add Global IDs.

Since this action takes a while, you are prompted with the following message:

Create Map in ArcMap

Publishes in Mobile config

Before creating any map services for your operational maps, you should consider the feature layers that your users need to access. Only the layers that are specified in the map service are available in the ArcFM Mobile app. You can include as many feature layers as you'd like, plus you can add related tables. Although these are not represented on the map in the app, your users can still view the data associated with them.

When you create the .mxd file in ArcMap under Layer Properties > Fields, ensure that all the fields you want to view are visible, or the Map Service absolutely won't recognize them. Additionally, any field that is a unique identifier (such as GlobalID), or is a foreign key in a relationship, must be visible.

Prior to publishing the .mxd file, if you re-order fields on the properties for a layer in ArcMap, that field order gets persisted to the ArcGIS Server and ArcFM Mobile respects the changes.

IMPORTANT: To see Many-To-Many and Attributed relationships in offline or online data, the corresponding relationship tables must be added to the .mxd file that is used to publish your feature services. Viewing attributes on attributed relationships is not supported in ArcFM Mobile.

If you plan on taking map services offline at any point in the future, review Offline Considerations.

Using Hyperlinks for Linking to Websites or Files

Text fields for Feature Attributes support a set of external link formats, specifically: http, https, file, ftp, sftp, tftp, and nfs. This handy feature is supported by the ArcFM Mobile app so that you can attach files, images, video, and websites to your Features to further enhance the usability of the app.

To take advantage of this enhancement, properly formed URLs must be specified in the desired Feature's database field. The link is displayed in blue in the Attributes tab for the specific Feature. The user can click on this link directly in the application, and the specified file or website is open in an appropriate window. When specifying a link to a file stored locally on the computer, the full path to the file must be preceded with "file:///".

Publish a Feature Service

For instructions, refer to Esri’s Publishing a map service for more details. In place of Step 6, however, perform the following steps:

Click Capabilities.
Select the Feature Access checkbox.
Click Feature Access on the left.
Under Operations allowed, check Query.
NOTE:
- At minimum, Feature Access and Query have to be selected since every map you publish must have those capabilities enabled whether or not you want them offline. If you ever intend on taking maps offline, Sync has to be enabled as well. If you select Sync, you should review the Offline Viewer Config section.
- Feature Access with the Query operation must be enabled in your map service to allow querying of the map service to display features in the ArcFM Mobile app.
- When offline, the Sync operation allows syncing of data when changes are made in the database.

IMPORTANT: For ArcFM Mobile users to have access to a feature service through Portal for ArcGIS for online and offline viewing, the feature service must either be shared with everyone or with groups where the users are members.

Proceed with Step 7 of the ArcGIS Resources instructions.

Add Operational Maps

After you’ve successfully added the feature service to one or more tenant groups, the remaining task is to add operational maps in the Solution Center.

The Operational Maps tab shows all your existing maps and provides a way to add new ones.

Take it for a drive! (The link opens/switches to the Solution Center app, accesses the Operational Maps tab, and initiates a new operational map.)

Follow these steps to add a new operational map:

Click the Add New button.
Type a display name, which is required.
Provide a URL to a map service, which is also required, and click Save. You are notified if the URL isn’t to a valid map service.

After creating a new operational map, you can configure replicas, searches, markups, tracing, and outbound messages, if those are applicable.

Portal-Based Map Access

Users can access this operational map only if they are members of a Portal for ArcGIS group that has access to the underlying feature service.

At least one Portal Administrator must log in to ArcFM Solution Center at least one time after any changes are made to group-based map access in Portal for ArcGIS, before ArcFM Mobile users can see these changes.

TIP: Troubleshooting: If a map service is down, you may not be able to perform certain functions against it. When you see Down as the status, this could mean one of three things:

The map service is not currently running on the ArcGIS Server or cannot be contacted due to a networking issue. Double-check that the URL to the service is correct.
If your organization uses Portal for ArcGIS/AGOL to secure your map services, the map service may require you to be logged in as a Portal for ArcGIS/AGOL user. Ensure that you are logged in as a Portal for ArcGIS/AGOL user with permissions to access the map service.
The service is just unavailable at the moment.

Render Locally

Your organization may have layers in your operational maps that are set to have transparency. However, when your users are working with online data, the basemap may not be visible at all. When working with offline data, meaning the user’s device is offline or they are working in offline mode, layers are rendered locally, so there is no reliance on an online service. When working with online data, ArcFM Mobile by default renders layers on the server, but you can toggle this setting to force an individual operational map to render them locally. Hence, if you use transparent layers and need to see the basemap, this setting enables that.

There are downsides to this configuration (as indicated by hovering over the information symbol), including reference scale being disabled, but most notable is the impact on performance. Rendering online data locally creates a significant delay for your users that may not be ideal. Additionally, local rendering places limits on layer symbology similar to the limits seen with offline maps.

Therefore, concerns with performance should be considered before utilizing this configuration setting for each map.