Workgroup geodatabases offer small organizations a way to manage data in geodatabases that can be accessed by multiple editors and allow publishers to create web services from the data by publishing it to a workgroup ArcGIS Server site.
Workgroup geodatabases run on database servers. In ArcMap, the term database servers refers to instances of Microsoft SQL Server Express that you configure to store geodatabases.
You need the following to use workgroup geodatabases:
- An ArcGIS Enterprise workgroup edition or ArcGIS Server basic level workgroup edition license.
- ArcMap (ArcGIS Desktop standard or advanced) 10.8.1 or earlier.
- A SQL Server Express instance enabled to store workgroup geodatabases. This instance must be installed on the same machine as the workgroup ArcGIS Server site.
Workgroup geodatabase creation and all database server and workgroup administration takes place through ArcMap and ArcCatalog. See the database server help pages in ArcMap help for information on configuring and administering workgroup geodatabases.
To publish data from a workgroup geodatabase, you must do the following:
- Create a database connection file (.sde) in ArcGIS Pro that connects to the workgroup geodatabase. Choose SQL Server and use operating system authentication for the connection.
- Add data from the workgroup geodatabase to the map.
- Connect to the stand-alone ArcGIS Server workgroup site and publish or, if your ArcGIS Enterprise deployment is licensed for workgroup, publish to a federated ArcGIS Server workgroup site.