ArcGIS for Excel Plugin – Contributors with Data Editor Rights Can’t Access Attribute Tables
Hi all,
I’m an admin for my company’s ArcGIS Online platform, and I’m running into an issue where only I can pull attribute tables into Excel using the ArcGIS for Excel plugin—other users in my group can’t.
The users I’m trying to grant access to are set as Contributors with the Data Editor role. In the group settings, "Who can contribute data" is set to "All group members", though I’m not sure if that impacts this issue.
What I’ve Done So Far
I’ve shared a map and three hosted feature layers with the group. Each layer has the following settings enabled:
- Editing: Add, Delete, and Update (Attributes & Geometry)
- Tracking: Keep track of changes & who edited the data
- Sync Enabled
- Visibility:
- Editors can see all features
- Editors can edit all features
- Anonymous editors have the same access as signed-in editors
The Problem
When I use the ArcGIS for Excel plugin, I can easily:
✔ Add attribute tables to Excel
✔ Edit attributes, with changes syncing back to ArcGIS Online
However, the other two users in the group—both set as Contributors and Data Editors—can only add the layer to the map. The table icon is grayed out for them, and when they hover over it, they see a message saying they don’t have the right permissions.
I’ve attached an image for reference and outlined all my settings here in case anything is unclear. The same image is included in this text and also attached as a file in case it's easier to view that way.
My Question
What setting do I need to change so that these users can pull in attribute tables and edit them in Excel?
Edit: So I thought I would give a little more info about it all—some of this is kind of a repeat from what I said above, but I’m just trying to be completely clear about my current setup and the problems I’ve noticed.
I tried creating a new group with Shared Update enabled, but I can only add the other Admin (the one who originally set up our ArcGIS Online account), not the rest of the team. I’m an Admin with the Creator role myself, so I’m not sure why it’s blocking me from adding Contributors. Could this be an Org or licensing setting I’m overlooking? Just wanted to toss out there this part of information.
Back to the real question, I’ve made sure all data editing options for my hosted feature layers are enabled—Add, Delete, and Update (both geometry and attributes)—yet I’m still wondering if there’s somewhere else I need to explicitly grant edit permissions. My main goal is to let Contributors with the Data Editor role bring attribute tables into Excel using ArcGIS for Excel. I assumed that if they’re in a group with access to the layers, they’d be able to edit and sync changes, but so far no luck.
Is it possible they actually need the pricier Creator license? I hope not, because that would defeat the whole purpose of having a cheaper Contributor license. If anyone can shed light on this, I’d really appreciate it—ArcGIS Online can feel more complicated than it needs to be, sometimes and I am for sure hitting a road block on this one.
Update-Figured it out.
Basically the image below explains it all. But here’s the interesting part: If I do it as a Creator and then send the Excel file to someone with a Data Editor role, they can fully edit the table and add as many layers as they want in the ArcGIS for Excel plugin. They just can’t pull in attribute tables themselves.
Now, I’m looking into Power Automate for a workaround because I really don’t want to spend an extra $700 on more Creator licenses—or be the one setting up Excel files for everyone. Hopefully, the ArcGIS Excel Power Automate tool solves my problem…
