topic Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map in ArcGIS Experience Builder Questions

Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

SveinungBertnesRåheim — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 09:10:53 GMT

As far as I have experienced, Experience builder does not read or support established relationships. But! EB makes it possible to establish relationships regardless of defined relationships with Actions.

My issue:
I have a line dataset with track segments. Theese track segments are related to different maintracks. One maintrack consists of many segments. And one segment can be related to many maintracks. This is a classic many-to-many relationship.
It is built in ArcGISpro and then published to one feature service. The feature service consists of

one line layer (track segments). ID: GlobalID
table1 (main tracks). MaintrackID
table2. Relation-table. Consists of to attributes, GlobalID_Tracksegments and MaintrackID

In Experience builder, I have

added a map with the tracksegments.
Added List widget1 with the main tracks-table
Added List widget2 with the relation-table

I have added theese actions to listwidget1:

Record selection changes ->Framework -Filter data records> Triggerdata Maintracktable, Actiondata Relationtable, Action-connection maintrackID.
Record selection changes ->Framework -Select data records> Triggerdata Maintracktable, Actiondata Relationtable, Action-connection maintrackID.

This put up a one-to many-connection between the maintrack-table and the relation-table.

Then I have added List-widget2 with the relation-table. For this table, I have added joins(Actions) both ways, to the map-features and to the maintracktable.

This widget has a many to one relationship to the line feature service (the tracks). I.e. one track segment can relate to many rows in the relationship-table.

My theory is / what I want to do is:

When I select a row in List1 (Main tracks), I filter and select all common rows in the relationtable. This relation-table has action to filter and select track segments in the line feature service in the map. The result should be filtered and selected track segments in the map.

But!
This does not happen. It will happen if I interact with list2 with the mouse. If I click ONE time in list2, the filter and select in the map is activated. EB does not recognize the filter and selection before I have physically clicked in the list. Although the list is already filtered and selected through the action in list1.

The map consists of test data and is publicly available:
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/0a8cae796c1d492f87285893b4434432

The map also inclueds the Elevation profile widget. I hoped to activate that one as well, but nothing happens

If anyone wants to try to set up the case, here is the hosted feature service:
https://bodo-kommune.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=e8523b8722e4456c9ea958f11753a33a

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

JeffreyThompson2 — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 12:37:20 GMT

I tried out your Experience. It looks like your Lists are interacting in a logical way, but your map is not filtering. Try adding the Map > Filter Action.

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

SveinungBertnesRåheim — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:25:16 GMT

I tried to add a Map > Filter Action to the Relationship table. I had to configure it like this:

Still behave the same way - no action. Thanks anyway for the reply.

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

JasonBOCQUET — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 14:59:29 GMT

If I correctly understand :

Your first list is your point of entry right? If you clicking on "1000m" you want the application show you in the list 2 only the "2" value and highlight on the map that was selected from the second list?

To make this, you have to create 4 framework action in the list 1 widget. One action of selection btw your list 1 and list 2, the same action but to filter. And two other action to select and filter between list 1 and the map.

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

SveinungBertnesRåheim — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 19:46:48 GMT

I dont think this will work. This is a many to many relationship. There are no connection between list 1 and the map. The connection is via list 2. I dont need to show list2 in the Experience builder, I do it for debugging purposes, to try to see where it fails.
I found a picture that show my schema:

Source: https://help.claris.com/archive/help/17/fmp/en/index.html#page/FMP_Help/many-to-many-relationships.html

You could replace the student table with my "Main tracks"-table, the Enrollments with my relationship-table and the "classes" with my track segment feature class.
So I cant see it it possible to put an Action from the left tabel to the right one. I have to go through the connectiontable, the relationshiptable.

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

JasonBOCQUET — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 08:00:16 GMT

Ok, your problem is that you have not common ID between your "Main Tracks" table and your Track Segment Feature class right ?

So you have to use a secondary table (Relationship table) to get the connexion.

If you parameter a map action with 2 different ID, it doesn't work and the map is emptied of its information.

I think you have to find a common ID between your first list and your feature layer to get what you want.

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

SveinungBertnesRåheim — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 08:10:37 GMT

I understand that is possible. But thats not a solution to a many-to-many relationship. And thats what I am searching.

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

AlixVezina — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 15:09:08 GMT

@SveinungBertnesRåheim

When I select a row in List1 (Main tracks), I filter and select all common rows in the relationtable. This relation-table has action to filter and select track segments in the line feature service in the map. The result should be filtered and selected track segments in the map.
But!
This does not happen. It will happen if I interact with list2 with the mouse. If I click ONE time in list2, the filter and select in the map is activated. EB does not recognize the filter and selection before I have physically clicked in the list. Although the list is already filtered and selected through the action in list1.

Actions are only triggered widget 1 > widget 2 and do not cascade widget 1 > widget 2 > widget 3.

In other words, if you select a record in List 1, it will impact List 2. But if List 2 also has an action set against another widget, that 3rd widget will not be impacted unless you specifically click within List 2.

