Advanced views without locking layer schemas

[Bud]

AGOL:

Advanced views (join views) are a hassle since they lock the schema of the underlying feature layers.  Once the layers are rolled into a map/app, it's too much of a hassle to drop the join, make changes to the underlying layers, re-join, and repair the map/app.

This idea is to create advanced views without locking underlying feature layer schemas.

[JonathanMcD]

So just dynamic chaos then? @Bud 

Big assumption - are you trying to join "inspection" type data that currently sits in a non-spatial table to assets so you can then symbolise or do other things with?

If you take a step back and think of what happens when you create a dataset then used the gathered data to create maps, apps, insights, reports, dashboards etc etc structure is key. It's one of the things I really do like about GIS - it makes people think about data structure, what they need, plan, and deploy.

If you had a dynamic join how would the maps/apps/reports be controlled and cope - you'd have to adjust regardless therefore saving only one step.

Bringing Order to Chaos, as I'm sure someone said somewhere.

Now, I realise that I may be off on a tangent and you're wishing something completely different as an output, however, might be useful to someone.

We've a play equipment safety inspection and I want to show, after the inspection round, the defects and work for the operatives to action. I am using the very same inspection for safety as I am for repairs, and reporting (of course).  

In the inspection, given they must happen within certain time periods during the year, we gather cycle information, dates obvs, defect types and the inspector's own "risk" score.

I have a data pipeline that runs twice a day (could be more frequent) to gather the inspection table and, from the asset dataset, create an output point from the asset coordinates. The point sits with a calculated risk (from a built matrix), priority, locality info etc within a new dataset.

This new dataset can be used for reporting, perfectly suitable for this task, but its main purpose is a visual overlay to the play equipment assets.

When the crew visit the equipment to fix the defect they actually click on this "muted" point and carry out the data task back into the original inspection. The pipeline will then, as a result, pick up the defect action and repair and the overlay layer will adjust accordingly.

I will admit, not being able to symbolise by latest related record in an asset, from a table, is a wee bit annoying and I looked and have used join views years ago, but they really are not a viable solution for certain tasks.