Portal projects have the following collaboration options:
- Just for me—The project is used and updated by one user working on one computer.
- Just for me on multiple devices—The project is used and updated by one user working on different computers, such as a desktop computer and a laptop or virtual machine.
- For someone else—The project is created and configured by the organization administrator for use by someone else. Optionally, the administrator can assign ownership of the item to that user.
- For me and others—The project is used and updated by more than one user in a collaborative setting.
The collaboration type affects the choice of home folder, default geodatabase, default toolbox, and sharing properties. For example, if the collaboration type is Just for me, the default geodatabase can be a file geodatabase (.gdb) stored on a local drive. If the collaboration type is For me and others, default project items must be located on a network drive, and the default geodatabase must be an enterprise geodatabase (.sde), because only enterprise geodatabases support multiuser access.
Note:
All collaboration types require the default toolbox to be an ArcGIS toolbox (.atbx).
For portal projects created on the New Portal Project dialog box, the collaboration type is specified on the General tab. Default project items and sharing properties are specified on the Configuration tab. Error messages and warnings appear when a setting is not allowed or not recommended for the chosen collaboration type. These messages are removed as you update the settings. You can validate your settings to confirm that errors and warnings are resolved.
For portal projects created using the wizard, the collaboration type is specified in the How will you collaborate panel. Default project items and sharing properties are specified on subsequent panels. Settings are validated on each panel before you proceed to the next panel.
Configure a project just for me
A project used by one user working on one computer is configured as follows:
- The home folder, default geodatabase, and default toolbox can be located on a local or network computer.
- The default geodatabase can be a file geodatabase, mobile geodatabase, or enterprise geodatabase.
- The default toolbox must be an ArcGIS toolbox (.atbx).
- Sharing options do not appear because the project is intended for use by one user. Sharing properties can be changed later on the ArcGIS Enterprise portal.
Configure a project just for me on multiple devices
A project used by one user working on multiple computers is configured as follows:
- The home folder, default geodatabase, and default toolbox must be located on a network drive that is accessible to all computers. Specifying the location of these items with UNC paths is recommended.
- The default geodatabase can be a file geodatabase, mobile geodatabase, or enterprise geodatabase.
- The default toolbox must be an ArcGIS toolbox (.atbx).
- Sharing options do not appear because the project is intended for use by one user. Sharing properties can be changed later on the ArcGIS Enterprise portal.
Configure a project for someone else
A project created by an organization administrator for use by someone else is configured as follows:
- The home folder, default geodatabase, and default toolbox must be stored on a network drive that is accessible to the intended user. Specifying the location of these items with UNC paths is recommended.
- The default geodatabase can be a file geodatabase, mobile geodatabase, or enterprise geodatabase.
- The default toolbox must be an ArcGIS toolbox (.atbx).
- Sharing options are available when the portal project is configured. Alternatively, sharing properties can be changed later on the ArcGIS Enterprise portal.
- After the project is created, the administrator can transfer ownership of the item to the intended user on the ArcGIS Enterprise portal.
Configure a project for me and others
A project created for multiple users is configured as follows:
- The home folder, default geodatabase, and default toolbox must be stored on a network computer that is accessible to all collaborators. Specifying the location of these items with UNC paths is recommended.
- The default geodatabase must be an enterprise geodatabase. Multiuser editing is not supported in file and mobile geodatabases.
- The default toolbox must be an ArcGIS toolbox (.atbx).
- Sharing options are available when the portal project is configured. Alternatively, sharing properties can be changed later on the ArcGIS Enterprise portal.
- The project must be shared to a shared update group. Only members of the shared update group have write access to the project.
Project name and location
The default location for a new portal project is the root folder of your My Content collection. Optionally, you can choose another folder in My Content or create a folder in My Content.
Portal project names must be unique within a My Content folder. Portal projects in different folders can have the same name. Portal projects owned by different organization members can also have the same name. However, it is recommended that you maintain unique names to avoid confusion.
Default project items
A portal project, like a local project, must have a home folder, default geodatabase, and default toolbox. In a portal project, the home folder does not store the project (the .aprx file) but does store other files typically stored in a project home folder such as map and layer files, exported datasets, and connection files.
In a portal project, default project items are not created automatically when the project is created. You can either specify these default items each time you create a portal project or make default item settings in the general options for creating projects on an ArcGIS Enterprise portal. Default settings for project items are useful if most of your projects use the same collaboration type, and if your data management practices allow you to use the same items to store files, data, and tools related to different projects.
You can override default settings as needed when you configure a new project.
Note:
Default settings can be preset and locked by an administrator.
Change default items in an open project
After a project is created, you can change its current settings, including the home folder, default geodatabase, and default toolbox. The new default items should be appropriate for the collaboration type.
Database authentication type
For portal projects, it is recommended that enterprise geodatabases use operating system authentication or an authentication type other than database authentication if available. If database authentication is used, users must provide their database credentials on first opening the project, on first opening the project on another computer, or on reopening the project if the local copy of the project is deleted.
If an enterprise geodatabase connection uses database authentication, a warning appears when the project is validated. The warning does not prevent you from creating the project.
Dive-in:
When database authentication is used, database usernames and passwords are stored in the definitions of map layers and other project items that reference data in the enterprise geodatabase. As a security precaution, these credentials are stripped when the project is saved to the portal. This is why credentials must be provided again in the circumstances described above. Other authentication methods do not store database credentials in item definitions.
Sharing
As with other portal items, portal projects can be shared to the item owner, to the organization, and to groups—including shared update groups. However, projects can only be updated by the item owner, organization administrators, and members of shared update groups to which the project is shared.
If a portal project is shared to the organization or to a group that is not a shared update group, members can open and view the project but cannot save changes to the portal. If they make changes, they must save the project as a local project. Users without update permission may also be able to edit project data. For example, an editor could use a portal project to edit a web layer or enterprise geodatabase feature class without needing to save the project.
Download location
The download location is the folder where the local copy of the portal project is stored when you open a portal project. The default location is the C:\Users\<username>\Documents\ArcGIS\OnlineProjects folder. The download location is not set during project configuration; instead, it is specified in the general options for creating projects on an ArcGIS Enterprise portal.
Performance
Opening a project, saving a project, getting updates from the portal, and other operations involve file exchanges between the ArcGIS Enterprise portal and installations of ArcGIS Pro. In addition, the default project items in a portal project are often located on network drives. Saving files to these project items, or retrieving files from them, results in network traffic. Portal project data is also commonly stored in remote locations such as enterprise geodatabases or in web layers hosted on the portal or other servers. This has an impact on retrieving and drawing data. To learn more about issues that affect application performance and steps you can take to improve performance, see Performance in ArcGIS Pro.