How to share with simultaneous editing abilities

Question

Hello! I am currently using ArcGIS Pro, and have published maps to AGOL. We have recently hired a second GIS person and I need a way to share local maps on my computer as well as have the ability to edit published maps and local maps simultaneously. How do I go about this with ArcGIS Pro and Desktop Standard?

JonathanFarmer_oldaccount · Answer

Hi Crow,

You could certain edit a hosted feature layer from AGOL in ArcGIS Pro. You are correct, you would access that data through the Portal tab in the Catalog pane. The data would need to be editable obviously.

The issue you may run into is that the data would act the same was as editing non-versioned data in a file geodatabase (or anywhere else). The last person to save edits wins. In other words, the last person to save their edits will overwrite anything that is done by anyone else beforehand. There is no structure to separate out edits or look for edit conflicts. It is the same way it works in Desktop now for you guys.

There is no issue with downloading data from AGOL, modifying it, and republishing it. It is a perfectly valid workflow. Others may choose to keep the local copy of the data be the authoritative copy of the data and then upload it to AGOL when they want to update the data there. But both are perfectly fine.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jonathan

Crow_ · Answer

Jonathan,

Thank you for your followup! Currently we are using file geodatabase. We are a small company so Enterprise is not an option for us right now. If we have a map that is published in AGOL, would it be possible to open through portal in catalog in Pro and edit at the same time there? The only reason I say this is it updates/saves instantly as you make changes.

In regard to versioning, would you see any issues with downloading the layer from AGOL to make changes then overwriting the layer when publishing back? We could keep the downloaded file as a "backup".

Thanks again!

Crow

JonathanFarmer_oldaccount · Answer

Hi Crow,

If I understand correctly, the question here really is, how can I have multiple editors edit the same data at the same time? Is that right?

Versioning is the technology that would allow you to do this on local maps (you could even use branch versioning to edit the services in the published maps) but it requires an Enterprise geodatabase. Are you working with one? Or a file geodatabase or shapefiles?

An overview of traditional versioning—ArcGIS Help | ArcGIS Desktop

If you are working with a file geodatabase or shapefiles, then you wouldn't be able to have multiple people edit the same data at the same time (it would cause a schema lock when the first person started editing).

As far as a way to share maps on your local network, can you use a shared network drive setup by your IT department? It would be the easiest way.

Jonathan