how do I configure my app to download offline area and sync faster and more reliably
I have a field app for road permits that we have been using for 2.5 years.
There is one editable point layer for permits with attachments of photos and permit pdf's.
All other layers in the app are view only copies of city limits, roads, etc.
The downloaded offline area was 9.33GB so it was taking forever to download and sync, and sometimes it fails to download or sync.
My goal is to make the app fast and reliable again.
Here is what I have tried so far:
I split up the layer into two separate datasets with one layer for this year and one layer for previous years. I am showing the attachments in field maps for this year, but am only showing the attachments for previous years in web app builder, to reduce the size of the field app.
I removed the hillshade from the basemap, and I turned off the markup layer (although turning off the markup layer doesn't seem to be working today like it was working yesterday because it is still there even after deleting the app from my phone and redownloading it).
I turned off all of these settings, and changed the level of detail:
Now the downloaded area is 2.93 GB.
The permit layer alone is currently 1.04 GB.
Next I started experimenting with using Map Areas in Field Maps Designer, but I couldn't understand from the documentation how the sync settings would impact my data. I need my one editable layer to sync every time someone does an edit, but my other copies in the app never need to sync because they are just copies.
I also read that packaging will fail when a web layer is larger than 4GB. Does this mean the whole field app size or the individual layer size? I probably will run out of space eventually again if it is the whole downloaded area size that is limited to 4GB.
When creating an Area, if I select Never does that mean that the offline area will never be repackaged, but the field workers will still be able to sync their edits?
Can I create a map area in field maps designer and let some workers test it, while other workers are using downloaded offline areas that they create in the app? Will this cause any issues?
Let me know if you have any other suggestions on getting the app to run more reliably and faster. The workers always have to work in offline areas, and as a practice they sync their edits every time they are back inside of cell or wifi service.
One of my friends recommended side loading a custom basemap instead of using copies of layers for references. Have you tried that and if so how reliable is it?
This is the documentation I have been using:
I have not found a youtube video yet that explains creating the map areas in field map designer.
