Feature layers—Portal for ArcGIS | Documentation for ArcGIS Enterprise

A feature layer is a grouping of similar geographic features, for example, buildings, parcels, cities, roads, and earthquake epicenters. Features can be points, lines, or polygons (areas). Feature layers are most appropriate for visualizing data on top of your basemaps. You can set properties for feature layers—such as style, transparency, visible range, refresh interval, and labels—that control how the layer appears in the map. Using a feature layer, you can view, edit, analyze, and execute queries against features and their attributes.

Each type of feature layer meets a different need and, therefore, has slightly different functionality. For a comparison of functionality available with each type of feature layer, see Feature layer functionality.

Hosted feature layers

Hosted feature layers are feature services whose feature data is hosted by, or stored in, one of two different data stores that the administrator has configured with your portal's hosting server.

You can think of the layer, service, and its data as a single entity. When you create a hosted feature layer, the data is copied into one of the data stores. When the owner of the hosted feature layer or portal administrator deletes a hosted feature layer, the service and data are also deleted.

The functionality available varies slightly depending on the data store the hosted feature layer accesses. You can identify the two types of layers based on the layer icon.

Hosted feature layer

Hosted feature layers are created when you publish a feature layer to your portal from ArcGIS Pro, ArcMap, or from files in your portal.

Hosted spatiotemporal feature layer

Hosted spatiotemporal feature layers are created when the app or tool you're using requires both geographic and time data. In most cases, editors do not directly edit these layers; rather, the apps that require them create and update hosted spatiotemporal feature layers.

ArcGIS Server feature layers

If you have access to feature services running on a stand-alone or federated ArcGIS Server site, you can still use these ArcGIS Server feature services as layers in your portal. These layers are similar to hosted feature layers with the following differences:

The data is not copied into the hosting server's relational data store; it stays in the data source you registered with the ArcGIS Server site.
When you delete the ArcGIS Server feature layer, the data is not deleted.
Much of the configuration for ArcGIS Server feature layers is performed in ArcGIS Server Manager, not the portal.
You cannot create views or publish tile or WFS layers from ArcGIS Server feature layers.

Many of these differences guard against unwanted changes being made to the data stored in the folders and databases you registered with your ArcGIS Server site, as this data is often your system of record and is likely accessed directly by other applications. However, the hosted feature layer data is managed through the portal and not directly accessed by other applications.

When you publish a feature layer (feature service) to a federated ArcGIS Server site, it is automatically added as a feature layer to your portal. If you want to work with a feature layer from a stand-alone ArcGIS Server site, you can add the layer to your portal from My Content. This allows you to reference the REST endpoint (URL) of the service and use the layer in your maps and apps while leaving the data stored in the data sources you registered with your ArcGIS Server site. You can also add ArcGIS Server feature layers to Map Viewer.

Feature collections

Items such as CSV files, shapefiles, and map notes can be added to a map as feature collections. A feature collection is a type of feature layer. Any feature collection you add can be saved as part of the map. Doing so saves the feature collection data as part of the map. Any changes you make to the feature collection—for example, by editing data—are only reflected in the map. The changes are not applied to the original CSV file, shapefile, or map note from which the feature collection was derived.

You can also save a feature collection as its own item by clicking Save Layer in the layer properties menu. The item will appear as a new feature collection item in My Content and can be shared with others and added to multiple maps. When you save a feature collection as its own item, the data is retained with the feature collection item and not stored as part of the map. Any changes you make to the feature collection item, such as modifying its data, are saved once you click Save Layer. If the feature collection item is used in other maps, the changes will be reflected there as well. If the feature collection item is deleted from My Content, it will no longer be available to others.

Map notes

You can create features on your map by adding a map notes layer. A map notes layer is a type of feature collection. With a map notes layer, you use features to symbolize something you want to show on your map, such as public access points, hiking trails, or fire perimeters. You can also add descriptive information that appears in pop-ups when the feature is clicked.

By default, the features in a map notes layer are saved with the map so that only you, the map author, can edit and save them. You can also choose to save the layer as a feature collection item in your content, which allows you to edit its item details and share it with others. Map notes layers are useful for displaying information such as events happening within a community or an inventory of oil production facilities. This is a good way to add a small number of features to a map, for example, the swimming pools managed by your city's parks and recreation department. It's also a way to create feature layers if you don't have portal publishing privileges.

Route layers

You can use Map Viewer to get directions and create a route layer in your map. Route layers are a type of feature collection that contain four sublayers—stops, direction events, directions, and route info—each with its own properties, such as pop-ups and labels, that you can configure as desired. From Map Viewer, you can save the route layer as an item in My Content and use it in other maps. Once the route layer is saved as an item, you can share it with others.

Streaming feature layers

Streaming feature layers are feature layers created from an ArcGIS GeoEvent Server stream service. They are useful for visualizing real-time data feeds that have high volumes of data or that have data that changes at unknown intervals. For example, a fleet of vehicles might be transmitting their location, and the current location of the vehicles needs to be continuously monitored. When you add a streaming feature layer to Map Viewer, you can use streaming controls to filter the data that the service sends to the layer. Streaming feature layers can be identified by their icon Streaming features in the content page.

