Set up a distributed collaboration
The first step in creating a distributed collaboration is to decide which organization will be the host and which will be the guest. In this scenario, there is no choice, because when a collaboration exists between ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online must be the host and ArcGIS Enterprise, the guest.
You'll create a distributed collaboration in ArcGIS Online and join ArcGIS Enterprise to it. You'll send and accept a series of invite and response files between the two organizations to establish trust between them.
Create a collaboration and workspace
The host organization must create the collaboration, so you'll begin in ArcGIS Online, where you'll create a distributed collaboration, add a workspace to it, and create an invite file.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025.
- Sign in to your ArcGIS organizational account using an account with administrator privileges.
Note:
If you don't have an organizational account, see options for software access.
- On the ribbon, click the Organization tab. On the blue ribbon, click the Settings tab.
- On the side menu, click Collaborations.
There are two kinds of collaborations in ArcGIS. Partnered collaborations allow sharing between two ArcGIS Online organizations. Distributed collaborations allow sharing between two or more ArcGIS Enterprise organizations, or between ArcGIS Enterprise and an ArcGIS Online organization.
- Scroll down to the Distributed section. Click Create a distributed collaboration.
- For Collaboration Name, type City of Moncton. For Collaboration Description, type To share content between ArcGIS Enterprise and ArcGIS Online.
- Click Next.
Next, you must create a workspace within the collaboration. Collaborations must contain at least one workspace. The first one is created at the same time as the collaboration.
- For Workspace name, type Copies with two-way editing. For Workspace Description, type To share data as copies between ArcGIS Enterprise and ArcGIS Online. This workspace is configured with two-way editing to allow the public to edit some data.
- Click Next.
A workspace is a conceptual space existing between the two collaborating organizations. To access the workspace, each organization must link a group to it.
- For New Group, type Copies with two-way editing.
It's not necessary for the workspace and the group to have the same name, but it can make them easier to manage and identify later.
- Click Next.
The first important choice that you must make to configure a workspace is how to share feature layers and views. If you choose Copies, feature layers and views shared in the collaboration will be copied to the receiving organization. The copied data will be regularly synced so they can remain up-to-date with their original versions. If you choose Reference, no copies of the data will be made. Rather, the layers in the receiving organization will act as links to the original versions in the sending organization. Changes to the data will be visible immediately, without requiring syncing. However, they can't be viewed without credentials for the sending organization, unless they have been shared with everyone.
For this collaboration, you'll create two workspaces, one that shares content as copies, and one as references, to accommodate all of the items you want to share. You'll start with sharing copies.
- For Feature layers and views in my portal are sent as, choose Copies.
If you're not sure which method to choose, sharing as copies is recommended as a first choice. There are several reasons for choosing to share as references, which will be discussed later in the tutorial.
- Check the box for Allow two-way sharing of feature service edits to eligible participants.
If you don't check this box, data edits will only sync from source layers to their copies, and not in the other direction.
At least one of the items that you want to share in the collaboration requires two-way editing. This is a feature layer representing potholes. You want the public (through ArcGIS Online) and the layer's owner (through ArcGIS Enterprise) to both be able to edit it.
- Ensure that the box for If unable to share as copies share as references is checked.
Some feature layers can't be shared as copies, for example, any feature layer larger than the size limit or a feature layer that doesn't have sync enabled. This checkbox will ensure that these feature layers are shared as references instead of being left behind.
Note:
Different item types are shared differently in collaborations. To learn more about how each item type is shared, see the help topic Share content with collaboration groups.
- Click Save and Invite.
- For Guest Organization URL, paste the URL of your enterprise organization, for example https://webadaptorhost.domain.com/webadaptorname/.
The other important choice that you must make to configure a workspace is how the guest organization can access the workspace. Can they send data, receive data, or send and receive? This setting controls who can add content to the workspace.
In this scenario, you want both organizations to share content. You created this workspace to facilitate two-way editing between ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise. This will require the guest organization (ArcGIS Enterprise) to both send and receive data.
