Right now in Collector / FieldMaps, if we edit/ create a feature , we have to submit the changes before we can do the next edit.
The users of my company did not like collector, because of this very feature, because some of our process workflow requires the users to create / edit multiple features and submit the changes at once.
* It will be great if ESRI can bring in an enhancement , by which users can Edit / Create multiple features of different types(or columns) and submit the changes at once, thereby reducing so many clicks to the submit button.
The simple business process :
1. If the field technician gets a call to fix a problem with the Electric network, he/she travels to the location
2. Tech checks the Problem. If the issue is about some Service cables, then the Field technician has to measure on the map the distance between 2 points on the service cable, where they have to cut and replace the cable.
3.To implement this scenario using collector , and to gather field data, the tech draws 2 points (we call them as Splice Points, from a feature layer published from a Point feature class) on top of the existing service cable. This denotes the cut will be done on the Service cable on the Splice Points. Then he draws the Splice line from the Metering point until one of the Splice points to indicate the actual field distance between the Customer distribution point and the Splice Point.
Trouble we are currently facing:
Here in the above mentioned scenario, using collector, the user has to submit the the Splice Points 2 times (With attributes from same feature layer) , then the tech has to submit the Splice line (Different feature layer ,with different set of attributes). After this, all these data needs to be sent to our GIS Documentation team as a Job (Workflow Manager, which maintains the GIS processes within organization) . We use special background processing now to keep all the 3 changes (2 points and 1 Line) in the same job (We use serialized Features, in the form of XML attachments to workflow manager jobs) as all the 3 are part of the same workorder from the field. The users hate to submit the changes 3 times, to such an extent that, they are sending email of the changes and refusing to use collector.
Enhancement Request:
If data changes as indicated in the process above can be submitted at once in the Field Maps, then this will not only save a few clicks , but can improve user satisfaction on the product tremendously.
