ArcGIS Notebook Server Advanced should provide access to the same geoprocessing tools, toolboxes, and licensed extensions that are available to the user in ArcGIS Pro when the required licenses are assigned.
Problem
Many organizations use Notebooks to automate workflows, schedule processing tasks, and operationalize GIS analysis. However, some ArcGIS Pro tools and extensions are not available(?) or cannot be licensed correctly within Advanced Notebook environments.
A notable example is ArcGIS Indoors tools, which are available in ArcGIS Pro but cannot currently be used in Advanced Notebooks, even when the user has the required licenses assigned. Indoors workflows are blocked in Notebook Server despite valid licensing and configuration. Access to Indoors tools in Advanced Notebook - Esri Community
There is a documented BUG-000155889 on this issue.
Why This Matters
Organizations increasingly want (and have) to:
- Automate (Indoor) data management and quality assurance workflows
- Schedule enterprise geoprocessing jobs
- Build repeatable ETL pipelines using ArcPy
- Migrate manual ArcGIS Pro workflows to server-side automation
- Use notebooks as a scalable alternative to desktop execution(!)
Currently, it is not explicitly stated that some tools are not working in Notebook Server.
The mere absence of something from the documentation does not necessarily mean the feature does not exist. But the solution is not to simply list those tools as "unsupported". Instead of expanding the list of unsupported functionality, Esri should focus on enabling these tools and extensions to work in Notebook Server Advanced as intended.
Proposed Enhancement
When a user has access to a licensed ArcGIS Pro capability, ArcGIS Notebook Server Advanced should be able to:
- Access the same geoprocessing tools and toolboxes
- Use the same ArcPy extension licensing model
- Support organization extensions such as ArcGIS Indoors
- Execute server-side workflows without requiring custom workarounds
- Clearly report license availability and checkout status
ArcGIS Notebook Server Advanced should provide functional parity with ArcGIS Pro for all ArcPy-based geoprocessing workflows.
Benefits
- Consistent behavior between ArcGIS Pro and Notebook Server
- Easier automation of enterprise GIS workflows
- Reduced need for desktop-only processing
- Better support for Indoors and other extension-based solutions
- Increased value of the Notebook Server Advanced license
ArcGIS Notebook Server Advanced is positioned as the enterprise platform for GIS automation. Enabling access to all licensed ArcGIS Pro tools and extensions is crucial.
