topic Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons in Geoprocessing Questions

Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

TINATHOMPSON — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 17:05:26 GMT

We have recently made the move to ArcGIS Pro for everything except our 911 Addressing. We are searching for an Attribute rule that would allow us to take attribute data from several polygon layers and put them into our address layer. In other words, we want to enter a new address point and have the attribute rule to go out and find certain data (ESN, Community, Senate, House, JP District, etc.) and enter that into our Address layer. We were able to do this in ArcGIS Desktop using a script but that script will not work in Attribute rules. Unfortunately, I do not understand Arcade and I'm pretty limited with vbscript. I'm hoping that there is someone out there that has built something like this that would share it with me.

Thank You all in advance.

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

AlexRodriguez — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 17:14:27 GMT

I'm assuming the script you had running while using Desktop was a PYTHON script. That being the case, why can't you run that same script in PRO? Import that script to your toolbox and run it.

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

XanderBakker — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 17:27:18 GMT

Hi @TINATHOMPSON ,

@AlexRodriguez has a valid point. If you have a Python script that worked in ArcMap chances are high that it will work in Pro too (maybe with some slight modifications). A potential downside could be that you need to create some sort of trigger to execute the script to update the data when changes are made. You can work with scheduled tasks in Pro.

Now, using attribute rules may have the advantage that updating the data will trigger the attribute rule and update the data so you will always look at updated information and are not depending on a manual or scheduled update. It will require you to rewrite the code, your data must reside in the same data store and they must have GlobalIDs...

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

JoeBorgione — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 18:11:37 GMT

@TINATHOMPSON check this blog. I don't work in 9-1-1 anymore but I still do addressing and I use the ESRI Address Data Management Solution. I augmented the solution with a couple of my own rules that grab underlying polygon data to populate address points. I really like the solution for addressing, but will be the first to tell you that the Arcade portion can be a challenge; but that's what this forum is for. Just ask @XanderBakker how many times he helped me out...

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

TINATHOMPSON — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 19:10:59 GMT

Joe,
I have looked at the ESRI Address Data Management Solution in the past and took another look at it today. It is a nice tool but I don't see any attribute rules that would populate fields from polygon layers. That is where my problem is at, I can't figure out the Arcade script in order to make this work.
Thank you for your help and awesome job on your project!

Tina L. Thompson, CFM, GISP
GIS/911 Administrator
1109 S 16th St
Fort Smith, AR 72901
(479)785-2651
www.wapdd.org
www.wagis.org

Chairperson, River Valley GIS Users Group
www.rivervalleygisusers.org

Committee Member, GISCI Oversight Committee
Committee Member, APCO International Awards Committee
Committee Member, AR GIS Users Forum
Committee Member, National NENA 911/GIS Stewardship Working Group

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

JoeBorgione — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 19:35:04 GMT

The trick with getting values from underlying polygon features is those features have to reside in the same "datastore" as your points. The datastore is nothing more than than the database, be it FGDB or EGDB that holds your data. It's a limitation of Arcade. However, here is a rule that I apply to get underlying zip code onto a site address point:

var zip = FeatureSetByName($datastore,"MSD.SLCOMSD.ZipcodesMSD",["ZIP_MOD_ID"], true) var intersectLayer = Intersects(zip, Geometry($feature)) if (Count(intersectLayer) > 0) { var layer = First(intersectLayer); return layer.ZIP_MOD_ID; } else { return null; }

Here I'm extracting the value of the field ZIP_MOD_ID from the ZipcodesMSD layer in our SDE database. The if statement makes sure there is an intersecting layer to the point; @XanderBakker guided me through this one so all my intersecting rules check for that first.

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

TINATHOMPSON — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 19:38:26 GMT

Thank you for your help. I've been doing this for 30+ years, I'm ready to retire as well. I have found the python script that we used to use and I'm going to try it, as well as possibly look at your solution.

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

XanderBakker — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 20:21:09 GMT

Hi @JoeBorgione ,

Quick question... would you create multiple rules since the OP needs to update values from multiple layers or would you use a single attribute rule? If it is the latter, I suppose the return value should be changed to include multiple values. I was looking for an example of this and can't find any, but I suppose it should be similar to updating another feature layer, right?

