Publish a subtype and keep its unique domain values

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04-01-2021 05:41 AM
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sjet1010
New Contributor III

I am publishing layers from a Geodatabase that has a utility network already established. One layer is called Electric Devices and within that layer has multiple subtypes a subtype and one is called Low Voltage lighting. My organization uses that low voltage lighting a lot. There is an issue though that I am facing with editing the layer outside of ArcPro. In Online I filter out the subtypes so I only have Low Voltage Lighting and I create a copy of that layer Online in hopes to only edit the data for that subtype. When I go to add a new feature to my new copied layer two of the domains that are distinct to that subtype (Low Voltage Lighting) no longer work. I have tried publishing just that subtype but it still fails to load the domains for that subtype. The only time it works is if I don't filter anything out and leave it all within the layer.

The main reason for separating the subtype is so when the field crew goes to add a new point they are not accidently adding another subtype. So is there a way to just publish a layer that is a subtype of a feature class and keep all domain values that are tied to that subtype in tacked? My other question, is how do you filter out a subtype and only show that subtype in the create function versus seeing all the subtypes?

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jcarlson
MVP Esteemed Contributor

When you're working with online layers (a hosted feature layer, I'm assuming?), you lose the ability to have subtypes with separate domains applied.

That said, you can sort of replicate subtypes by carefully managing the editing templates that are available for the layer. For instance, I have a layer for a document workflow, and I want to treat the "status" attribute as a subtype.

jcarlson_0-1617366289329.png

If a user adds an "Open" type feature, the two available templates restrict the "department" value to Assessor or GIS, and defaults other fields to certain values as well.

 

Another Option: View Layers

Instead of performing all your edits against a single web layer, you could also create view layers that pre-filter the values.

  1. Main Web layer
    1. View Layer A: Only features of subtype A
    2. View Layer B: Only features of subtype B
    3. etc.

Then on each view layer, define editing templates restricted to the various values allowed for that subtype.

It's not exactly the same as the true subtype functionality, but with a web-hosted layer, it may be the best you can do.

Can I ask: what interface are your field workers using to enter these points? That may make a difference.

- Josh Carlson
Kendall County GIS
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sjet1010
New Contributor III

Thank you for the feedback. 

I don't think I was clear in my original statement...the layer is in a database and not a hosted layer. My organization is using the Utility Network database supplied by ESRI (I believe ...I was left out of that little process). In this database they combined a lot of feature classes into one by using subtypes. Within each subtype some share domains while others have their own. If you filter out the feature by subtype (outside of Arcpro) it breaks the unique domains to that subtype. So in my original example (Low Voltage lighting), it has a unique domain for bulb type. Now if I filter out the subtype Low Voltage Lighting that domain for bulb type now only shows the coded value for bulb type instead of the label. When  you publish a service that has an extensive domain list the service only seems to access what domains are a constant. 

We have multiple departments that need to see / edit certain layers within the electric system. I have tried publishing a layer that has been queried out but it still doesn't capture the unique domain values. 

Creating a view wont work for when I need to edit out in the field from a feature service. I need to be able to publish a single subtype from a feature class, keep domain values in tacked. 

The other issue is that when I publish a service that is queried and edit it online it still shows all the other subtypes. I need to only that one subtype so the field crew doesn't accidently add the wrong feature.  

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jcarlson
MVP Esteemed Contributor

Ah, I see. When you said you "create a copy", I thought it was a hosted layer.

We don't use Utility Network, but we do use Parcel Fabric, which extensively uses subtypes. Our published services don't seem to have issues with subtypes behaving differently than expected, but I'm sure there are substantial differences in our workflow.

If you're working with an enterprise geodatabase, could you somehow take advantage of Attribute Rules or Contingent Values?

- Josh Carlson
Kendall County GIS
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sjet1010
New Contributor III

The only issue is the field crew would have to enter in the data exactly into the two fields without triggering errors. The nice thing about the domains are the dropdown fields. 

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jcarlson
MVP Esteemed Contributor

The docs for contingent values give multi-level dropdowns as the key example of their use.

https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/data/geodatabases/overview/contingent-values.htm

Admittedly, we do not currently use them, so I'm not sure that it would carry over to the field workers in your case. But it may still be worth looking into.

- Josh Carlson
Kendall County GIS
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sjet1010
New Contributor III

I was going to try the contingent values but realized that it wont work do to that contingent values do not work online or in collector. 

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