Frequently asked questions

Find answers to common questions about network diagrams.

Also, see the following topics for additional frequently asked questions:

Network diagrams

Diagram templates and diagram layer definition

Network diagrams

Why is the New command unavailable in the Diagram group? Why can I no longer apply a layout to my open diagrams?

There may be an active edit session. Review the disabling conditions in the command ToolTip. See the Utility Network tab topic for more information.

What are some troubleshooting tips for problems storing, appending to, and extending a network diagram?

Verify the template name your diagram is based on. To do this, right-click the diagram layer in the Contents pane, click Properties, activate the Diagram Properties tab, and verify the name specified for Diagram Template.

Then review the properties for that diagram template name. To do this, right-click a utility network or trace network layer in the Contents pane and click Properties. In the network Layer Properties dialog box that opens, activate the Network Diagrams tab and expand the Diagram Templates section. Identify the diagram template item in the list and verify the following:

  • Diagram Storage—If it is Disabled, you cannot store diagrams based on this template.
  • Diagram Extent—If it is Disabled, you cannot extend or append features to diagrams based on this template.

Also verify whether the All Layers mode is turned on or off for the diagram layer. Starting with ArcGIS Pro 2.6, the Dynamic On/Off, Extend, Overwrite, and Append buttons are unavailable when the All Layers mode is turned off.

Do network diagrams support the new nonspatial objects included with Utility Network version 4?

Yes. Starting with Utility Network version 4, a network diagram can represent both spatial features and nonspatial objects of a network.

Learn more about junction and edge objects in network diagrams

Do network diagrams support the new trace network included with ArcGIS Pro 2.6?

Yes. The network diagram elementary build process and the diagram rules have been updated to support trace network features. You can create your own diagram templates to generate diagrams from trace network features. You can configure diagram rules to use on these templates to build content for your diagrams. For example, you can configure templates to automate network tracing from a single or multiple input network features, automate the adding or discarding of network features, reduce them, and so on.

Learn more about diagram templates

Can I rename a network diagram?

Yes. You can rename any publicly stored network diagram using the Alter Diagram Properties geoprocessing tool. When working with a utility network, the utility network owner has full rights on all diagrams related to the network whether these diagrams are public, private, or protected. The only exceptions are subnetwork system diagram names, which are managed by the update subnetwork process and cannot be changed.

How are subnetwork system diagrams managed?

Subnetwork system diagrams are managed through subnetwork updates. You can set up subnetwork system diagrams when you define the subnetwork.

Learn more about subnetwork system diagrams

When working with a utility network service, what happens to network diagrams when reconciling and posting versions?

The single-user model does not support versioned editing. In an enterprise geodatabase, however, the model is multiuser and branch versioned.

With branch versioning, user versions are reconciled with and posted to the default version.

There is no conflict management when reconciling network diagrams with the default version. All diagrams existing in the default and edited versions since the version was created are merged in the reconciled version.

Once reconcile completes, changes made to the reconciled network may result in dirty areas and cause some diagrams to appear inconsistent regarding the network editing space in the version. Some diagrams may be consistent regarding the network editing space but disjoined regarding their own diagram features or statistics. Before posting the version, it is recommended that you update all the reconciled diagrams. This ensures that the diagram statistics and feature geometries are up to date in the version before posting it. In addition, once that version is posted, there is limited impact to the default version when re updating the diagrams..

Learn more about reconciling diagram edits and posting changes to the default version

How can I customize the columns of the diagrams list in the Find Diagrams pane?

In the diagram table list, click a column header and use the pop-up dialog box that appears to choose the columns you want to display or hide. Then use the up and down arrows on the right side to reorder the columns, and click OK. To sort diagram items by a particular column value, click the column header. In the pop-up dialog box that appears, choose Sort A to Z or Sort Z to A, and click OK.

After executing the Apply Layout tool on my open diagram, why do I not see any changes?

Make sure there is no feature selected in the diagram. When you have a set of selected features in a diagram, the layout algorithm only applies to the selected features. When you apply a layout and there is only one feature selected in a diagram, most layout algorithms have no effect.

What do the consistency icons represent for a network diagram layer in the Contents pane, and how are they refreshed?

If you expect a consistency icon to appear next to your network diagram layer in the Contents pane and it doesn't, collapse and expand the diagram layer, and increase the width of the Contents pane.

A red error icon indicates that the diagram is inconsistent with regard to the network editing space. In this case, you must validate the network topology, save the edits, and update the diagram.

An orange warning icon indicates that the diagram may be inconsistent with regard to either the network topology space or its diagram template definition. In this situation, update the diagram.

Learn more about diagram consistency states

When working with a utility network service, what operations are supported for accessing network diagrams using a historical moment?

When you are connected to a historical moment, you can only do the following:

  • Generate temporary diagrams representing the network as it was at that moment.
  • Search for stored diagrams that existed at that moment and open them.

No other operations are supported on these diagrams.

