ArcGIS Enterprise Sites provides file downloads for several item types that are added to a site’s content catalog. Downloading is a process in which someone requests a file for a content item. File formats available for download depend on the type of item and whether services are hosted or non-hosted.
The following recommendations and workflows can help you optimize data downloads and related processes. Refer to Explore and download data and documents for additional information.
Recommendations
Review these recommended configurations and limitations when making items available for download.
- Migrate data from map services to feature services.
- Publish data as feature services (as individual layers if applicable).
- Publish data through hosted services (in ArcGIS Enterprise), especially large files with many records or complex geometry, or frequently updated content. Refer to Publish hosted feature layers and Upload content or create an application.
- For hosted services, enable the Export data setting in Enterprise or in Enterprise Sites to have more download formats. Refer to Allow data exports to learn more.
- Upload .csv files as hosted table layers in Enterprise. When publishing a .csv file as a hosted layer, if any field is assigned the Date Only data type, exclude that field or change its Type to String to enable shapefile download.
Available download formats
Various download formats are available depending on published data formats and whether services are hosted or non-hosted.
Feature services hosted in ArcGIS Enterprise
For Enterprise-hosted services with the Export data setting turned on in Enterprise or Enterprise Sites, feature services only (feature layers, table layers) can be downloaded. Available download formats are: CSV, Shapefile, GeoJSON, File Geodatabase, Feature Collection, and Excel.
Image services in all configurations
Download formats available for image services in all configurations depend on the ArcGIS Server version used.
- For all configurations, image services with ArcGIS Server versions greater than 10.2, image services can be downloaded as: JPEG, PNG, PNG8, PNG24, and PNG32.
- For all configurations with ArcGIS Server versions less than 10.2, image services can be downloaded as: JPEG, PNG, PNG8, and PNG24.
Note:
Other specific item types can be downloaded in their native format. For example, a GeoJSON item can be downloaded as .geojson.
Enable downloads for hosted services
The Export data setting allows Enterprise Sites to use a different method to generate download files. This has many benefits and some known limitations: it is better at handling large items with many records or complex geometry, and it is recommended for public data to hasten the download process.
To make a hosted feature services item available for download using its supported file formats, an administrator or user with the Create items privilege must turn on the Export data setting for the item. You can enable the Export data setting in Enterprise Sites or in Enterprise. Refer to Allow data exports to learn more.
Note:
In addition to enabling data for export, Enterprise Sites creates an exported item on an authenticated user’s account. In Enterprise Sites, users will have an item-export folder where these exports are stored. When a user downloads an updated file, they will have an additional item in this folder.
To enable the Export data setting from Enterprise Sites, complete the following steps:
- Sign in to ArcGIS Enterprise Sites.
- In your user workspace, select the Content pane.
Note:
If needed, select your user profile and select View workspace to open your user workspace.
- Select the Manage
button next to an item to go to the workspace.Note:
Alternatively, on an item's full details page or explore page (content views), select the Manage content
button. - Select Settings and select the General pane. Under Downloads and Download system, select the Export data setting (recommended).
- Under Formats, select which formats to make available and set the order of display.
- Select Save.
Set up anonymous downloads
Download files for publicly shared data are not automatically available to users who do not have an Enterprise account. To make data available for anonymous download, an administrator must also ensure the following:
- The item is shared publicly and belongs to the content catalog of a publicly shared site.
- An administrator with the create items privilege must create a cached version of each file format (CSV, Shapefile, GeoJSON, and so on). To accomplish this, select Download for each format on the item's content page within the site.
- The resulting
exported items in the user's home folder or the user's item-exports folder must then be shared publicly.
Note:
This process is not automatic. When an item's data or metadata are updated, an administrator or user with the create items privilege must repeat this process and publicly share new exported items.
Due to the workflow outlined above, the application shows a warning to anonymous users or users without the create items privilege. These users see a permanent warning stating that some download formats may be unavailable or that the available download formats may not be up to date.
Provide additional download formats
Content editors can provide links that reference files or documents that are not supported natively in Enterprise (not supported by feature services), such as CAD files, PDF files, and so on. Open the item's details page in Enterprise and open the metadata editor.
Tip:
If the Metadata button is hidden, an administrator must enable metadata in Enterprise.
Find the appropriate tab (such as Online distribution) and provide the necessary information. Additional resource links appear on the item's content view on the side panel (at bottom) when selecting the Download button 
.
Note:
Additional resources are only supported for downloadable feature services. For details, refer to Edit metadata for an item.