Why don't packages work?

[AlfredBaldenweck]

Pro 3.5

This has happened to me a few different times over the years and each time it has been very embarrassing.

Why is it that packaging (layer package, project package) doesn't consistently (or at all) actually package the data?

I packaged an mpkx the other day and was able to unload it successfully, but when I turned that same project into a ppkx, the recipient didn't get any data with it.

I've had similar results with layer packages.

What's going on?

[DanPatterson]

Package Project (Data Management Tools) | ArcGIS Pro documentation

what wasn't in the ppkx that was supposed to be given the guidelines in the help topic.

I don't see anything specific in the public facing support site.

[AlfredBaldenweck]

Literally none of the data is present. The aprx when you unpack points to my folder on my computer, where the data was when I packaged the aprx in the first place. If you unzip the ppkx, you get three folders:

1. esriinfo: contains thumbnail and a few auxiliary files
2. p20: contains the aprx
3. p30: contains the aprx again???

There should be a geodatabase in there, and the aprxs should be pointing to wherever the project unpacks.

I've had a similar thing with layer packages. It should include a geodatabase and it doesn't.

Compare the mpkx, which correctly exported and includes a commondata folder that contains a file geodatabase. (Also 3 folders containing the same mapx. What's going on there?)

Is it something where if all the source data is in the same place, it doesn't package it?

[DanPatterson]

it is the " Share outside of organization" under Usage that seems to dictate what is copied data-wise and packaged.

It isn't clear whether you are packaging within or external to your organization.

[tikola]

I have had issues with packages in past but each ArcGIS Pro version has been better than the previous. Now with 3.7 all packages have worked as expected. So try same thing with 3.7 instead of 3.5 if possible. To me it is clear that there has been significant development in packaging in latest versions and in my cases it has solved all issues in 3.7.

[Robert_LeClair]

This behavior is almost always due to packaging options that allow data to remain referenced (not copied)—especially for enterprise geodatabases, feature services, and UNC/network-share paths—so the recipient opens the package but has no access to the referenced source, which looks like “the data didn’t get packaged”.

Project package (.ppkx): why it can arrive with no data
In Pro 3.5, Project Package will only copy/extract and include enterprise/UNC/feature-service data when you package for external sharing:

If Share outside of organization = unchecked (internal package), enterprise GDB layers, feature services, and UNC path data can be referenced rather than copied. If the recipient can’t reach those sources, they won’t get the data.
If Share outside of organization = checked, those sources are copied/extracted and included in the .ppkx (typically extracted into file geodatabases), and connections are removed.

Also: a .ppkx only includes data used in maps/scenes (items just sitting in folders/connections but not used by a layer won’t be included).

Map package (.mpkx): why it may have worked for you
Map packages have a similar “copy vs reference” control, but it’s a different checkbox:

Include Enterprise and UNC Path Data controls whether enterprise/UNC data is copied into the .mpkx or left referenced.

So it’s very possible you included data in the .mpkx (option enabled), but made an internal .ppkx (Share outside unchecked), resulting in referenced-only data that the recipient couldn’t access.

Layer package (.lpkx): why it can seem inconsistent
Layer packages generally include the dataset, but you can also create a schema-only layer package (no data), and some layer types have special packaging behavior. For more predictable control, Esri recommends the Package Layer geoprocessing tool.

Quick checks to avoid the “no data” handoff
For .ppkx to external recipients: check Share outside of organization.
For .mpkx: check Include Enterprise and UNC Path Data when needed.
For .lpkx: confirm it’s not schema-only; consider Package Layer GP tool for finer control.