Will Esri be looking to make it so that you can host all your layers for Workforce internally on your own database?

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11-22-2016 02:40 AM
CraigValentine1
New Contributor II

This is as opposed to currently where all the data is hosted on ArcGIS Online. This makes it far harder to integrate with third party systems such as Lagan, Flare or iWorld in the UK. The hosted approach forces you to try and utilise the python scripts you have provided which are very clunky and hard to use. You would have far more options for data and system linking if you could host the data for Workforce onsite.

7 Replies
CraigGillgrass
Esri Regular Contributor

Hello Craig,

Yes, we plan to support ArcGIS Enterprise (nee Portal) on top of the 10.5 release.  

You mention that the Python scripts we've provided are clunky and hard to use; can you be more specific on what makes them clunky and hard to use?  We've gotten some feedback on the scripts that we're reviewing them to make changes.

thanks,

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CraigValentine1
New Contributor II

Craig,

That is good that you plan to allow this to be hosted internally as per

most other AGOL related products. It gives the users far more control and

interoperability with other systems.

In terms of the python scripts they are far too complicated with all those

parameters, meaning that they are hard to deploy.

For example when adding new assignments from a CSV I have found it easier

to just write my own script using ArcGIS Pro arcpy.

(See attached file: Add_assignment_from_CSV.py)

Regards,

Craig Valentine

Analyst Programmer (GIS)

Information Technology Services

North Ayrshire Council

Cunninghame House

Irvine

KA12 8EE

Tel: 01294 324264

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CraigGillgrass
Esri Regular Contributor

Craig,

Thanks for replying and including your feedback on the Python scripts. You're correct, they do have a lot of parameters; we chose to go in that direction to provide the most flexibility for users; but it does mean there are a lot of parameters for the script.

We're looking at adding to the scripts and including a cut down versions with less parameters, is something we'll take a look at.

thanks,

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AdamCottrell
Occasional Contributor II

ArcGIS Enterprise 10.5 has been released.  When will we be able to integrate Workforce with this version?

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CraigGillgrass
Esri Regular Contributor

Adam,

We're working on support for ArcGIS Enterprise 10.5 and are targeting it for late Q1.

Craig

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JohnFletcher
New Contributor III

Hi Craig,

Though integration with ArcGIS Enterprise (Portal) will be positive, I'm thinking of a scenario where an organization does not want to switch from AGOL to ArcGIS Enterprise (AGE??), but they still would like to host the Workforce data locally.

I may run into some terminology issues with the switch to ArcGIS Enterprise naming here so correct me if anything is wrong but basically an organization may host a on-premises ArcGIS Server (internal or publicly-accessible) instance but no Portal. They add services which are published on ArcGIS Server to their ArcGIS Online account as items, and all content for the organization is managed centrally in ArcGIS Online. They can have web maps stored as content items in ArcGIS Online that point to their local ArcGIS services. This is all good so far, and works fairly well (though being able to federate an on-premises ArcGIS Server with ArcGIS Online would complete the permissions picture nicely).

If this organization would now like to use Workforce but continue to manage their content items in ArcGIS Online, they need to currently have the assignments, dispatchers, workers and tracks as hosted feature layers. I'm wondering if there's an easy path forward that will allow an organization to re-publish these 4 feature services on a local ArcGIS Server instance, and then point the Workforce project and the web maps to these new on-premises services. Changing the web map of course is easily do-able, but there's no way of pointing the actual Workforce project itself to the new internal services. Of course, I've no idea whether the mobile app or the main dispatcher page would currently support this scenario.

Anyhow, that's another option for locally-hosted Workforce assignments and tracks that could potentially be considered, for those organizations who do want to stick with the hosted ArcGIS Online but still manage the data internally.

CraigValentine1
New Contributor II

John,

This is really the scenario that I am looking for as well. Yes we are in the process of upgrading to so called ArcGIS Enterprise 10.5, but I don't really want to move to using Portal for ArcGIS. It is an extra piece of software that needs hosting, updating, maintaining and I am also not really a fan of federating it with Server and how it then takes over. I prefer to manage my users and map services through the ArcGIS Server Manager. Also all of my maps are on AGOL and I don't really want to move the existing ones over to Portal and I don't want a mish mash of some on Portal and some on AGOL.

I would much rather continue to use ArcGIS for Server to host ALL of my services and not have to use hosted feature services on either AGOL or Portal. I just want to use AGOL to manage my web maps and applications. I want all of my data that I connect to my map services to be held within our Enterprise Geodatabase where I know it is secure and backed up (I also don't want to store data or services in the ArcGIS Data Store as I already have an Enterprise Geodatabase).

I can already host all of my data internally for Collector App for ArcGIS, but I also want to be able to host all layers associated with Workforce and Survey123 locally on my own Enterprise Geodatabase and serve those up with ArcGIS Server to be used by AGOL. Any other solution just add unnecessary complexity.

Regards,

Craig

North Ayrshire Council