Esri connectors and the Esri Gateway plug in can do many of the same things, but there are some differences. Which should you use?
Recommendation Summary:
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Esri Connectors show data as linked ESRI maps. They are a good fit when you can’t host a Gateway agent, or you don't have granular scheduling requirements (i.e. a certain time each day), or you prefer a single interface for managing all their Esri-based geospatial data at once.
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Esri Gateway plugins show data as tabular datasets that reside on your Data & Insights domain. Derived maps must be created using Data & Insights's mapping tools. They are a good fit when you can host a Gateway agent, need granular scheduling requirements (i.e. a certain time each day), or want more flexible control over how a layer is initially ingressed and published.
Esri Connector
An Esri connector "federates" geospatial layers from a public ArcGIS Online service to a Data & Insights domain (note: this is not the same as Data & Insights catalog or data federation). This connector loads layers as external links.
These links can appear as a "map" (really, a dataset presented as a map by Esri) or as a map with a visible dataset below it. Esri connectors can load all the datasets available or just a subset of them. These connector links include the map or dataset title and description, but not any other metadata.
Pros:
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Very easy to set up
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Simplifies and consolidates governance of Esri-based datasets in one interface
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Automatically refreshes titles/descriptions based on source
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Doesn't require hosting or configuring anything on a server
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Automatically creates maps with no effort
Cons:
- Only federates certain metadata (title and description)
- Transforms can be applied after initial ingress, but can be overwritten by updates
- Datasets are initially set as public by default
- Limited to monthly or daily update cadence, can't specify the time
- No support for private ArcGIS Online endpoints
- Updates can overwrite title and description metadata
Esri Gateway Plugin
How to use Data & Insights Gateways
Gateway plugins can upload an individual geospatial layer from a public ArcGIS Online service to a Data & Insights domain. This layer appears as a tabular dataset with a geometry column. A dataset may be loaded once or automated through Data & Insights's Schedule Automation UI/Schedules API.
Pros:
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Supports more flexible and precise automation scheduling
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Can set any audience when publishing data for the first time
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Updates can make use of transforms applied to the existing dataset
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Planned (though not current) support for private ArcGIS Online REST endpoints
Cons:
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Requires a Gateway agent to be installed and maintained on client server
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Datasets must be governed/maintained individually, not in a single place
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Does not automatically refresh title/description of the dataset from ArcGIS
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Does not automatically generate maps from datasets (though this may not be an issue)
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