"},{"ID":6181,"user_firstname":"Sara","user_lastname":"Sanchez","nickname":"Sara Sanchez","user_nicename":"saramdsanchez","display_name":"Sara Sanchez","user_email":"ssanchez@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2018-03-02 00:18:03","user_description":"Sara is a lead product engineer on the ArcGIS Enterprise team. She enjoys spending time at the lake, non-fiction, and cooking.","user_avatar":"
"}],"short_description":"Do you need to migrate ArcGIS content and don't know where to start? This blog provides an overview of the various options available.","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Through our many conversations with customers, whether at User Conference or otherwise, one of the most commonly asked questions we receive is:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n How do I move my published content from one organization to another?<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n And, while it may be one of the most asked questions, it\u2019s nuanced, and to effectively answer it, more questions and discussion are typically needed, as the answer will depend on several factors.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For example:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re an organization administrator who has explored the need for a migration workflow before, you\u2019ve likely found that there are a variety of solutions available, some of which provide partial migrations for a subset of content, and others that provide a more comprehensive solution.<\/span><\/p>\n But you may be wondering: which one is the right one to use for my case? Which one is easiest? Are there any caveats with one or more that I need to be aware of?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The goal of this blog is to provide an overview of the various <\/span>migration tools and strategies<\/span><\/a> available in ArcGIS.\u00a0 Each option is described to explain what it is, how to use it, and when it might be most appropriate for the task at hand.<\/span><\/p>\n Each option is accompanied with additional resources to learn more, so you can further explore what\u2019s best for your use case. If you\u2019re still unsure, we\u2019ve provided a decision chart to help identify which tool may be best for your use case and comfort level.<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":" Jump to: clone_items()<\/a> |\u00a0<\/span>OfflineContentManager<\/a> | Group export\/import<\/a> | Distributed\/Partnered collaborations<\/a> |\u00a0WebGIS DR tool<\/a>\u00a0| Other tools<\/a> | Migration options at a glance<\/a><\/p>\n","image_reference":false,"layout":"standard","image_reference_figure":"","snippet":"","spotlight_name":"","section_title":"","position":"Center","spotlight_image":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":" The ArcGIS API for Python has multiple tools oriented around programmatically transferring content from one organization to another, perhaps the most used of which is This function is part of the There are numerous features found in the function, such as the ability to search a target organization for existent cloned items, the ability to copy service data or re-reference the original service, and the option to recreate services from scratch vs have them exported via a file format. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is a popular first option for users looking to directly migrate a subset of items, though there are cases where other migration tools may function more effectively. It works for both ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise organizations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Additional resources:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Another (much newer) migration tool in ArcGIS API for Python is the set of functions found in the This module functions very similarly to This means that a user trying to migrate their items to multiple different organizations can avoid repeated calls to Another key distinction from One final difference is that by default, this function must copy services by exporting them to a file geodatabase or shapefile and then re-uploading and publishing them to the destination organization.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Much to the opposite of However, these functions do a great job of circumventing some of the paint points of This is a great option for users looking for a programmatic solution when Additional resources:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Group export and import is another very handy option that allows users to export\/import offline packages of items, oriented around the migration of a group\u2019s items. This tool is available to migrate content between ArcGIS Enterprise organizations and is extremely user friendly: users can use the interface in their ArcGIS Enterprise organization to export and import group content.<\/span><\/p>\n As an alternative, this workflow can be done programmatically using the ArcGIS REST API endpoints for the export\/import functions, in addition to a One distinct advantage this tool has over the two previously mentioned functions is the ability to overwrite existent items with the same ID, allowing users to update items based on changes in a different organization without making duplicates in a new organization.