How are you using Projects in ArcGIS Pro?

[ErickFox]

I'm just curious to know how people are using the Project structure in Pro to organize their work. I like that one project can hold many maps/scenes/layouts, but the associated gdb, toolbox, and other folders that each Project automatically (but optionally, I recognize) makes have me wondering at what 'level' I should be creating my Projects.

Do you create a new Project for each group of related maps/layouts (possibly not creating a new gdb/toolbox every time), even if it's just a few maps? Or do you point every new Project to a preexisting default gdb/toolbox (similar to ArcMap)?

Trying to get some ideas from everyone. Thanks!

[JoshWhite]

Man, I was hoping when I clicked on this that there were replies.  I am trying to transition to Pro but I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the idea of projects.  Right now I have a MAPS folder that I store all my mxd files in.  My GIS files are in different folders.  Most of the data I regularly work with is actually from an SDE database.  Can I continue to organize my maps in Pro the same way?  For instance, everything Police Department related is in its own folder, everything Emergency Management related is in its own folder, etc etc.  

[Douglas_Sauer]

We need more discussion on this topic... esp. for those looking to migrate into Pro.

Any tips or recommendations from esri as far as best practices with regards to Pro file/project management??? 

I'm finding .aprx vs .mapx vs .pagx somewhat challenging to co-ordinate and properly file/structure.

singular project file at root folder > sub-folder(s) therein with map and layout files > all source data in gdb at root of folder...??? 

what say you???

[JoshWhite]

As an update to my post I have now almost fully migrated to Pro.  My projects are organized very similarly to how I had my mxds organized (generally by Department or function).  I even went in and did some better organization when I switched to projects.   The beauty of projects is that its just as Dan says below, you can do it however you desire.  Being able to have multiple layouts actually simplified things greatly as well.  Instead of having a separate mxd for each size of a particular map, I just have one project with a separate layout for each one.  And as far as file storage, I still use one SDE geodatabase for almost all of my data so I just default to that in new projects.  Pro doesn't actually require each project to have its own data source as the structure implies.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

There is no one way

[ThomasColson]

Pro is like one of those sampler 6 packs you can get at the beer store. You can have cider beer, a light beer, an irish beer (and some mouthwash for when you get pulled over). In this case, there's hoses coming out of the bottom of the 6 pack to where the beer actually is (folders on your server). You can sip each kind of beer at your pleasure and conveniently carry your 6 pack around (on a thumb drive). Instead of having a pick up truck bed full of empties (Arc Map) for all those times you just need to make a simple temporary map, you just reach into your 6-pack and pop the tab on the Natty Light (the map you'll forget about as soon as you hit print). 

At least that's how I'm explaining it on a training I'm doing.

[JoshWhite]

Now thats an epic explanation!  

[Douglas_Sauer]

ArcPro: the cartographers version of

[JayJohnson6]

I have been opening a new project, saving it to my existing folder for an .mxd, and using Import Map to open it. 

For SDE, I was reusing a network file location in place of the .sde file that normally sits within the Windows profile.  However, my spatial analysis work group is not using SDE at this point in time.

[JoshWhite]

I'm confused, you are creating a project, then saving it as an mxd, the importing the mxd back into the project??  I know I'm misreading that but please explain that.  Are you just saying that you are saving your projects to the same folders as your mxds.  If thats the case, I understand.  I do it a bit differently but that actual organization of files depends on your system.