It would be helpful if there were an OOB mechanism in ArcGIS Enterprise that made it easy to precompute a field in a FC on a schedule.
For example, on a nightly basis, set up the geodatabase so that it updates a MIDPOINT field in a line feature class -- via a mechanism that is built right in to SDE.
- Make it so a power user (i.e. a Data Creator) could set this up, without needing to involve the DBA
- Don't require extra software like Notebook Server or FME
- Don't require setting up mechanisms like Oracle Scheduler or Windows Scheduled tasks on the server
One of ArcGIS's biggest advantages is that it empowers everyday users to get their work done. We're not at the mercy of IT administration staff -- we can make progress without needing to wait for other software to be purchased/installed or mechanisms to be set up on a server. For example, as a Data Creator, I can create database views (and other database objects) on my own. I can actually solve my own problems using the Data Creator privileges! Fantastic!
With that said, automation like precomputing a field on a schedule seems to be a gap in the ArcGIS Enterprise platform. I know there is some lightweight automation built in to Notebook Server that works for some specific use cases. But, it's not really practical to buy and implement Notebook Server just for one little piece of technology like scheduled notebooks (if anything, we'd buy FME, not Notebook Server for automation). It really seems like basic automation functionality should be built right in to ArcGIS enterprise.
For example, in the work management industry, IBM is one of ESRI/CityWorks' main competitors. IBM's Maximo product has automation built right into the core product. It's called escalations -- and is extremely handy. Escalations can be used to automate anything, including precomputing fields and even emailing data-driven notifications via SMTP. And we can do all of that without a single line of code. That's an example where other companies have outperformed ESRI when it comes to automation.
There are other examples too.
Related: What levels of the ArcGIS Enterprise stack support scheduled jobs?
