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Register databases with ArcGIS Server on Microsoft Azure

If you want to place web service source data on Microsoft Azure, create a Microsoft Azure SQL Database or a SQL Server database on Microsoft Azure using the Azure portal, and register this database with your ArcGIS Server site on Microsoft Azure using ArcGIS Enterprise Cloud Builder for Microsoft Azure.

If you want to use geodatabase functionality in the registered database, choose to create a geodatabase when you register the database using ArcGIS Enterprise Cloud Builder for Microsoft Azure.

License:

Registered databases that use geodatabase functionality and managed databases on Microsoft Azure are only supported with ArcGIS Enterprise or ArcGIS Server enterprise level licenses.

Also note that geodatabase creation and use in Microsoft Azure SQL Databases is supported with ArcGIS Server 10.5 and later releases only if you use ArcGIS Enterprise Cloud Builder for Microsoft Azure to create the geodatabase.

Create a database

Create the Azure SQL Database or SQL Server instance in the Azure portal. Create it in the same subscription and location (region) as your ArcGIS Server site or ArcGIS Enterprise deployment on Microsoft Azure.

If you create a SQL Server instance, do the following to allow communication with the instance:

Register the database

  1. Start ArcGIS Enterprise Cloud Builder for Microsoft Azure.
  2. Sign in to Microsoft Azure.

    If you want to use the Microsoft Azure Government cloud and have an Azure Government subscription, check U.S. Government account.

  3. Choose the Azure subscription that contains the ArcGIS Server site to which you want to add a registered database and click next.
  4. In the Deployments list, open the details for the ArcGIS Server site with which you want to register a database by clicking the down arrow next to the site name.
  5. Click the database button Register a database with the site.
  6. Specify which type of database to use: Microsoft Azure SQL Database or Microsoft SQL Server.
  7. When you deploy ArcGIS Enterprise using Cloud Builder, a managed database (in the form of an ArcGIS Data Store relational data store) is automatically added to the deployment. When you deploy an ArcGIS Server site using Cloud Builder, you have the option to add a managed database to store feature service data. If you choose not to add a managed database when you deployed your site but later decide to add one, you can register a managed database now. Alternatively, you can register a database on Azure to store source data. Note that this requires you to move data into the database on Azure.
  8. Choose what to register: either a database to store simple source data to be used with an ArcGIS Server site or ArcGIS Enterprise deployment or a managed database for your ArcGIS Server site's feature services.

    Note that only one managed database is allowed per ArcGIS Server site.

  9. If you choose to register a database for source data (in other words, if you unchecked As a Managed Database) and you want geodatabase functionality in the registered database that stores your simple source data, check Enable As Geodatabase.
  10. Click next.
  11. Provide information for the database you are registering:
    1. Choose your existing Database server.
    2. Choose the existing database you want to register.
    3. Type the user name and password of the database server administrator.
    4. Type the user name and password of the database administrator.
    5. Type a user name and password for the database user you want to connect to the database for data loading. You can specify the name and password of an existing user or, if the user does not exist, ArcGIS Enterprise Cloud Builder for Microsoft Azure creates the user for you. If you are registering a managed database, the user will own the data that gets copied to the database when you publish a feature service.
  12. Click next to register the database with an ArcGIS Server site.

Load data to the database

You can connect from your on-premises ArcGIS Desktop client to the Azure SQL Database or SQL Server database on Azure to load data, or use data loading methods recommended by Microsoft Azure.

Note:

Performance when loading data from an on-premises ArcGIS Desktop installation to a database on Azure will be slow and may time out before data loading completes.

To connect to an Azure SQL Database from an on-premises ArcGIS Desktop client, configure the firewall on the Azure SQL Database machine to allow your client machine to communicate with the database.

Another option to get data into the Azure SQL Database or SQL Server database on Azure is to register the database as the ArcGIS Server site's managed database. When you publish feature services to the ArcGIS Server site, the data is copied to the managed database and the feature services read the data from there.