Learn more about working with diagrams at historical moments

Why are there missing diagram features (holes) in the diagram view?

This issue is related to the diagram layer definition set up on the related diagram template and can be one of the following two situations:

  • Situation A—There are missing layers under the network diagram layer that prevent diagram features from being represented.
  • Situation B—All the expected layers under the network diagram layer exist but with specific scales or display filters that prevent some diagram features from being visible at any scale.

To identify your situation, do the following:

  1. When working with a utility network in an enterprise geodatabase, sign in to your ArcGIS Enterprise portal using the credentials of the portal utility network owner.
  2. Depending on the geodatabase you want to work with, do one of the following:
    • When working with a utility network or trace network in a file geodatabase, add the file geodatabase to the project.
    • When working with a utility network in an enterprise geodatabase, add the database connection file to the project or create a new one.
      Caution:

      Make sure the utility network is registered as branch versioned and you are connecting using the credentials of the database utility network owner.

  3. Run Export Diagram Template Definitions to export your diagram template rule and layout definitions.
  4. Run Add Diagram Template to create a test temporary diagram template using the .ndbd file you exported in the previous step.
  5. Generate the diagram twice: one based on the diagram template with which you noted issues, DiagramWithBadLayerDef, and one with the new temporary diagram template you created above, DiagramWithDefaultLayerDef.
  6. Compare the contents of the two diagrams to identify the features that are missing in DiagramWithBadLayerDef but should be represented in DiagramWithDefaultLayerDef, even if they appear with basic default appearance settings.

I have disconnected graphs in most of the diagrams I generated with my new diagram templates. Why?

When generating a diagram after you've selected network features in the geographic map using a Select tool, the result may be a set of network features that are all fully connected. This is true when your map references layers with display scales. In this case, run network traces and generate diagrams from the resulting traced features. However, the best way to generate diagrams is to use diagram templates configured to automatically execute a trace rule at each diagram generation and update.

Why is the diagram view empty?

This occurs when its diagram template is configured to focus on particular network features and you didn't provide the expected features as input for the diagram generation. Review the template description under the Diagram Templates section on the Network Diagrams tab of the network Layer Properties dialog box. The network owner may have provided details in this table that can help you understand how each diagram template works. Otherwise, talk to the network owner who designed the diagram template.

What are the operations I can run when working with a utility network or trace network in a file geodatabase or a database connection to a utility network in an enterprise geodatabase or when consuming a utility network service? What can be done by the standard user or network owner?

Network diagram configuration and management tasks are dependent on many factors, including the type of workspace connection and its permission level, the diagram type, the capabilities enabled on the diagram templates, and the connected database or portal account. The conditions and requirements you must meet when executing diagram operations are detailed in Network diagram management tasks.

Diagram templates and diagram layer definition

What are some tips to consider when configuring diagram template rules?

The recommendations and warnings for diagram rule execution that you must always consider when configuring a diagram template are listed at the bottom of the Diagram rules topic.

There are also specific recommendations for subnetwork diagram templates.

While consuming a utility network service and generating a diagram based on a newly created diagram template, I receive an error saying the diagram template is not found. How can I solve this?

The related feature service must be restarted. Even though the new template item appears in the New drop-down list in the Diagram group on the utility network ribbon, the related service must be restarted before using it from a network service layer.

How can I set definitions for the layers under my network diagram layers?

Initializing a diagram layer definition for your diagrams occurs at the diagram template level when running the Create Diagram Layer Definition geoprocessing tool. This tool expects a network diagram layer as input from an active network map in which all layers are set up to connect the network source classes using a database connection.

See Initialize a custom diagram layer definition on a template for details.

How do I troubleshoot the following error when running a diagram template geoprocessing model in ModelBuilder: Rules that add elements cannot be set up after rules that can create aggregated elements?

Ensure that there are no rules to reduce or collapse elements before rules that add elements. Verify that the Alter Diagram Template tool you set up at the beginning of the model is configured with the Remove the diagram template rule and layout definitions box checked.

Also, before running the model, select the first tool in the sequence, click Validate on the ModelBuilder ribbon, and click Run to be sure you start the sequence from the beginning.

How can I change the definition of the layers currently set under my network diagram layers, for example, add and configure new labels, change symbols, and so on?

This workflow starts with a test diagram that you generate or open using a database connection to your utility network in an enterprise geodatabase or a utility network or trace network in a file geodatabase; that is, the open diagram cannot be created or opened from a utility network service. Then, from each layer under the network diagram layer, set the appearance and labeling settings in the same way you do when working with GIS layers. You can also remove any unnecessary layers. Then complete the following steps:

  1. Run Export Diagram Layer Definition with the network diagram layer you just modified as input. This allows you to export this new network diagram layer definition into an .ndld file.
  2. Run Import Diagram Template Definitions on your template with the .ndld file obtained after step 1, so this new network diagram layer definition applies to all diagrams based on that template.