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are some caveats to consider with this option, for example, to migrate content using this method, t<\/span>he staging (import) environment must be on the same or a later version of ArcGIS Enterprise than the development (export) environment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In addition, item dependencies aren\u2019t automatically handled in the same way that they are with the prior two options. However, if all item dependencies are accounted for, and the migration is between two eligible ArcGIS Enterprise organizations, then export and import through the organization may be the easiest way to migrate content. As mentioned earlier, it\u2019s also great for users looking to overwrite or update their items. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Additional resources:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Distributed collaboration and partnered collaboration are two different types of content sharing mechanisms and are a contrasting option to those we\u2019ve covered thus far. Distributed collaboration enables organizations to share content between ArcGIS Enterprise and ArcGIS Online or between ArcGIS Enterprise and ArcGIS Enterprise. Partnered collaboration, on the other hand, is specific to ArcGIS Online as it supports the workflow to share content across ArcGIS Online organizations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Collaborations are not designed to transfer the ownership of content from one organization to another; but instead, as the name implies, they allow one organization to maintain ownership of items while sharing them with another organization to view or edit. Collaborations are a great choice to share content in a professional capacity, such as in a provider-client scenario, or to\u00a0privately share owned apps and data for public consumption.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The terms of a collaboration are defined by the host, to specify who the guests are, how many there are, whether guests can send content, receive content, or do both, and more. In contrast to the other technologies mentioned, collaboration does require a reasonably involved setup process, and administrators can do this through the organization’s settings, or through a script, such as one that leverages the ArcGIS API for Python.<\/span><\/p>\n This workflow is truly a unique way to share, receive, and discover content while preserving ownership in a single organization. It also allows for the opportunity to share private items outside of an organization, though this is a consideration the organization must make as to what content qualifies for this level of access.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Additional resources:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
ArcGIS API for Python:
clone_items()<\/code><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\nclone_items()<\/code>.<\/span><\/p>\nContentManager<\/code> class. It takes in a list of Item<\/code> objects from one ArcGIS organization and recreates that list elsewhere, in another ArcGIS organization. It has the ability to recreate almost any item type, with the main exception being ArcGIS Hub Sites\/Pages.<\/span><\/p>\nclone_items()<\/code> essentially disassembles items internally to determine all their dependencies, and clones over all required items for the source item(s) to the new organization to reassemble them from the ground up.<\/span><\/p>\nclone_items()<\/code> has been around for a while, and as such, brings some legacy overhead with it. This means that, despite having perhaps the most extensive range of compatible content, there are some incompatibilities that may arise from the evolution of different components and item types in any ArcGIS system.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
ArcGIS API for Python:
OfflineContentManager<\/code><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\nOfflineContentManager<\/code> module.<\/span><\/p>\nclone_items()<\/code>, but with a couple key distinctions. Firstly, and most notably, it allows you to create offline backups of your migration items, in addition to all of their dependencies.<\/span><\/p>\nclone_items()<\/code>, and that users can create backups of their items to use for restoration in the event that something goes wrong.<\/span><\/p>\nclone_items()<\/code> is that the OfflineContentManager<\/code> gives users the option to avoid a rollback on failure, for example, if clone_items()<\/code> fails in cloning any item in the process, every item from the call will be deleted, whereas the OfflineContentManager<\/code> allows users to skip over failed items and carry on migrating the rest of the items.<\/span><\/p>\nclone_items()<\/code>, the functions in this class are quite new, so not every item type is covered yet (roughly 80% currently).<\/span><\/p>\nclone_items()<\/code>, such as incompatibilities when reconstructing services, repeated calls to the same function, and the \u201call or nothing\u201d nature of clone_items()<\/code>.<\/span><\/p>\nclone_items()<\/code> cannot sufficiently accommodate the workflow. Users that would benefit from this option can use it to create backups and migrate to multiple different new organizations. It it supported for both ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise organizations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
clone_items()<\/code> or GroupMigrationManager<\/code> are not compatible<\/span><\/li>\n\n
Group export and import<\/h2>\n
GroupMigrationManager<\/code> module in the ArcGIS API for Python.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"
Distributed and Partnered collaborations<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
\n