User-managed data stores in ArcGIS Enterprise

Administrators and publishers in an ArcGIS Enterprise organization can add data store items that connect to user-managed data stores. User-managed data stores contain source data for ArcGIS Server web services that run on federated servers. When you publish, no data is copied; the web services reference the data in the data store.

There are multiple types of data stores you can connect to using a data store item in a portal. Each type provides different functionality, as described below.

When you add a data store item, you register the data source with one or more federated ArcGIS Server sites. Each federated server can have multiple data store items registered to it.

You can add a data store item in the portal. Another way to create a data store item is to register a data store to a federated ArcGIS Server site in ArcGIS Pro.

These data store items allow you to control use of the data store contents by sharing the data store item. How you share the data store item determines who can use it when publishing in ArcGIS Pro. As the owner of a database data store item, you can also publish map image and feature layers from the item in bulk if the data store references a relational database or enterprise geodatabase.

Types of data store items

When you add a data store item to an organization, you choose an existing data source that contains data to publish, and you choose the federated servers that can access the data.

The following table describes the type of data stores you can add as items and the purpose of each:

Data store item typeWhat you can registerPurpose of the data store item

Folders

File shares

From ArcGIS Pro 2.8 or later, you can publish map image layers from files in the registered folder, and you can publish a tile layer, vector tile layer, or scene layer that references a cache stored in the folder.

Databases

Database connection files (.sde) that access supported versions of the following relational database management systems or cloud data warehouses:

  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • Oracle
  • PostgreSQL
  • SAP HANA
  • Amazon Redshift
  • Google BigQuery
  • Snowflake

Relational databases can contain an enterprise geodatabase, but they don't have to. Geodatabases are not supported in cloud data warehouses.

See the ArcGIS Enterprise on Kubernetes system requirements for information about what geodatabase versions are supported.

For data store items that reference a cloud data warehouse, you can publish web layers in ArcGIS Pro.

For data store items that reference a relational database management system, you can publish web layers in ArcGIS Pro, and you can publish map image layers and feature layers in bulk.

One feature layer and one map image layer* is created for each feature class and table to which the registered database user has access.

Note:

If you do not want anyone to edit data using these feature layers, be sure the database connection you use when you add the data store connects as a user who has been granted only select privileges on the feature classes and tables in the database.

Bulk publishing and editing are not supported for data in a cloud data warehouse.

Cloud storage

Any of the following cloud storage locations:

  • Alibaba Cloud Object Storage Service (OSS) buckets
  • Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) buckets or S3 compatible storage
  • Microsoft Azure Blob storage containers
  • Microsoft Azure Data Lake Storage Gen 2 containers
  • Google Cloud buckets

Using ArcGIS Pro 2.8 or later, you can publish a cached map image layer that references cached content stored in a cloud storage data store.

From the portal, you can publish a tile layer, vector tile layer, or scene layer that references a content stored in a cloud storage data store. You can also publish these layers from ArcGIS Pro 3.0 or later.

*To bulk publish map image and feature layers, the data store must be registered with a federated ArcGIS GIS Server site.

Adding a data store item in the portal registers the data source with the federated servers that you specify. Database data store items that reference cloud data warehouses are registered with the system managed server only. If you access the same source location (folder, database, or cloud data warehouse using the same credentials) from ArcGIS Pro and publish to one of these servers, you don't need to register the data store again.

Data access

Adding data store items to your organization makes it easier to share GIS data. You need to balance ease of access with the need to keep data secure. When you use data store items, access is controlled at multiple levels.

Methods for adding data store items

To register a data store with ArcGIS Enterprise on Kubernetes, add a data store item in the portal, or you can register a data store from ArcGIS Pro 2.8 or later under the following conditions:

  • You're registering a file share that is a subfolder in a file share that the organization administrator has registered with the organization.
  • You're registering a database connection. If the database connection accesses a cloud data warehouse, you must use ArcGIS Pro 2.9 or later.

Get started using data store items

See the following to learn how to use and manage data store items in the portal: