Data transfer to Microsoft Azure

You can use ArcGIS web interfaces or third-party tools to transfer data to Microsoft Azure.

Data transfer using web interfaces

ArcGIS Server Manager and the ArcGIS Enterprise portal website are both accessed through a web browser. That means you can sign in to these applications from your local desktop without having to sign in to the machines in Azure.

For ArcGIS Enterprise deployments on Azure, you can upload data sources such as zipped shapefiles, zipped file geodatabases, or comma-separated values (CSV) files to the portal and publish hosted feature layers. The data will be copied to the relational data store configured with the portal's hosting server. To upload files and publish, you must sign in to the portal as a user with privileges to create content and publish hosted feature layers.

Use a local ArcGIS Pro installation to create a map containing data you want to publish to ArcGIS Server. Create a service definition file that includes the data you want in your service. Once you have the file, sign in to your stand-alone or federated ArcGIS Server site on Azure through ArcGIS Server Manager and publish. The data will be stored on your ArcGIS Server machines in Microsoft Azure.

Data transfer to Azure using third-party tools

How you transfer data to Microsoft Azure depends on the amount of data you need to transfer.

• To move a few GB of data, use the Azure portal or Microsoft PowerShell scripts to upload to Azure File storage accounts and attach to instances. Or use Server Message Block (SMB) protocol to move files from on-premises storage to the cloud.
• To move approximately 5 GB to 50 GB of data, use AzCopy or commercially available software that supports parallel uploads and allows you to pause and resume uploads.
• To move over 50 GB of data, use the Azure Import/Export Service to ship physical hard drives to Azure. Advanced users can use PowerShell scripts to mount VHD disks.