Find answers to common questions about a utility network.
Also, see the following topics for additional frequently asked questions:
Getting started
General
Usage
- How can I work with a utility network?
- How do I know whether the network topology is enabled or disabled?
- How do I edit utility network features?
- What are nonspatial objects?
- How do I locate nonspatial objects?
- How do I identify errors on nonspatial objects?
- How are conflicts managed for nonspatial objects?
- Why is a certain command unavailable on the Utility Network tab?
- Why are there no subnetworks listed in the Find Subnetworks pane?
- After disabling the network topology for a user version, how do I reenable the topology?
- How can I write custom tools and buttons in the ArcGIS Pro SDK that work with utility networks?
- What are the client-side time-out values in ArcGIS Pro for utility network tools and processes?
- How can I work with a utility network web service using REST?
Administration
Getting started
Both the single-user and enterprise deployment of the utility network require an ArcGIS Desktop Standard or ArcGIS Desktop Advanced license.
The enterprise deployment pattern uses a service-based architecture and is configured and deployed using ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Enterprise. The utility network is created and configured using a direct database connection in ArcGIS Pro, and is later published to a feature service in Portal for ArcGIS for consumption.
License:
The active portal account must be licensed with the ArcGIS Advanced Editing user type extension to create, publish, and work with a utility network in an enterprise geodatabase.To learn more, see Deployment types.
Before creating and configuring a utility network, it is important to understand the different deployment types and options for configuration. The geodatabase type that stores the utility network will determine the type of deployment, which also impacts the configuration, sharing capabilities, and licensing of the utility network. You can create and configure a utility network manually using core tools or using a Utility Network Foundation to accelerate the process. After the initial implementation, you can use these same tools to modify the configuration based on changes in the data model.
Learn more about how to create and configure a utility network
General
The network properties contain important information about the configuration and current state of a utility network. The network properties can be accessed from the following locations:
- The properties context menu of a utility network layer through the Contents pane
- The properties context menu of a utility network dataset from the Catalog pane
When working with an enterprise geodatabase, you can access the utility network through a database connection, or a service through an ArcGIS Enterprise portal. Depending on the desired task, certain tools and commands require a specific data source for the utility network to be used.
- Configuration tasks generally require the utility network to be accessed using a database connection.
- Editing tasks require the utility network to be accessed through the service (web feature layer).
See the documentation for the specific tool or command for any data source requirements. The following topics discuss the required data sources for certain tasks:
A single-user deployment does not take advantage of versioned editing. Enterprise deployments use branch versioning.
Consider the following when working with an enterprise geodatabase:
- A utility network can be edited in a nonversioned state during the initial configuration phase when accessed directly from a database connection.
- It is required that a utility network be registered as branch versioned to participate in service-based editing workflows and to enable archiving capabilities. The feature dataset must be registered as branch versioned before publishing through a feature service. Optionally, the Version Management capability can be enabled during publishing. This allows users to create and work with isolated branch versions and perform versioning workflows directly from the feature service. It is recommended that a utility network remain in a versioned state to participate in service-based editing and archiving workflows.
Learn more about how to publish and consume services with a utility network
The Utility Network Package toolbox contains geoprocessing tools to stage, import, and export a utility network. The tools are designed to work with an asset package to create a utility network schema, load sample data, and import and export a utility network.
To learn more, see An overview of the Utility Network Package toolbox.
Usage
Once a utility network is configured and deployed, you can access it for editing, administration tasks, performing network analytics, subnetwork management tasks, and so on. To learn more, see Work with a utility network.
To check the state of the network topology for a utility network, use the network properties. The state of the network topology is listed in the Network Topology section.
Learn more about the network properties
To learn about the required network topology state for different operations, see Utility network management tasks.
Consider the following when working with an enterprise geodatabase:
- Enterprise deployments of the utility network are designed for service-based editing. During the initial configuration phase, you can use an ArcGIS Pro client to edit nonversioned network features using data accessed directly from a database connection. This should be reserved for performing quality assurance checks on datasets in preparation for enabling the network topology and publishing.
- A utility network must be registered as branch versioned before publishing.
- After the utility network is registered as versioned and shared using a feature service, you can make edits to the web feature layers directly through the ArcGIS Enterprise portal. This can be from an ArcGIS Pro client or from a web application.
- Offline editing workflows are supported for branch versioned datasets that participate in a utility network.
Single-user deployments on file and mobile geodatabases do not take advantage of versioned editing. Learn more about locking and concurrency when editing mobile geodatabases and file geodatabases.
Junction and edge objects are nonspatial network objects used to model and work with a large number of real-world features that share a common geographical space, for example, the strands inside of a fiber cable or conductors in an underground duct. This allows organizations to model their network in more detail without the need to create features with shapes for every asset.
To learn more, see Junction and edge objects.
Associations with spatial features are used to determine the location of nonspatial objects on a map. For example, a port modeled as a nonspatial junction object can be associated with a switch device as content in a containment association. The geometry of the switch device is used to define the location of the port.
