Allow adding fields to AGOL hosted layer with dependent JOIN

1389
8
05-05-2020 10:09 AM
Status: Open
JayJohnsonWashoeCounty
Occasional Contributor III

The inability to ADD fields to hosted feature layers on which you have created a dependent view using the JOIN Analysis tool is a big problem.  The requirement to delete the hosted view, then re-create it, generates tedious re-building work in all dashboards that the layers are used in.  Please provide some kind of workflow to make adding fields in this situation less problematic.

One idea is to create a tool to allow easy re-pointing of dashboard components to a new URL (the new URL of the hosted view that has to be re-created).  

Alternatively, some way to "suspend" the hosted view, add fields to the hosted layer, then "refresh" the hosted view from the updated layer would also be great.

Thanks.

Jay

8 Comments
KevinMacLeodCAI

agree +1

JMitchell

This is exactly the functionality that I could really use at the moment.  I have a hosted feature layer that I am using to conduct field data collection which has several different asset tables related to it and I have been using view layers created through the JOIN Analysis tool in order to show information from the various related tables on the map through labels and symbology...however, I need to add a few fields to one of the related tables which means I have to delete the several view layers, add the new fields to the parent dataset, recreate the views, recreate all the label logic and symbology, then add the new view layers to the map.

If I had the layers exposed in any dashboards or webapps, that would add an extra layer of tedious, time-consuming (and wasted!) work just to simply add one or two new fields to a single table.

I sincerely hope that some option to suspend the lock on the parent feature of any views using joins will be seriously considered!

erica_poisson

If this idea ever got implemented, I think it would save many people lots of time in re-configuring web maps, apps or Dashboards that contain "joined view layers" if a hosted feature layer schema needs to be updated. 

RichardHoweRSKECO

I can't believe that:

 

1. This idea hasn't got more traction

 

and

 

2. It's not been addressed regardless.

 

I understand the need to lock the modification/deletion of fields that are literally required for the join, but I fail to see why adding extra fields to the parent layer is blocked. It's massively frustrating and causes a ton of extra work!

All it leads to is people duplicating geometry information in mutliple layers, when the more correct way to do it would be to have a single source of truth for geometry and hang all the information from it in hosted views.

TijsLips

Waiting for this update for years now.. It is hard to explain to my colleagues when they ask for an extra attribute field, and I have to sell no to them. Fully agree with your thoughts @RichardHoweRSKECO 

RobertAnderson3

Definitely see this as an important improvement.

I've been working with Survey123 and creating dashboards to display that data, as soon as there's a repeat section in it I've been adding the join to display the data in the dashboard. 

Took way too long to figure out this was why the survey wouldn't publish when I added a field earlier. (Survey123 really needs some feedback messages when publishes hang)

MargrietdePender

This would be a good  improvement.

We created a join view layer and we ran to exactly this issue.

patrickb

This request might get more visibility/traction if it gets moved to the more general ArcGIS Online channel, as ArcGIS Dashboards is not in charge with how schema changes are made/handled. Please note, there are existing ideas in that channel that seem to be related to the same core problem (example).

Aside: The secondary idea (to expose an ability to allow easy re-pointing of dashboard elements to a new data source) is legitimate, but would not address the real pain point expressed here, which is having to go back and re-configure all dashboards (and other apps) that had referenced the view.  With that in mind, if you want the Dashboards team to track/consider that, please submit a second idea.