Configure the portal to geocode addresses

A useful feature of Portal for ArcGIS is the ability to map addresses from a CSV file. To allow this, you must make sure the portal has a valid geocode utility service (to find the addresses) and a hosting server (to read the addresses and send them to the geocode utility service).

Set geocode utility service

You must set a geocode utility service for your portal to geocode a large numbers of addresses at a time, such as when you add a CSV file that contains addresses to the map viewer. The geocode service can come from your federated ArcGIS Server, another ArcGIS Server, or ArcGIS Online for Organizations.

See Configure utility services for more information on setting a geocode utility service. For information on configuring your own geocode service, see the next section.

Configure your own geocode service

Portal for ArcGIS uses the World geocode service hosted in ArcGIS Online by default. If your organization has its own locator data to use for finding addresses and place-names, or if your portal does not have access to ArcGIS Online, publish a geocode service and set it as your portal's geocode utility service.

Enable Suggest capabilities on your custom geocode utility service if you want address or place-name suggestions to appear when users search in the map viewer.

1. Follow the instructions in Creating an address locator in the ArcGIS for Desktop help to create a locator from your data. If you want to use suggestions in the portal map viewer, check the Suggest option on the Create Address Locator tool when you create the locator.
2. Publish the locator as a service by right-clicking the locator in the Catalog tree in ArcGIS for Desktop and clicking Share As Service.

   For more information on publishing a service, see How to publish a service in the ArcGIS Server help.

3. If you did not enable suggestions on the locator when you created it, you can enable suggestions on the geocode service after it is published. Open the Service Editor for the service in ArcGIS for Desktop or ArcGIS Server Manager, click the Capabilities tab, and check the Suggest operation.
4. Configure the resultant service as your portal's geocode utility service by following the applicable instructions in Configure utility services.

Register enterprise geodatabase with ArcGIS Server

At least one of the ArcGIS Server sites you federate with your portal must have an enterprise geodatabase registered as its managed data store so you can designate it as your hosting server. You can use your own enterprise geodatabase, as described below, or you can install ArcGIS Data Store, which adds a managed data store for you. If you set up ArcGIS Data Store, proceed to federating ArcGIS Server with the portal.

If you already have a database connection file (.sde) for the enterprise geodatabase, follow the steps in the Register managed databases section of Configure a hosting server for your portal to register your enterprise geodatabase with ArcGIS Server.

If you do not have an existing database connection file, you can specify connection information from ArcGIS for Desktop when you register the enterprise geodatabase as described below:

1. Start ArcCatalog or ArcMap and open the Catalog window.
2. Add an ArcGIS Server connection under GIS Servers in the Catalog tree.

   You must add either a publisher or administrator connection.

3. Provide the Server URL for the ArcGIS Server site, and type a user name and password to connect to the site.
4. Click Finish to create the connection.
5. Right-click the server connection and click Server Properties.
6. Click the Data Store tab.
7. Click the drop-down arrow of the Add button in the Registered Databases section of the dialog box and choose Register Database as ArcGIS Server's Managed Database.
8. Type a unique name for the managed database.
9. Click Add.

   This opens the Database Connection dialog box.

10. Provide connection information to the enterprise geodatabase.

    See Database connections in ArcGIS for Desktop in the ArcGIS help if you need assistance in making a connection to the geodatabase.

11. Click OK on the Database Connection dialog box to create the connection, and click OK on the Register Database dialog box to register your enterprise geodatabase with the server.
12. Click OK on the ArcGIS Server Properties dialog box to save and close the dialog box.

Federate the ArcGIS Server with your portal

Before you can designate an ArcGIS Server site as a hosting server, you must federate it with the portal. The ArcGIS Server site you federate with the portal must be configured to communicate through HTTP and HTTPS or HTTPS only.

For instructions, see Federating an ArcGIS Server site with your portal.

Designate federated server as hosting server

After you have federated the ArcGIS Server with your portal, specify that ArcGIS Server site as your hosting server.

1. Choose the ArcGIS Server site you federated from the drop-down list in the Hosting Server section of the Server pane.
2. Click Save.