Heads Up: The Import XML Workspace Document Doesn't Support Overwriting

AValenski — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 13:41:03 GMT

So I ran into another issue within Esri's documentation and, given the significance, wanted to get a post online so that if others encounter this behavior they don't spend hours troubleshooting.

The ArcGIS Pro Import XML Workspace Document documentation page states "If the Overwrite output check box in the project's properties is unchecked and a data element from the input XML workspace document has the same name as a data element in the Target Geodatabase parameter value, the data element will be imported with a new unique name. If this option is checked, existing datasets will be overwritten. For more information about overwriting tool output, see Geoprocessing options in ArcGIS Pro."

This is not true. There is a ten-year old defect, which was updated in 2023, that identifies this tool does not actually do this. Esri has marked the status of this defect as "Will not be addressed" and responded with "We apologize that we were unable to address this issue within the current product support cycle."

So, if you're looking to develop a change-control mediated pipeline for promoting schema changes across environments, it will have to be done via an explicit, field-by-field level basis rather than referencing an origin source (or done heavy-handedly by dropping and recreating objects, but that has its own limitations and complications).

To be clear, I am posting this just to ensure others can find this information as I've had limited luck with my other documentation reports getting addressed.

topic Heads Up: The Import XML Workspace Document Doesn't Support Overwriting in ArcGIS Pro Questions

Heads Up: The Import XML Workspace Document Doesn't Support Overwriting