Data Links

Data links allow viewers to display non-spatial data that is related to spatial attributes.

The DataLink command is executed for each distinct set of parameters in your layer selection set. For example, if the user has selected 500 features from the Zip Code layer and the Zip Code layer has a custom data link that retrieves sales information by zip codes, it will execute the command for each of the 500 zip codes.

Main Steps to Configure Data Links

  1. Add a data connection.

    The data connection contains the information that Essentials needs to be able to connect to the data source.

  2. Add a data link.

    Data links define how spatial attributes are related to the non-spatial data in the data source.

  3. Configure data link search (optional).

Add a Data Link

To add a data link:

  1. In Manager, click Map in the side panel, click the Map Services tab, expand the map service that the layer belongs to, and then click the Edit icon next to the layer.

  2. Click the Data Links tab. 

  3. Click Add Data Link.

    The Create Data Link wizard opens.

  4. Type a display name for the data link.

  5. Select the data source that you want to link to from the list.

    If the data source does not appear in the list, you must add the connection.

  6. Select the Data Table and Columns from the table that you want to retrieve data from.

    To select multiple columns, hold down the Ctrl key while selecting.

  7. Click Add Conditions to create conditions to filter the retrieved data.

  8. Select the relationship type.

    The relationship can be either One to One or One to Many. This depends on how the features in the layer relates to the records from the selected data connection.

  9. Click Finish.

    The wizard closes and the new data link appears on the Data Links tab.

To reorder list items, click and drag the  Sort handle Click and drag to change the order.

Import Data Links

To import data links:

  1. In Manager, click Map in the side panel, click the Map Services tab, expand the map service that the layer belongs to, and then click the Edit icon next to the layer.

  2. Click the Data Links tab.

  3. Click Import Data Link.

    The Import Data Link wizard opens.

  4. Select the site in which the data link is configured, and then click Next.

    You can only import Data Links from sites that contain the same map service that the current layer belongs to.

  5. Select the data links that you want to import. To select multiple data links, hold the Ctrl key down while selecting.

  6. Click Finish.

    The wizard closes and the data links appears on the Data Links tab.

  7. Click Save Site.

To reorder list items, click and drag the  Sort handle Click and drag to change the order.

Data Link Settings

Editing a data link allows you to:

See also...

Data Link Settings

Edit a Data Link

To edit a data link:

  1. In Manager, click Map in the side panel, click the Map Services tab, expand the map service that the layer belongs to, and then click the Edit icon next to the layer.

  2. Click the Data Links tab.

  3. Click the Edit icon next to the data link.

  4. Follow the instructions in the wizard to modify the settings.

  5. Click Finish.

  6. Click Save Site.

Data Link Advanced Settings

Editing a data link's advanced settings allows you configure the following settings:

See also...

Data Link Settings

Edit a Data Link's Advanced Settings

To edit a data link's advanced settings:

  1. In Manager, click Map in the side panel, click the Map Services tab, expand the map service that the layer belongs to, and then click the Edit icon next to the layer.

  2. Click the Data Links tab.

  3. Click the Advanced Settings icon next to the data link

  4. Modify the advanced settings.

  5. Save your changes

Add Parameters to a Data Link

Parameters create a link between a data connection's field and a feature's field. For example, if you have a field in your database called Parcel_ID, but on your feature layer the equivalent field is called PID, you can add a parameter to define the relationship that Parcel_ID and PID have.

To add a parameter to a data link:

  1. In Manager, click Map in the side panel, click the Map Services tab, expand the map service that the layer belongs to, and then click the Edit icon next to the layer.

  2. Click the Data Links tab.

  3. Click the Advanced Settings icon next to the data link

  4. Click Add Parameter to create a parameter.

    If the parameter already exists, you can edit it by clicking the Edit icon .

  5. The following configuration options are available:

    • Feature Field: Choose the field from the layer that has the relationship to the linked data.

    • Default Value: If a record has no value, you can supply a default value.

    • Name: Choose a parameter name.

  6. Click Apply Changes.

Specify the Time Zone that a Data Link's Data is Stored In

This section describes how to specify the time zone in which a data link's date/time data is stored. For information on configuring the time zone for date/time data in feature attributes and ArcGIS tables, see Time Zones.

By default, Essentials assumes that a data link's date/time data is stored in the time zone of the Essentials server. This is different than data/time data from a feature attribute or ArcGIS table, which Essentials assumes is in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) by default.

If you have data link data that is not stored in the Essentials server's local time, you can specify the time zone that the data is stored in. This provides the information needed to adjust the values and display them correctly to users.

If your date/time data is not in the Essentials server's local time and you do not configure the time zone, the data may display incorrectly in viewers.

Contexts Where the Data Link's Time Zone Applies

The time zone that you configure for a data link applies in the following contexts:

Configure the Data Time Zone

To configure the time zone for date/time data in a data link:

  1. In Manager, click Map in the side panel, click the Map Services tab, expand the map service that the layer belongs to, and then click the Edit icon next to the layer.

  2. Click the Data Links tab.

  3. Click the Advanced Settings icon next to the data link

  4. In the Time Zone drop-down list, select the time zone that the data is stored in.

    Alternatively, you can select a city that is in the same time zone as the stored data.

  5. Click Apply Changes.

See also...

Specify a Time Zone to Display Date/Time Data