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

SveinungBertnesRåheim — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 17:20:09 GMT

Thank you! This is what I have experienced, I hoped it was possible to get it work. This means that it is not possible to use a dataset with many to many relationship in experience builder? At list not this way? It would have been smooth if it worked. Any other suggestions?

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

SerjStol — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 23:11:31 GMT

I also expected M:N relationship to work in Action Triggers of the Map Widget or other widgets. This does not seem to be the case. As the relationship requires an intermediary table which is essentially stored in the relationship class itself when you create it via ArcGIS Pro or ArcMap. Action Triggers seem to require direct Origin and Foreign key between two layers, which makes it only feasible for One to Many relationships. Unless you structure your data with duplicate segments/features in both origin and destination tables that have corresponding linking ID's, the triggers won't work. I hope ExB team have this on their agenda to support M:N relationship classes.

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

AnnaHradecká — Tue, 07 May 2024 13:39:09 GMT

I have the same problem with my data. I've been working long time to workflow of editing my many-to-many dataset in ExB and now I find out I can't create nice public application.

My dataset is about movies (non spatial, in list widget), location (spatial in map) and scenes (connection table with movie and location attribute, in map also can be in list). Movies and Location are in M:N relationship connected by scenes. I want to select movie in list and by 2 steps action filter or select or flash, doesn't matter how, show locations in map.

@SveinungBertnesRåheim Have you find any workaround? And Do you have any Idea post about this problem, where I can give you a Kudo?

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

SveinungBertnesRåheim — Tue, 14 May 2024 06:53:49 GMT

I have not done more on this issue, just accepted that many-to many-relationships does not work i EB.
I agree with you, would be fine to be able to select in one table, then see the result in the map.
Lets hope ESRI work with this in coming editions.

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

AnnaHradecká — Tue, 14 May 2024 07:39:24 GMT

I've just created Idea post, because I think it is better way to report this issue than question, so you can find it here: Support many to many relationship in ExB - Esri Community

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

ShengdiZhang — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 07:12:08 GMT

Hi @SveinungBertnesRåheim @SerjStol ,

In the latest AGOL update, we support the use of layer's relationship when setting up message actions such as Record Selection Changes - Framework - Select data records, including M:N relationships. Can you try it to see if it meets your requirements?

Thanks,

Shengdi

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

SveinungBertnesRåheim — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 07:52:52 GMT

I dont know if I understand you correctly. I still cannot get two actions to start in two different elements with one click.
Here is a link to the EB:
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/8cf49126b4364e7aa1515612cdb2f6b5/

I see that I can enable "related data" in the data action tab. That makes it possible to select directly to the related path-segments, but it involves a lot of clicking and is not what I am looking for.

03.07.2024: The link was not shared public. Now it is. Sorry for that.

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

EmmaHatcher — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 18:01:27 GMT

@SveinungBertnesRåheim @SerjStol

It appears this has been implemented in ArcGIS Online with the June 2024 release! I just tested with feature action using a many-to-many relationship class in Experience Builder via the List widget and it worked- excited to hear what version of ArcGIS Enterprise this will be made available.

https://doc.arcgis.com/en/experience-builder/latest/get-started/whats-new.htm

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

SveinungBertnesRåheim — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 10:36:03 GMT

I think this works! When you set the message action, you previously had to define the relationship. Now you can choose "Use layers relationship".

You can filter and select the result. THis does what I want:

I click a row in a list (name of walking routes).
The segments related to this route are filtered and selected in the map.

What I cannot do so far, is to find a way to automatically zoom to the filtered / selected features. This is confusing, but the action "zoom to" is not available in with this relationship. I could add the select-widget and zoom to the selected feature(s), but that makes this more complex than I want it to be. Any suggestions on this topic?
You can see this "live" in this EB:
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/8cf49126b4364e7aa1515612cdb2f6b

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

AnnaHradecká — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 12:45:49 GMT

I tested it my apps. It works nice for 1:N relationships and for simply M:N too.

But I still have problem in my apps, where I have in one hosted feature service 3 layers (films, scenes and location) with relation (films:scenes 1:N and scenes:locations N:1). Scenes are for me connection table between films and locations. I need my user to edit it, so I create for them ExB. I can not find a way to edit all 3 layer in ExB, when it is usual M:N relationship. So this is the reason for my model.

So where is the problem I need to select location in map by select film in list. It is now possible for M:N relation, but not for me. For me it could be better not to set "Use layer's relationship, but choose layer or table during which I can connect data.

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

SveinungBertnesRåheim — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 07:54:51 GMT

I edit my M:N relationship in ArcGISpro. You want to do this in ExB? I dont know how easy that would be? My connection-table is only a technical one, consist only of two attributes - the primary keys from the to main tables. You have actual data in your connection table.

Re: Many to many relationship in Experience builder - show track segments in map

SveinungBertnesRåheim — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 08:00:23 GMT

I am still not satisfied. With the new functionality, I can select a row and filter/select features in my map. But I can't find a way to zoom to or pan to theese features. The message action "zoom to" is not available with this setup. Should be possible? I want people to be taken to my selected/filtered features. Maybe @ShengdiZhang know if this is possible or not?