Publish a service definition

A service definition is a portable file that contains all the information needed to publish an item, such as its properties, capabilities, and service type. It can be used to publish feature layers, tile layers, map image layers, imagery layers, locators, web tools, geodata services, and knowledge graph layers. If you have a service definition file that you want to add as an item or publish, you can do so from the portal.

To publish a service definition, complete the following steps:

1. Verify that you are signed in to your organization and that you have privileges to create, update, and delete content. If you are publishing a web tool service definition, you must be an administrator or have the privilege to publish web tools.
2. Open Content > My content and click New item.
3. Click Your device, browse to the location of the service definition (.sd) file on your local machine or a directory on a network share, and click Open.

   Alternatively, drag the file into the drop zone at the top of the New item window.

4. Choose Add <file name> and create a layer and click Next.

   If, instead, you add the file but don't publish the layer, you can publish later from the service definition file's item page.

5. Optionally, update the name.

   By default, the name reflects what is provided in the service definition file.

6. Optionally, update the location information:
   • Portal folder—Choose an existing or create a new folder to publish the layer to.
   • Server and folder—Select a server, then choose an existing or create a new folder to publish the service to.

     Note:

     Knowledge graph service definition files can only be published as hosted layers.

   Tip:

   If you are unable to select a server, click Information next to the server for relevant details.

7. Click Next.
8. Ensure that the applicable capabilities and extensions are enabled on the service.

   By default, the enabled capabilities and extensions reflect what was enabled when saving the service definition file. If you want to enable additional capabilities or extensions, ensure that they are supported by the source data.

9. Click Next.

   You can view the name, type, location information, tags, and summary of the item. The type is determined by your source data and indicates the type of item that will be created after saving.

10. If your organization administrator configured content categories, click Assign categories and select up to 20 categories to help users find the item.

    You can also start typing a category name to narrow the list of categories.

11. If your administrator has configured a classification schema, classify the item in one of two ways under Classification:
    1. If you do not have a list of favorite classifications, classify the item from scratch. Optionally, to save the classification as a favorite, click Save new Classification Favorite, provide a name for it, and click Done.
    2. If you have a list of classification favorites, choose a classification to apply to the item from the Apply Classification Favorite drop-down menu. Optionally, do any of the following:
       • To update the classification, choose new classification options and click Update Favorite. Alternatively, click Save new Favorite, provide a name, and click Done to save the updated classification as a new favorite.
       • To delete the classification, click Manage, click Delete next to the classification name, and click Done.

    If your administrator has defined a schema help document, you can access it by clicking Information at the top of the classification form. Refer to this document for details about the classification options.

    Note:

    Classifying an item does not restrict access to it. The classification you assign to the item, which appears on the item page, provides a visual indication of the extent of security and safeguarding it warrants and can help organization members identify the correct way to interact with it. You need to set the appropriate sharing level to restrict access to the item.

12. Click Save.

By default, only item owners and administrators can access the layer. To allow others to access it, share the layer and file with everyone (the public), your organization, or members of specific groups. You can edit the item details and change the item settings.