ArcFM Solution: The Director's Cut

Conflict Viewing Made Simple

Both ArcMap and ArcFM Mobile provide tools for viewing, without necessarily resolving, conflicts between versions. Identifying potential conflicts before attempting to reconcile a version can be particularly beneficial in a batch reconciling environment where humans will not normally be present during the actual reconcile.

ArcSDE Version Changes Command

Includes: All edits in the current version, as long as those edits are to layers that are both in the current map document and in the current workspace. For edits that conflict with a chosen ancestral or descendant version, both of the conflicting values plus the original value are shown. 

Available: Whether editing or not, as soon as the desired version is chosen on the Table of Contents Source tab. After clicking the Version Changes button, you will be prompted to choose an ancestor. If the current version is DEFAULT, you will be prompted to choose a descendant instead.

Mobile Conflicts Report

Includes: Any features and objects in the currently open Session/Design which are in conflict with features or objects in the target version, normally DEFAULT.

Available: While a mobile Session or Design that was previously edited in the field (e.g. a truck or remote office) is on the enterprise (e.g. a main office). Some flavor of ArcFM Mobile must be configured (Redliner, Inspector, Mobile ArcFM, or Mobile Designer). If there are conflicts, the Mobile Conflicts Report will appear automatically when the Session/Design is opened on the enterprise. An administrator may configure a "Display Conflicts Report" task to let users view the report from Session Manager or Workflow Manager without having to open the Session/Design.

"What Have You Done To This Job!" Three Ways to View User Edits

When reviewing a Session or Design, you may want to see a list of the edits it includes. Telvent software provides three user-friendly tools for viewing such lists.

QA/QC Version Differences

Includes: All features and objects created or edited in the currently open version, and whether the same features/objects were edited in the target version (typically SDE.DEFAULT). The list is divided into six groups:

Update, Update: Features/objects changed in the open version and the target version

Update, Delete: Features/objects changed in the open version but deleted in the target version

Insert: Features/objects created in the open version

Update, No Change: Features/objects changed in the open version but not changed in the target version

As a bonus, this tool also lists any errors (such as incorrectly networked features or omitted related objects) associated with the edits in this version.

Omits: Features/objects deleted in the currently open version.

Available: While any Session or Design is open.

Mobile Edit Log

Includes: All features and objects created, deleted, or edited in the currently open version, including edits made by AutoUpdaters. Features (except those deleted) can be identified through the Zoom To and Highlight buttons within the log.

Omits: N/A

Available: While a mobile Session or Design that was previously edited in the field (e.g. a truck or remote office) is open in the enterprise (e.g. a main office). Some flavor of ArcFM Mobile must be configured (Redliner, Inspector, Mobile ArcFM, or Mobile Designer).

Designer Design Tab

Includes: All CUs (Compatible Units, i.e. units of material or labor), of all types, associated with the currently open Design. The CUs can be grouped by Work Location.

Omits: Edits made directly to features or objects; that is, edits accomplished without adding CUs.

Available: With Designer software, while a Design is open.

How to Tame a Wildcard

"Wildcards" are special characters (*, ?, %, _, and many more) that you can use to represent unknown portions of a search string. If the ID written on an equipment tag or plate has been partially worn away; or the name of a a person, street, or city is difficult to spell or could be spelled in several ways; or when other important identifiers have been written only semi-legibly, wildcards searches can help you find a list of likely matches. 

Enter the legible portion of the name or other identifier into your search field and substitute wildcards for the illegible or unknown portions. Which wildcard to use depends on which database management system you are running and on how flexible you want the search to be. Below are some common wildcard roles with their symbols in various database management systems:

So when searching in an MS Access database for someone named Kathy, if you aren’t sure which spelling variation she uses you could try some of these search strings to locate her record:

Of course, what names will be found by the search depends on what names are present in the database. 

Wildcard searches are available in the ArcFM Locator Display Field tool, ArcMap Select by Attributes tool, and many other tools in ArcGIS. Wildcard searches are possible in most software, from MS Word to SAP. Since there are many competing systems for searching with wildcards, when using any new software try searching on “wildcard” in its help documentation to find out which wildcard roles and symbols the software supports.

10 Uses for Directory Replication

Directory Replication copies a folder, including all its files, subfolders, subsubfolders, etc. from one server to an unlimited number of client machines, typically laptops or tablet PCs.  Frequently updated files that must be distributed to many people are great candidates for Directory Replication, including:

1. Maps
2. Blueprints
3. Job packets
4. Phone/contact information lists
5. Schedules
6. Task assignment lists
7. Equipment lists
8. Price sheets
9. Announcements/reminders
10. "Login" databases defining corporate Stored Displays and Page Templates

Directory Replication always communicates in one direction: from the server to the clients. If client users edit the files in their Director Replication folders, the next time the replication process runs these files will be overwritten by the server's version of them, in order to keep the files in sync. However, client users are free to copy the files from the Directory Replication folders into other folders, where the client users may keep altered versions of these files permanently.  

ArcFM Mobile technology, which distributes updates to disconnected geodatabases for use by field crews and inspection staff, also runs Directory Replication. However, Directory Replication works on files of any type, not just geodatabases. If you are already running ArcFM Mobile Replication, you can add Directory Replication with minimal additional configuration.