Overwriting a service in ArcGIS for Desktop

Using ArcCatalog or the Catalog window in ArcGIS for Desktop, you can overwrite an existing service to reflect changes to a GIS resource or its source data.

A service overwrite is necessary in the following scenarios:

• If you update settings in the map document or other GIS resource underlying your service
• If your source data (such as a feature class displayed in your map document) was automatically copied to the server at publish time and you subsequently make changes to the source data that you want to see reflected on the server

Before proceeding with an overwrite, make sure the GIS resource you are using to overwrite the existing service is configured exactly the way you want it. All layers, tables, data references, and service properties in the original service are replaced as part of the overwrite.

Legacy:

In previous versions of ArcGIS Server, any changes made to the GIS resource referenced by a service were visible to clients after a service restart. In 10.1 and later versions, you'll need to overwrite the service for clients to see changes to your GIS resource.

Changes made to the source data (such as feature classes displayed in a map) at 10.1 and later versions should be immediately visible in the service as long as a copy of the data was not placed on the server when publishing. If a copy of the data was placed on the server when publishing, you must perform a full service overwrite to see changes to the source data.

Steps:

1. Follow the directions in the table below based on what service type you want to overwrite:

   Option	Action
   If the service you want to overwrite is a map or globe service…	…open the ArcMap or ArcGlobe document you want to overwrite the service with and choose File > Share As > Service from the main menu.
   If the service you want to overwrite is a geoprocessing service…	…browse to a successful result of the model or tool you want to overwrite the service with in the Results window, right-click it, then choose Share As > Geoprocessing Service.
   If the service you want to overwrite is something else, such as a geodata or geocode service…	…browse to the item you want to overwrite the service with in ArcCatalog or the Catalog window, right-click it, then choose Share As Service.

2. In the Share as Service window, choose Overwrite an existing service and click Next.
3. Choose the ArcGIS Server connection you want to use from the Choose a connection drop-down list. If the server connection you want to use is not listed, you can create a new one by clicking Connect to ArcGIS Server . If you need help with this step, see About connecting to ArcGIS Server in ArcGIS for Desktop.
4. From the table list, choose the service you want to overwrite and click Next.

   • If your service has a map cache, you'll also be asked if you want to keep the cache. If you check Keep existing map cache, the cache is untouched by the overwrite process and you are responsible for running an update using the caching tools. The update will overwrite the existing tiles in your cache. This workflow is sufficient for most deployments.

   • If you uncheck the option of keeping the cache, all existing tiles are disassociated from your service and become associated with an additional automatically generated service named <service>_<timestamp>. This service exists so that you can delete the old cache at a time that is convenient for you, since deleting a cache can be a time-consuming process.

     When you perform an overwrite with this option unchecked, the caching tools immediately begin building a new set of tiles for your original service. You can cancel this job and run the caching tools yourself if you want to build the cache manually. You can enable on-demand caching if you are concerned about clients experiencing downtime.

5. In the Service Editor, set the properties that you want for your service. For details on how to set service properties, locate your service in the Types of services section of the help. For information on how to best configure your services for deployment, see Tuning and configuring services.
   Tip:

   To give yourself more viewing area when configuring your service, click the Collapse button at the top of the Service Editor.

6. Click Analyze . This examines your current configuration to see if the existing service can be overwritten.
7. Fix any errors () in the Prepare window; this must be done before you can overwrite your existing service. Optionally, you can fix the warnings and informational messages to further improve the performance and appearance of your service. For more information about resolving these issues, see Analyzing your GIS resource.
8. Once you've fixed the errors and, optionally, any warnings and messages, click Publish .
   Note:

   If you will be copying data to the server as part of the overwrite, the size of the data and your network bandwidth will affect the time it takes to publish.

Your existing service is overwritten with your new service.