To learn more, see Locatability.
You can discover errors on nonspatial junction and edge objects through dirty areas on the associated spatial features and by using the Modify Associations pane.
To learn more, see Access errors.
You can review conflicts detected for nonspatial junction and edge object tables during the reconcile process in the Conflicts view, as with other network features. When a junction or edge object conflict is selected from the list of conflicts, the geometry of spatial features in the object's association hierarchy is used to provide context for the location of the object in the Conflict Display viewer.
In scenarios in which a containment or structural attachment to another feature or locatable object does not exist, a banner is displayed to indicate that the object is unlocatable and no features are displayed in the Conflict Display viewer.
To learn more, see Manage branch version conflicts.
Certain tools and commands have enabling conditions required to use the command. For example, certain commands are only enabled when working with a specific data source, or the data is required to be in a certain state.
Use the tooltip to review the enabling condition by hovering over the command that is currently unavailable. You can also review the Utility Network tab topic to find the enabling condition for each command.
The Find Subnetworks pane relies on the SubnetLine feature class and the Subnetworks table to populate subnetworks. To determine why a subnetwork does not appear in the pane, do the following:
- Check the Last Updated Subnetwork attribute in the Subnetworks table. If NULL, this means that your subnetwork has never been updated. You can confirm this by verifying that there is no shape associated with the subnetwork in the SubnetLine class. Update the subnetwork from the Find Subnetworks pane or run the Update Subnetwork geoprocessing tool to update the subnetwork of interest.
- Check the Is Connected attribute of the feature or features directly connected to the subnetwork controller or controllers defining the subnetwork of interest.
You can switch between the SubnetLine feature class and Subnetworks table using the Lines and Subnetworks Table tabs under Filter.
To learn more, see Interact with subnetworks.
When working with an enterprise geodatabase, it is possible to disable the network topology in a user version. The Enable Network Topology tool requires that the input utility network reference the default version. If the topology is disabled in a user version, the reconcile process can be used to inherit the topology state from the default branch version.
Single-user deployments do not take advantage of versioned editing.
The ProConcepts Utility Network page provides an overview of the utility network SDK. If you've never written custom code using the ArcGIS Pro SDK, see Build your first add-in. The SDK home page provides a full list of available resources.
Tools and processes in the utility network performed using a service use synchronous and asynchronous processing. When using synchronous processing, most utility network tools use a 600-second (10-minute) time-out. The Update Subnetwork geoprocessing tool uses a longer time-out setting of 1,800 seconds (30 minutes).
When using tools that use asynchronous processing, the time-out set for the UtilityNetworkTools service is used. The UtilityNetworkTools service is preconfigured in the System folder for feature services that include a utility network.
The utility network and network diagram services are only available for utility networks in enterprise deployments that are shared through services. These services also support feature layer access for editing and the version management capability.
The utility network service supports operations such as trace analysis, network topology operations, updating subnetworks, and so on. The network diagram service supports creating diagrams, working with layouts, and so on.
Administration
Utility networks in an enterprise deployment use a service-based architecture in which two owners control access for administrative tasks. In addition to the database user that creates a utility network, the active portal user account is recorded as the portal utility network owner. When a utility network is created, these owners are determined based on the user accounts for the database connection and active ArcGIS Enterprise portal.
- The database utility network owner is recorded as part of the fully qualified name of the utility network dataset.
- The portal utility network owner is stored as metadata for a utility network. This can be viewed in the network properties when accessed from the Catalog pane using a database connection as the data owner.
If the correct database and portal users are not used for certain configuration tasks, the following errors are received:
- ERROR 002144: The account logged into Portal must be the owner of the utility network to perform this operation.
- ERROR 001400: Only the data owner may execute <value>.
When working with an enterprise geodatabase, there are certain tasks that are reserved for the database and portal utility network owners to perform. These requirements are clearly noted on the individual workflow or geoprocessing tool help pages.
For example, to run the enable network topology tool, the portal utility network owner must be signed in to the active portal.
To learn more about which tasks require the database and portal utility network owner to perform, see Utility network management tasks.
When working with an enterprise geodatabase, a utility network dataset has two owners that are used to control access for administrative tasks. In addition to the database user who creates a utility network, the active portal user account during creation is recorded as the portal utility network owner. When a utility network is created, these owners are determined based on the user accounts for the database connection and active ArcGIS Enterprise portal.
- The database utility network owner is recorded as part of the fully qualified name of the utility network dataset.
- The portal utility network owner is stored as metadata for a utility network. You can view this using the network properties when accessed using a database connection as the data owner.
While the data owner (database user) cannot be updated without re-creating the data, you can update the portal dataset owner for a utility network. If the existing portal utility network owner leaves the organization, you must change the portal owner to another user. This user must comply with the same user type and privilege as the original owner. Refer to the Update Portal Dataset Owner tool for more information.