Best Practice for "Replicating" Data to AGOL?

[PeterTimmers]

If we had a large feature class (polygons for example) that changed regularly that we wanted to host on AGOL, what would be the best way to automate a "replication" of the data.   We don't use versioning and we would prefer to host the data on AGOL instead of on our ArcGIS Server to separate our loads.

We currently have an Amazon account which we're doing some not-so-robust python to either delete/append or copy zipped file geodatabases.

So the data will be a feature service on AGOL and we want to change the data regularly.  And it's not just simple data so we can't do things like GeoRSS or KML....

Thanks,
Peter

[JonathanQuinn]

Have you considered creating a model or script using the tools within the Publishing toolbox?  You can automate every step of publishing to ArcGIS Online; signing in, creating a service definition file, uploading it to ArcGIS Online, managing the sharing properties of the new service, and then signing out.

[PeterTimmers]

What about an changing data within an existing service?

[JonathanQuinn]

I just tested this; you're unable to overwrite an existing service.  You'll get the error that the service already exists.

[MikeMinami]

If you want to upload a new SD file and overwrite existing services, you first need to delete the services.

Mike

[PeterTimmers]

I'm not trying to change the structure of the service or upload new. I'm trying to change the underlying data.

e.g.  I've got a polygons which has firewarden boundaries and their phone numbers.  Sometimes the boundaries change, sometimes the phone numbers change.

I'd like to update this automatically.  Not having to destroy the service and recreate...

Though I guess you could do that.  Are "Maps" adjustable in python api?  Can I remove the old service and add the new to a map?

[MikeMinami]

You can edit a hosted feature service directly and update any attributes, or geometry. Will this work for you?

Mike

[JaromHlebasko]

If you want to upload a new SD file and overwrite existing services, you first need to delete the services.

Mike

Perhaps I'm not understanding this so correct me if I am wrong. If I were to delete the service first, how would I be able to overwrite the existing service from within ArcGIS for Desktop 10.1? When I go to Share As a Service and I want to overwrite a service, I have to find the service I want to replace and overwrite but it will not be available because I deleted it first per your suggestion. Sorry, I'm just trying to get a hold on this because every time I seem to overwrite an existing service with updated data, it does not reflect in ArcGIS Online.

Thanks,
Jarom

[JasonBalmut]

I'm going through the same process to update a parcel layer.  We originally published it in August as a tiled Map Service with the Feature Service option toggled on so we could get pop-up attributes.  The result was perfect upon initial creation.

Several months later we wanted to update it.  I used the Overwrite Existing Service option starting with the Map Service and in the Capabilities area of the Service Editor wizard it automatically selected the Tiled Mapping and Feature Access options.  I kept the default options because I thought that it must know I have both services and it will update both at the same time just like the original service definition did.  That was not the case.  What I noticed is that both services have the same REST URL in the Service Editor wizard: http://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/<organization_ID>/arcgis/rest/services/Parcels/MapServer.  The image below shows that even if I choose to just overwrite the Feature Service (No Tiled Mapping) the URL is still MapServer.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]20512[/ATTACH]

In the screenshot below you can see that the Feature Service was not actually updated; the original date remains the same.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]20513[/ATTACH]

So the question is, can ArcGIS Online Feature Services be overwritten at this time?

[MikeMinami]

What version of ArcGIS Desktop are you running? I'm running 10.1 SP1 and had no issues overwriting a map/feature service.

thanks,

Mike