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

JoeBorgione — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 22:35:11 GMT

Hey @XanderBakker ; for each layer I have a rule. I did it that way because each layer has a value for a different field in my site address points:

Municipalities layer provides a city name for the point field CITY

Zip code layer provides a numeric zipcode value for the point field ZipCode

etc... For a 9-1-1 application there would be feature layers like PoliceBeat, FireZone, EMTZone etc...

I don't know how to construct a single attribute rule for multiple attributes.

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

XanderBakker — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 22:39:59 GMT

Hi @JoeBorgione ,

Thanks for getting back. It makes sense what you are saying. I think it should be possible to return multiple values in a single Attribute Rule, but I haven't seen examples of this. I do suppose that it follows the same logic as the "Edit another feature class with a calculation rule" example here: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/data/geodatabases/overview/attribute-rule-script-expression.htm#anchor4

(but I am not sure)

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

JoeBorgione — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 23:11:50 GMT

Perhaps @HusseinNasser2 can weigh in on this....

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

TroyGray — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 13:06:51 GMT

I am trying to do the same thing by pulling an attribute from an intersecting layer but I am receiving an error that the $datastore identifier is not found. Is there additional set up on the service that is required in order to use the $datastore identifier?

Thank you

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

XanderBakker — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 14:48:19 GMT

Hi @TroyGray , I have seen this type of error when the feature set does not have GlobalIDs. Can you validate that it does?

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

TroyGray — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 15:30:37 GMT

Thanks Xander for the reply. It turns out it was my fault because I didn't have "Feature Access" enabled on the service. Once I enabled "Feature Access" the $datastore, $map, etc. appeared in the Arcade window and is working great. Thanks again

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

JonathanPollack — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 16:30:38 GMT

So as far as you know there is no way to do this between datastores? Our points are in one database but our polygons are in another? Do you think it may be possible to do this if both feature layers are published to Enterprise?

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

AllenDailey1 — Sat, 11 Oct 2025 01:27:54 GMT

This is great! Thank you so much for sharing.

Just FYI for anyone who may come after me... I ran this expression as a field calculation on a dataset of over 100,000 features and it took about 2 hours 😅

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

MarcelBeckmann — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 13:35:32 GMT

Wow. This is so frustrating. Since two hours I try to transfer the point number of intersecting Points from layer A to layer B in ArcGIS Pro with Arcade. And maybe I am too stupid. But I cannot understand that if I want to grab another layer in my ArcGIS Pro Map by name, it has to be in the same datastore as the layer I want to update. And $map gives me an Error: Object not found $map.

With QGIS this is so easy! Just: overelay_intersects(layer_name, field_name)
And this is it! No need for globalIDs, no need to be in the same datastore! Nothing! And it is free!

I am completely out of words and so frustrated you cannot imagine!

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

XanderBakker — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 13:48:45 GMT

If you are using an attribute rule or a field calculation, the Arcade expression does not know what the $map is. You need to use $datastore to access the other featureset and there should be no problem to transfer the number of points from layer A to layer B.

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

MarcelBeckmann — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:54:33 GMT

@XanderBakkerThank you for the information.

Sorry for not being clear on this. One of my layers is in a Enterprise Geodatabase. The other layer is from ArcGIS Online. So $datastore does not work.

I would be really greatfull for any solution.

Re: Using Attribute Rules to calculate fields from intersecting polygons

XanderBakker — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 15:10:31 GMT

Thanks for providing some more details. There might be an issue with getting access to the two layers if they require different users to get access to them. If this s not the case, you could try using something similar to this example below to get access to the featureset:

// Acccess the portal var spx = Portal('https://utility-esri-co.maps.arcgis.com'); // Provide an optional SQL query var sql = "Motivo <> ''"; // access the layer in the portal using the item ID var proyectos = Filter(FeatureSetByPortalItem(spx, 'bf4a31341a5d49be90de6ce471a0b647', 0, ["Motivo"], false), sql);