Is there a difference between a "Feature layer" and a "Feature layer (hosted)"? Not talking about old ArcServer.

Question

So today I opened a Feature layer (hosted) to it's item details page.  From there I clicked on the Visualization tab and selected the Save As option.  After doing that, I now have a new item, Feature layer.

As I understand, Feature layer (hosted), is a layer that was created from uploaded data.

Now I have just a Feature layer.  Is this a new layer, with it's own data, taking up the same amount of space?

Is this just the layer's properties, filters and such set on the layer?

What I'm essentially trying to figure out is how can a user take a layer of data that already exists, owned by someone else even, and create a new layer, based on the same data (like a view), with filter customizations?

featureLayers.png

EmilyGeo · Answer

Hi @Katie_Clark,

Which one to use depends on what you want to accomplish, or which settings you want to configure differently.

1. Save as saves the properties you configure in the map or on the Viz tab. Think styles, pop-ups, forms...

2. Creating a view gives you more flexibility- you can create  filters, choose which fields to display... and you can set other properties like the editing settings.

if you want a copy of a layer that is styled differently (unique symbols vs single symbols) then go with option 1, Save as.

But if you want a make copy of an editable layer that is not editable, or Read-only, go with option 2, Create a view.

KClarkDev_GIS · Answer

Hi @EmilyGeo , your explanation makes sense, but what would be the intended difference in this workflow vs. publishing HFL views from the source data? Based on your explanation, they sound essentially the same to me?

EmilyGeo · Answer

Hi @JaysonLindahl,

You hit the nail on the head when you asked if it saved the Layer properties.

Its essentially a different way to view or display the layer, with properties configured differently than the original. Those properties could be things like styles, pop-ups, forms, etc. That way, if you bring this layer into a map, it is all set up with those properties. However, it points to the original source layer and is still the same data.