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Register your data with ArcGIS Server using ArcGIS Pro

You can register data directories, databases, cloud storage locations and NoSQL data sources with an ArcGIS Server site from ArcGIS Pro. Data registration provides the server with a list of locations for your web services' source data. Data registration helps you validate that your services will reference data locations known and approved by the server administrator.

Registering data directories does not grant the ArcGIS Server account permissions to access your data. You need to give the ArcGIS Server account at least read permissions to any folder that you register.

If you register a database (including an enterprise geodatabase), the type of permissions you need to grant depends on the type of database, the authentication method you use to connect, and what the connecting user needs to do with the data. See Make your data accessible to ArcGIS Server to learn more about the scenarios in which you need to apply permissions.

If you register a NoSQL database, the account used to connect must have privileges to create content in the database.

Follow the steps in the sections below based on what you want to register with the ArcGIS Server site.

Register a database

You can register databases that contain enterprise or workgroup geodatabases and databases that do not. You can also register supported cloud data warehouses. See Data sources for ArcGIS Server for information on the registration scenarios you can use for each.

Use the links below to access information about the requirements for registering each type of supported database* or cloud data warehouse:

*If the database does not contain a geodatabase, it cannot be registered as a GIS Server site's managed database.

Use the Manage registered data stores pane to register databases, enterprise geodatabases, and NoSQL databases from ArcGIS Pro.

Beginning with ArcGIS Pro 2.5, the databases and enterprise geodatabases you register with a federated server in the Manage registered data stores pane automatically have a data store item created in the active portal.

Beginning with ArcGIS Pro 2.9, you can register cloud data warehouses with the hosting server.

Beginning with ArcGIS Pro 3.0, you can register a NoSQL database with a federated ArcGIS Knowledge Server site.

See Manage registered data stores in the ArcGIS Pro help for instructions and more information.

Register a folder

You can register a local file directory or shared directory that contains GIS resources and data, such as shapefiles and file geodatabases. When you register a directory, all subdirectories under the folder you specify are also registered with the ArcGIS Server site.

Use the Manage registered data stores pane to register a folder from ArcGIS Pro. Beginning with ArcGIS Pro 2.5, the folders you register with a federated server in the Manage registered data stores pane automatically have a data store item created in the active portal. See Manage registered data stores in the ArcGIS Pro help for instructions.

Register a cloud storage location

Beginning with ArcGIS Pro 3.0, you can use the Manage registered data stores pane to register a cloud storage location with a federated server. When you do, and a data store item is created automatically in the active portal. See Manage registered data stores in the ArcGIS Pro help for instructions.

Unregister a data store

When you unregister a data store, the services and other functionality that depend on the data store will no longer function. Ensure that the data is no longer being used by the ArcGIS Server site or ArcGIS Enterprise before you unregister a data store.

How you remove the association between an ArcGIS Server site and a data store depends on how you registered the data store and the type of data store.

  • If you registered the data store in ArcGIS Server Manager or ArcMap, use the unregister button next to the data store on Site > Data Stores in ArcGIS Server Manager.

    Before you unregister a cloud data store that was added in ArcGIS Server Manager, delete the associated ArcGIS Server cache directory in ArcGIS Server Manager. For information on deleting an ArcGIS Server cache directory, see Delete a server directory in Server Manager.

  • If you registered the data store in ArcGIS Pro or added a data store item in the ArcGIS Enterprise portal, you must remove the federated server from the data store item in the portal. Do not use any other app to unregister the data store.
  • To remove the relationship between the hosting server and one of the data stores installed and configured with ArcGIS Data Store, use the unregisterdatastore utility installed with ArcGIS Data Store.

    If you or a publisher in your organization accidentally unregisters one of the data stores installed with ArcGIS Data Store using ArcGIS Server Manager, you can use the registerdatastore utility to establish the association between the data store and the same ArcGIS Server site to get services to function again.

Considerations when unregistering data stores

Do not remove or unregister a data store if existing services contain data from the data store.

If you do unregister a data store from your ArcGIS Server site, and that data store is used to populate existing services, you may still be able to view the services depending on the type of data store that was used.

Keep the following limitations in mind when you unregister a data store:

  • For databases registered in ArcGIS Server Manager or ArcGIS Pro, you can still view the data in the services they populate. However, if the password stored with the data store changes, you cannot update services to use the new password. At that point, the services will no longer function, and you will have to register the database that contains the service data and republish the services.
  • For registered and managed databases, any new ArcGIS Server machines you add to the site will not recognize services if their source data store is no longer registered with the ArcGIS Server site. You will have to register the database that contains the service data and republish the services to allow the new machines to recognize the services.