Full Guide: FME Flow Troubleshooting Guide
Introduction
To read and write from Esri Geodatabase formats, such as ArcSDE and File Geodatabase, FME Flow requires that ArcGIS Server software be installed and licensed on the same machine (except for the File Geodatabase Open API Reader/Writer).
Connecting FME Flow to ArcGIS Server
ArcGIS Server must be installed and licensed on the same machine as the FME Flow Engine Service. The ArcGIS version must be compatible with FME: Notes on FME and Esri Versions and Compatibility. It is not necessary to create a new site or join an existing site. No additional configuration steps are required.
If you have distributed Engine hosts, ArcGIS Server must be installed on every host. Alternatively, you can use Queue Control to route jobs in Esri formats to run on a specific engine host. For more information on using job routing for your Esri-dependent workflows, please see Guide to Manage Esri Jobs using Queue Control.
Connecting to Esri Applications from FME Flow without a license
An ArcGIS Server license is required to connect with the following Esri Geodatabase formats:
- ArcSDE Geodb
- File Geodb*
- Personal Geodb
*Except File Geodb Open API
However, there are alternative options that allow you to connect with Esri Applications without making use of these Readers/Writers:
- The File Geodatabase Open API Reader/Writer allows you to work with a File Geodatabase without an installed Esri product.
- Read and write to hosted features with the ArcGIS Portal Reader/Writer or the ArcGIS Online Reader/Writer.
- Upload and access hosted online content and files, like File Geodatabase, with the EsriArcGISOnlineConnector . Please see How to use the EsriArcGISOnlineConnector for instructions.
- Use an Esri Web Tool to write to an Enterprise Geodatabase: How FME Flow (or Form) can write to ArcGIS Enterprise with no local ArcGIS install.
- ArcGIS Portal Readers/Writers can read and write to an Enterprise Geodatabase if it is a referenced registered data store. Note any limitations of working with Geodatabases in Feature Services.
FAQ
“Can I use ArcGIS Pro with FME Flow?”
No, ArcGIS Pro cannot be used with FME Flow. Please see Esri’s article on this topic, "How does Data Interoperability relate to FME? " for more information, or contact your Esri account manager for more clarification of Esri’s licensing terms.
"Can I configure my FME Flow deployment to dedicate an engine to ArcGIS processing?"
Yes. Remote Engines can be used to isolate an engine on a machine that is licensed with ArcGIS Enterprise. This approach is appropriate when:
- The FME Flow Core is running on an incompatible operating system (for example, FME Flow Hosted on Linux).
- ArcGIS licenses are limited and need to be allocated to a specific engine.
- Only a subset of FME workflows requires access to ArcGIS licensing.
See Leverage Remote Engine Service in FME Flow for more information.
"Does ArcGIS Server need to be running on the FME Flow environment if I'm not using it?"
No. As long as ArcGIS Server is installed and licensed, FME Flow Engines can still check out licenses and use the ArcPy Interpreter. Testing is still recommended to cover all the use cases your Team is using that involve FME and dependencies on ArcGIS Server.
Troubleshooting
See the FME and Esri ArcGIS Troubleshooting Guide.
For information on the changes to the Esri ArcGIS Feature Service transformers, please see Working with Esri ArcGIS Feature Services in FME.