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Register a workgroup geodatabase with ArcGIS Server

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As an ArcGIS Server administrator, you have the option to register your data folders, databases, and geodatabases with ArcGIS Server. Data registration provides ArcGIS Server a list of locations to access. Data registration also helps ArcGIS Server adjust data paths when publishing across machines.

To register a workgroup geodatabase with ArcGIS Server, do the following:

  • Install the SQL Server Native client on all client machines that are remote from the SQL Server Express instance.
  • Add the ArcGIS Server account to the database server.
  • Grant at least read-only privileges on the data to the ArcGIS Server account.
  • Create a database connection (.sde file) to the workgroup geodatabase.
  • Register the geodatabase with ArcGIS Server through ArcGIS for Desktop or Server Manager.

The following sections provide more information on how to prepare your ArcGIS client to connect to a workgroup geodatabase and register it with ArcGIS Server.

Install the SQL Server Native client

When you use ArcGIS Server workgroup, ArcGIS Server and the SQL Server Express instance must be installed on the same machine; therefore, you do not need to install the SQL Server Native client on the ArcGIS Server machine because the files that are needed to connect are installed with the SQL Server Express instance.

To connect to the SQL Server Express instance from a remote ArcGIS for Desktop machine, you must install the SQL Server Native client.

You can obtain and install the SQL Server Native client from the Microsoft Download Center provided it is a version supported by ArcGIS. Alternatively, you can download and install the SQL Server Native client from My Esri. Install the client on all computers where ArcGIS for Desktop is installed.

If you are installing the client on a 64-bit operating system, run the 64-bit executable; it installs both 32- and 64-bit files. If you run the 32-bit SQL Server native client on a 64-bit operating system, it will fail.

Add the ArcGIS Server account to the database server

Workgroup geodatabases use operating system (OS) authenticated connections exclusively. When OS authentication is specified for the geodatabase connection, ArcGIS Server must be able to connect to the data using the ArcGIS Server account.

Add the ArcGIS Server account to the database server.

  1. Log in to the client using a login that is a database server administrator and start ArcMap or ArcCatalog.
  2. Double-click the database server in the Catalog tree to connect to it.
  3. Open the database servers Permissions dialog box.

    Right-click the database server and click Permissions.

  4. Add the ArcGIS Server account to the database server.
    1. Click Add user.
    2. Specify the location, local or domain, of your ArcGIS Server account.
    3. Type the name of your ArcGIS Server account and click Check Names to verify that the login name is valid.
    4. Click OK to close the Select User or Group dialog box.

      The login is added to the Database Server Users list.

    5. Click OK to apply your changes and close the Permissions dialog box.

By default, the ArcGIS Server account is added as a user in all geodatabases on the database server; however, no specific privileges are granted to this user in the geodatabases.

Next, you must grant the ArcGIS Server account access to the geodatabase that you want to register with ArcGIS Server.

Grant the ArcGIS Server account access to the workgroup geodatabase

You must grant the ArcGIS Server account access to the data in the geodatabase. If you will not be publishing editable feature services from the geodatabase, you only need to grant the ArcGIS Server user read-only privileges to the geodatabase. If you will be registering the geodatabase as a Managed Database and publishing editable feature services, you must additionally grant write permissions to the geodatabase and read/write privileges on the data to the ArcGIS Server account.

  1. Under the Database Servers node in the Catalog tree, double-click the workgroup geodatabase you want to register with the server to connect to it.
  2. Open the geodatabase Permissions dialog box.

    Right-click the geodatabase, point to Administration, then click Permissions.

  3. Choose the ArcGIS Server user from the Database Server Users list and assign it permissions to the geodatabase.
    • For a registered database, click Read Only to grant read-only permissions to the ArcGIS Server account on the geodatabase.
    • For a managed database, click Read/Write to allow the ArcGIS Server account to create datasets in the geodatabase.
  4. Click OK to close the Permissions dialog box.
  5. If you will be publishing editable feature services, grant the ArcGIS Server account read/write privileges on the specific datasets to be edited. Only data owners can alter privileges on their datasets; therefore, if necessary, have the data owner perform the following steps:
  6. Open the dataset Permissions dialog box.

    Right-click one of the datasets to be edited, point to Manage, then click Privileges.

  7. Grant the ArcGIS Server account read/write privileges on the dataset.

    Choose the ArcGIS Server account from the Database Server Users list, click Read/Write, then click OK to close the dialog box.

  8. Repeat the previous two steps for each dataset that will be edited through a feature service.

Create a .sde file

To register a workgroup geodatabase with ArcGIS Server, you must reference a Database Connection (.sde), not a Database Server connection (.gds).

The easiest way to do this is to right-click the geodatabase under the database server in the Catalog tree and click Save Connection. A new connection will be created under Database Connections in the Catalog tree.

Once the file is created, you can import it when you register the geodatabase.

Register the workgroup geodatabase

You can register the workgroup geodatabase as a database or an ArcGIS Server managed database. This can be done from Server Manager or the Catalog tree in ArcGIS for Desktop. See the following topics for an explanation of registration options and how to register the geodatabase: