Add the option to 'register with existing data' when creating replicas using Geoprocessing tools

[MelissaJarman]

Using the option to 'register with existing data' when creating replicas is within the advanced options and very helpful when using large datasets in replication.


When creating a replica using the geoprocessing tools the same options are not available for registering existing data. It would be very helpful in cases where user's have to replicate a large amount of data and have to use alternate methods to duplicate data on parent/child geodatabases prior to creating replicas for this option to be available within the geoprocessing tools.
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It would be very useful to have the 'register with existing data' option available in some of the geoprocessing tools for use in ArcCatalog and scripting. It is documented within a note of the 10.1 help that this option is not available when using geoprocessing tools, so users have to determine different methods in ArcMap to setup their workflow in which they can replicate with this option.

The 'Create replica' or  'Create replica from server' tool would be great to have this option. With the Create replica from server this would enable you to replicate through a geodata service specific datasets with the register with existing data option.

Working with geodatabase replicas - 10.1
http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#//003n000000v1000000
"Register existing data: If you are replicating a very large amount of data, you may want to consider using the Register existing data option. The option allows you to bypass the data copying step of replica creation and simply register a new replica. To use this option successfully, a specific set of steps must be taken before replica creation. Note that this option is not available when using the geoprocessing tools."

[ThomasWilson]

Adding the "Register Existing Data" feature would be great!  Having the ability to map the feature classes (should the feature names differ) would be handy as well.  If these enhancements were added, the GP tools would mimic the "Create Replica Wizard" in ArcMap.

[GrantHopkins]

Yes, this enhancement would be very beneficial! Especially if Esri is pushing the Local Government Data Model. It is very large and since we've completely adopted it we found it very annoying to have to put all of the data into ArcMap in order to get at this functionality in the wizard.

[ChrisPedrezuela]

I'd like to automate this process and would be good to include it as a parameter for the CreateReplica function for Arcpy.

[PeterSchneider]

I brought this (among many other suggestions for distributed geodatabases) up at the 2017 UC to the people who work on Distributed Geodatabases.  All ideas I posed seem to be received well, however, I have my reservations how much effort esri wants to put towards enhancements for replicas.

[GlendaRoman1]

Is the option Register Existing Data Only available in ArcGIS Pro? I don't see it among the advanced settings options...

[CherylCleghorn]

Hi Glenda, we are currently working on this. For min ship (initial release) the names of the datasets would have to match in the geodatabases.

[MelissaJarman]

ArcGIS Pro 2.7 added support for the Register existing data only option.

What's new - ArcGIS Pro 2.7 

Create a one way replica