Missing Feature cache in ArcGIS Pro

[PetrSTASTNY]

CEDA Maps company is, among other things, a producer of geodatabases. One of our most important products is the StreetNet geodatabase.

The underlying layer of the entire geodatabase is the complex routable road network. Each element (feature) of this network is described by many attributes (approx. 100) bearing information about the functional category and type of communication, the number and class of the road, as well as the essential attributes for moving (routing) on the network (entry bans, one-way, tolls, etc.).

Additional layers are railways, built-up areas, land use categories and forests, water areas and streams, administrative divisions, and many more.

The stumbling block is the size of the road layer – 4 million records (constantly growing in terms of both the number of elements and the amount of their attribute information). The data is processed and maintained in a multi-user versioned database (MSSQL) by ArcSDE technology.

Our workflow contains:

• complex map legends: we collect comprehensive road network information and complex legends are a necessity
• many layers in the project
• multi-user editing of versioned data
• and mostly data sets with millions of records…

Despite this, using Feature cache functionality, working with such extensive data is almost seamless. But this option gives us only ArcGIS Desktop (we use ArcMap 10.8.1). Therefore, we are still asking and waiting very much to see if the tool Feature cache will also be included in the ArcGIS Pro.

Some "tricks"/limitations might increase the responses (simplifying legends, …), but we still don't believe it could completely replace the well-functioning Feature cache in ArcGIS Desktop.

The table provides an overview of the responses of the same acts in different ESRI products:

	ESRI product
	ArcGIS Pro	ArcMap without Feature Cache	ArcMap with Feature Cache
act
polygon reshape	6-10 sec	11+ sec	immediately
line reshape	6-10 sec	6-10 sec	immediately
topological node movement	11+ sec	3-6 sec	immediately
attribute change	1-2 sec	1-2 sec	immediately
vertex movement	1-2 sec	1-2 sec	immediately
create new feature	3-6 sec	3-6 sec	immediately

[CortWilson]

Thanks for posting this idea @PetrSTASTNY.  Your response time table is a great example.  Feature caching in ArcMap allowed us to get 3 times the work done; now, we are left with a new and "improved" software platform riddled with editing inefficiencies. I have tried every possible configuration you can imagine, and the performance of editing in ArcMap can simply not be matched in ArcGIS Pro...

[PetrSTASTNY]

After 3.5 years, we have returned to addressing the issue of the missing Feature Cache in ArcGIS Pro and have conducted speed tests for editing once again.

	ESRI product
	ArcGIS Pro 2021	ArcGIS Pro 2024	ArcMap without Feature Cache	ArcMap with Feature Cache
act
line reshape	6-10 sec	5-6 sec	6-10 sec	immediately
topological node movement	11+ sec	3-4 sec	3-6 sec	immediately
attribute change	1-2 sec	3-6 sec	1-2 sec	immediately
vertex movement	1-2 sec	1-2 sec	1-2 sec	immediately
create new feature	3-6 sec	2-3 sec	3-6 sec	immediately

 According to our tests, there has been an improvement in responsiveness for some operations (topological node movements), but in others (such as attribute changes), the performance has actually worsened.

I would like to ask if anyone else has encountered or is currently facing the same problem with the missing Feature Cache in ArcGIS Pro, and if so, whether they have any ideas on how to improve editing speeds or if there is any workaround available.

Additionally, does anyone know if ESRI plans to add this missing functionality to ArcGIS Pro in the near future?

With the upcoming end of support for ArcMap (and the necessity to transition to ArcGIS Pro), the lack of the Feature Cache tool in ArcGIS Pro is becoming an urgent issue for my company.