Document databases are nonrelational databases that store markup documents containing key-value pairs to define data. They are sometimes categorized as a type of NoSQL database.
Document databases are different from other databases and data warehouses that you connect to from ArcGIS, because they do not have an enforced schema or structured relationships. This makes them more flexible and responsive. However, their unstructured or semistructured format makes them less suitable for complex data relationships and transactions.
ArcGIS support
ArcGIS supports the following document databases:
You can do the following with these databases from ArcGIS Pro:
- Create a database connection. See Connect to Elasticsearch from ArcGIS and Connect to OpenSearch from ArcGIS for instructions.
- Add layers from the connection to a map. Each layer in the map that you add from a document database is a query layer.
- Register the connection with a server that is federated with the active portal, and manage the resultant data store.
- Publish a map image layer or publish a web feature layer that references the data in the database.
Tip:
See Troubleshoot in the ArcGIS Enterprise help for information about feature limits.
- Share the web layer with others, who can use them in maps. See Use map image layers and Use web feature layers for more information.
Term equivalents
When you use data from a supported document database in an ArcGIS client, you'll see ArcGIS terms. You'll see these same ArcGIS terms in the help, not the document database terms. The following table equates the ArcGIS terms to those used by document database vendors.
| ArcGIS term | Document database term | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
Table Feature class | Index or alias | Indexes in a document database contain the data definition using key-value pairs and documents. Tables and feature classes (which are spatial tables) define data using columns and rows. An alias in a document database refers to multiple indexes. When accessed in ArcGIS, an alias is read as a single table. |
Field or column | Key-value pairs | |
Row | Document | Represents a single object or feature. |
Index | No document database equivalent | |
Schema | No document database equivalent |