Streaming feature layers connect to an ArcGIS Server stream service using HTML5 WebSockets. Most modern browsers support WebSockets. To get more information about WebSockets and to test if a browser supports WebSockets, visit WebSocket.org.

Feature layer functionality

The following sections list how to create each type of feature layer and compare functionality available with each type in Map Viewer, Scene Viewer, and item details.

Publishing methods

The following list describes how you create each type of feature layer in a portal:

Hosted feature layer—Add an item to the portal and publish, publish from ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro, or create from a template. See Publish hosted feature layers for more information.
Hosted spatiotemporal feature layer—Run a GeoAnalytics tool or publish using ArcGIS GeoEvent Server. Tracker for ArcGIS also creates a hosted spatiotemporal feature layer to track locations and ArcGIS Mission creates spatiotemporal hosted feature layers to track missions.
ArcGIS Server feature layer—Publish from ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro to a federated ArcGIS Server site, publish from ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro to a stand-alone ArcGIS Server site and add the service to the portal, or publish from data store items in the portal.
Streaming feature layer—Configure streaming layers in ArcGIS GeoEvent Server. If the ArcGIS GeoEvent Server is federated with the portal, the streaming layer is automatically added to the portal. If you configure streaming layers on a stand-alone ArcGIS GeoEvent Server site, you can add the streaming layer to the portal.
Feature collection—Add a CSV file, shapefile, or map notes to Map Viewer and save the layer.

Map Viewer

All feature layer items in your portal can be added to Map Viewer, but the available functionality may differ slightly. The following table compares feature layer functionality in Map Viewer:


Functionality	Hosted feature layer	Hosted spatiotemporal feature layer	ArcGIS Server feature layer	Hosted spatiotemporal feature layer (created by ArcGIS GeoEvent Server)	Streaming feature layer	Feature collection
Add to Map Viewer with full editing control	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Change style, set transparency, and set visible range	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Define labels	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, but not supported for map notes
Set refresh interval	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Configure pop-ups	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Apply filters	Yes, in Map Viewer	Yes, in Map Viewer	Yes, in Map Viewer	Yes, in Map Viewer	Yes, using streaming controls in Map Viewer or in ArcGIS GeoEvent Server	No
Copy and save as a new layer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Use standard feature analysis tools and GeoAnalytics feature analysis tools	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Calculate fields in the attribute table	Yes	Yes, but use the Calculate Field tool	No	No	No	No
Add fields to and delete fields from the attribute table	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Display features aggregated in bins	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No

Scene Viewer

You can add the following types of feature layers to Scene Viewer:

Hosted feature layer
Hosted spatiotemporal feature layer
ArcGIS Server feature layer

Each layer can contain an unlimited number of features.

Item details

Many of the settings and details you configure for feature layers are the same for all feature layers and for portal items in general, such as setting tags and categories, setting a summary and description, enabling delete protection, and setting an extent. Settings and details that are different across feature layers are listed in the following table:


Functionality	Hosted feature layer	Hosted spatiotemporal feature layer	ArcGIS Server feature layer	Hosted spatiotemporal feature layer (created by ArcGIS GeoEvent Server)	Streaming feature layer	Feature collection
Publish other layers from	Yes, WFS and tile layers	No	No	No	No	Yes, a hosted feature layer
Create views from	Yes	Yes	You cannot create views from the feature layer in the portal, but the equivalent workflow is to publish multiple feature layers from the same data in an ArcGIS Desktop app or ArcGIS Pro.	No	No	No
Define view areas on the Visualization tab	Yes	Yes	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
Export data from	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Add and view metadata	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Enable attachments	Yes	No	You cannot enable attachments from the portal. However, you can enable attachments on the source data before publishing the feature layer.	No	No	No
Overwrite the layer	Yes	No	You cannot overwrite from the portal. However, you can overwrite from ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro.	No	Not applicable; streaming layer data is continually changing.	No
Append data	Not from the portal, but you can use the Append geoprocessing tool in ArcGIS Pro.	Not from item details, but you can use the Append Data tool in Map Viewer or the Append geoprocessing tool in ArcGIS Pro.	You cannot append from the portal. However, since the data resides in your ArcGIS Server site's registered data store, append to the source data.	Append to source data using ArcGIS GeoEvent Server.	Not applicable; streaming layer data is continually changing.	No
Calculate field contents on the Data tab	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Add fields and delete fields on the Data tab	Yes	You can add fields but not delete fields.	No	No	No	No
Define attribute lists and ranges	Yes	No	No; you can view existing lists and ranges but not add or delete them on the Data tab.	No	No	No
Add field descriptions and value types	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Edit nonspatial field values on the Data tab	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Apply filters on the Visualization tab	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Modify settings for editing	Yes	Yes	You cannot enable editing or modify editing settings from the portal website. Configure editing settings when you publish the feature layer or modify settings in ArcGIS Server Manager after publishing.	Editing is automatically enabled and cannot be modified in the portal website.	No	No
Enable sync	Yes	No	You cannot enable sync from the portal website. This is set when publishing, or you can modify the setting in ArcGIS Server Manager after publishing.	No	No	No
Track edits	Yes	No	You cannot enable editor tracking in the portal. However, you can enable editor tracking on the source data from an ArcGIS Desktop app or ArcGIS Pro.	No	No	No

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