Why does ArcGIS Pro not support adding folder connections to the root node of any drive?

[mfcallahan]

I was reading the connect to a folder ArcGIS Pro help page, and I noticed this limitation:

ArcGIS Pro does not support adding folder connections to the project that access the root node of any disk, for example, C:\ or D:\.

Can anyone provide an explanation as to why this is so?  Connecting to a root drive location has always worked in ArcMap.

[mfcallahan]

I'm wondering if you can you confirm or deny my theory: when selecting a mapped or local drive in the Catalog, ArcGIS Pro is enumerating the entire contents, killing performance, and displaying this thing for 5 minutes before I can proceed to navigate the folder structure.

One explanation I received from an Esri representative on this issue was that disallowing connections to a drive root was for performance reasons.  The .NET Framework and Windows APIs (upon which ArcGIS Pro is built) provide FAST access to files and folders, what's going on here?

[JohnSobetzer]

This from ESRI:

Note:
ArcMap is programmed to check the validity of all folder connections in the paths in the specific connection.  For example, if the desired data is six folders down in the network directory structure, the Add Data dialog box verifies the validity of all six folders before getting down to the directory containing the data the user wants to add to the map.

It is why I limit my folder connections to only the folders or network drive used every day.  But I can't fathom why this should prevent Pro from connecting to mapped network drives.  ArcMap and ArcCatalog do it.  It is also a relatively easy workaround to add a network drive to Pro once known, and I seem to recall ESRI people telling everyone how to do it when Pro first came out.  All the user has to do is type or paste in the server name shown in Windows Explorer (at least in my case it is in parentheses prior to the mapped drive letter but it is also discoverable by finding the server name via Windows Explorer's Network list) in the address window of the add connections dialog.  It is an unnecessary workaround for a clumsy design decision, however, which makes me wonder why it persists.

[SteveLewis]

There is no good reason for not allowing Pro users to map a folder to a drive or a share.  This currently makes Pro unusable for most users who have their data on our root GIS share.  I can still use Pro enhanced geoprocessing because it is not inhibited in getting to the root.  

ESRI, this is basic functionality, please add ability to map a folder\drive.  I voted for thison Ideas for kicks, but there should not be a need to vote: it is not a development issue, it is a functionality issue.  Currently we cannot map a folder to our network GIS share.  

Thanks,   Steve

[ThomasColson]

I would love to hear an explanation as to why not being able to connect to the root of a network share is considered an "improvement" when literally all organizations organize their common GIS data....under a network share Esri is allegedly responsive to the "ideas" site, but I can't find the idea where customers were begging to not be able to connect to the root of a network share.

[ThomasColson · Accepted solution]

Mapping to Drive Letters was implemented in 2.2 (https://community.esri.com/ideas/13083 )

[ReginaldoPaderon2]

Yes , mapping drive or root drive is there now in Pro.

One difference with ArcMap. ArcMap allows to mapped drive with any user logged in.  While Pro does not allow to map drives that uses a different user log in.