topic Re: Brach Versioning Requirement in ArcGIS Workflow Manager Questions

Brach Versioning Requirement

Anonymous User — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 13:00:04 GMT

Re: Brach Versioning Requirement

JFarmer — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 19:48:20 GMT

Hi @Anonymous User

Glad you're looking into using Workflow Manager!

I want to be clear on the general requirements here, the system tables and views that run Workflow Manager are all in ArcGIS Data Store. So, there is no requirement to have a branch versioned database to use Workflow Manager. However, all of our spatial data related steps do require branch versioned feature services as inputs. So, things like the Create Version step and the Cleanup step would not be able to be used with traditional versioned data.

Having said that, there is nothing stopping you from working with traditional versioned data and using Workflow Manager, the experience would just be different. You could still use the Open Pro Project Items step to open a map, task, etc. That map could still contain traditional versioned data. You would just need to manage the versioning part outside of our out of the box steps. Maybe you have a Pro task that walks desktop editors through the version creation, rec and post, delete processes. Maybe you have a custom GP service (which you could then run with our Run GP Service step) to handle this. There are options and I don't want you to think it's all or nothing, it may just be a little different.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Jonathan

Re: Brach Versioning Requirement

AyanPalit — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 19:27:51 GMT

@Anonymous User I will add a few notes to the technical explanation by @JFarmer

Are we required to have branch versioned databases just to use Workflow Manager? No
Traditional versioning is fully supported, although certain newer ArcGIS solutions strictly use branch versioning. Switching to branch versioning should have clear drivers (doesn't look like you have any) and be a well-thought out process (plan, design, test, implement).
Are we able to at least deploy basic workflow manager functions while on a traditional versioning? Yes only few step types are not supported, like:
figure out how to maintain both traditional DBs and somehow copy data to/from branch DBs just to use workflow? This will over-complicate the architecture and introduce unnecessary overhead. This is not a best practice; the alternate to handle version management steps through ArcGIS Pro Tasks or manually is much simpler.