We are very excited about the release of ArcGIS Enterprise 11.2! Some of the new features released in Enterprise 11.2 are beta features. Beta features were originally introduced in ArcGIS Enterprise 11.0, but in this blog we will recap what they are, how they differ from other features in ArcGIS Enterprise, and which beta features are part of Enterprise 11.2.
What are beta features?
Beta features are released in fully supported versions of ArcGIS Enterprise, such as Enterprise 11.2, but have different promises of support than functionality in general availability. Beta features are not eligible for patching or Esri Technical Support. Beta features are also not feature complete, so they will have limitations and potential known quality and performance issues. Because of these differences from functionality in general availability, beta features are intended only for testing purposes and not to be used in production environments.
Beta features are only released in short-term support releases of ArcGIS Enterprise on Windows and Linux. If your organization has an restrictions around using software with beta features, there are not beta features in long-term support releases. For more information about the difference between short- and long-term support releases, check out our Product Life Cycle documentation.
Why are there beta features in ArcGIS Enterprise?
Beta features provide a mechanism for collecting real-world feedback before a feature comes out in general availability, ensuring more stable and reliable releases. Allowing for user feedback during the development of the feature also ensures the final feature better meets users’ needs. Beta features are also a great way to get an early look at functionality coming to general availability in future releases. This early look helps you to consider how this feature may be used within your organization and prepare for any necessary change management.
What should I consider before using beta features?
Beta features have different supportability and quality than features in general availability, therefore you should not use beta features in production environments. We encourage you to try beta features in test environments, but you will want to be aware of the following considerations:
- Beta features will not be patched: If there are functional bugs or other quality issues in a beta feature, they will be addressed in future versions of the software, not through patches. The resolution of these issues may not necessarily come in the next immediate release of ArcGIS Enterprise depending upon the criticality and priority of the issue.
- Bugs cannot be logged for beta features: Beta features are not within the scope of Esri Technical Support, this includes both using Esri Technical Support channels and logging bugs. Instead, any support or feedback will be managed through an Early Adopter Community or similar forum.
- Features originally released as beta features may change substantially: Beta features provide an early look at a feature, but the beta version of a feature does not necessarily reflect the final user experience of the feature. Thus, if you choose to use beta features or build customizations on top of them, there may be updates necessary for them to work with subsequent software releases.
- Beta features may never come to general availability: Beta features are released with the intention that they become generally available in a future software release, but not all beta features will necessarily become generally available. There may be circumstances or feedback that ultimately leads to the feature being dropped from ArcGIS Enterprise.
How can provide feedback and receive support for beta features?
Beta features are not supported by Esri Technical Support. Instead, beta features have other channels for support and feedback. Feedback and support for beta features will be managed either through an Early Adopter Community or a similar forum. For the specific forum for each beta feature in ArcGIS Enterprise 11.2, keep reading or check out product documentation.
What beta features are in ArcGIS Enterprise 11.2?
New field data types: There are four newly supported field data types available as beta features in ArcGIS Enterprise 11.2:
- Big integer
- Date only
- Time only
- Timestamp offset
When using published to or consumed in ArcGIS Enterprise 11.2, these field data types may not be feature complete and may have known performance or quality issues. To receive limited assistance with these features in ArcGIS Enterprise, and to leave feedback on their functionality, refer to their dedicated Esri Early Adopter Community (EAC) site. This EAC site also includes documentation about specific known limitations for some client applications.
Upload 3D models in web scenes: Uploading 3D models in web scenes is another beta feature in Enterprise 11.2. After a 3D model has been uploaded, it can be resized, rotated, and placed anywhere in the scene. For more details, check out product documentation. To receive support for using this beta feature and to provide feedback, visit the ArcGIS Enterprise Beta Feature Testing EAC.
One-way feature service-to-feature service synchronization: Feature services support one-way feature service-to-feature service synchronization as a beta feature in this release. To learn more, see the workflow for using one-way sync in the ArcGIS REST API documentation. To receive support for using this beta feature and to provide feedback, visit the ArcGIS Enterprise Beta Feature Testing EAC.
Metadata Editor: A new metadata editor is now available as beta feature in Enterprise 11.2. In order to use the beta feature, administrators must enable the metadata editor. For more details, check out product documentation. Support and feedback for the metadata editor will be managed through the Metadata, Catalogs and Search Esri Community.
ArcGIS Knowledge Studio: Knowledge Studio is a new web application for exploring and analyzing knowledge graph data. To learn more about Knowledge Studio, see Get started with Knowledge Studio. Feedback and support for Knowledge Studio will be managed through a dedicated Early Adopter Community.
ArcGIS StoryMaps briefings: ArcGIS StoryMaps briefings offer a slide-based output with securely integrated live maps and data from your organization. To access briefings, users must enable beta features within their ArcGIS StoryMaps organization settings. To receive assistance with briefings in ArcGIS Enterprise, and to leave feedback on their functionality, refer to the ArcGIS StoryMaps Esri Community or use the in-app feedback form.
We hope you will take advantage of the beta features available in ArcGIS Enterprise 11.2! Your feedback can directly shape development of these features, making sure the final versions meet your needs. We are excited to hear what you think!
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