- For Copies with two-way editing, choose Send and Receive Content.
- Click Send Invitation.
A .invite file is downloaded to your computer.
This file invites the ArcGIS Enterprise organization to join the collaboration. The file will expire in 24 hours. You have administrator access to both organizations, so you don't need to send the file to anyone, but if you create a collaboration with another organization in the future, you can email the invite file to its administrator.
Accept an invite file
Next, you'll move to ArcGIS Enterprise, where you'll accept the invite file and generate a response file.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025, using ArcGIS Enterprise 11.5.
- Sign in to ArcGIS Enterprise using an account with administrator privileges.
Tip:
Throughout this tutorial, you'll be switching back and forth between ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise. Consider docking two browser windows, one for each organization, on either half of your computer screen.
- On the ribbon, click the Organization tab. On the blue ribbon, click the Settings tab.
- On the side menu, click Collaborations.
- Click Accept Invitation.
- Click Choose File and select the .invite file you created in the previous steps.
Note:
For collaborations between two ArcGIS Enterprise organizations, you'll also be asked if the collaboration host requires web-tier authentication. If the answer is yes, you'll need to enter the credentials for authentication.
- Click Accept Invitation.
It is not enough to accept the invitation. To complete the collaboration, you also have to tell the host organization that you have accepted it. You'll do this by generating a response file.
- Click Save Response.
A .response file is downloaded to your computer. It too will expire in 24 hours.
Accept a response file
You'll move back to ArcGIS Online to accept the response file and the guest organization.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025.
- Return to ArcGIS Online.
You should be viewing the Collaborations page. In the Distributed section, the City of Moncton: Guests tab should be active.
Note:
If you see a different view, on the ribbon, click the Organization tab and the Settings tab. Click Collaborations and scroll to the Distributed section. Click the City of Moncton collaboration and click View Guests.
In the table, the URL of the guest organization is listed, and its Status value is set to Invitation Pending.
- Click the Actions button and click Accept Guest Organization.
- Click Choose File and select the .response file you created in the previous steps.
Note:
For collaborations between two Enterprise organizations, you'll also be asked if the collaboration guest requires web-tier authentication. If the answer is yes, you'll need to enter the credentials for authentication.
- Click Accept Guest Organization.
In the table, the Status value is now set to Active.
Join a workspace and set the sync schedule
Next, you'll return to ArcGIS Enterprise and join the collaboration workspace. Just like in ArcGIS Online, you'll have to connect a group to the workspace. Unlike in ArcGIS Online, you must set the sync schedule for the workspace.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025, using ArcGIS Enterprise 11.5.
- Return to ArcGIS Enterprise.
It should be open to the Collaborations page, showing the list of collaborations.
Tip:
If you don't see the Collaborations pane, on the ribbon, click the Organization tab and click the Settings tab. Click Collaborations.
- Click the City of Moncton collaboration.
- Next to the Copies with two-way editing workspace, click the Actions button and click Join Workspace.
- For New Group, type Copies with two-way editing.
- For Feature layers and views in my portal are sent as, choose Copies.
Tip:
You may need to extend the width of the browser window to see the controls.
If one organization chooses copies and the other chooses references, content shared from the first organization will exist as a copy, and content shared from the second will exist as a reference.
- Check the box for Allow two-way sharing of feature service edits to eligible participants.
If one organization chooses to allow two-way editing and the other does not, only content shared from the first organization will be two-way editable.
- Ensure the If unable to share as copies share as references box is checked.
Next, you must set the sync schedule. Syncing is set by the guest organization. Syncing can happen as often as every hour, but syncing content more frequently than is necessary can negatively impact performance in ArcGIS Enterprise. This workspace is for general sharing, so updates won't be necessary more than once a day.
- For Start syncing at, choose 00:00. For And then repeat every, choose 24 hours.
You can change these settings later if you need to.
- Click Join Workspace.
- In the Notice window, click OK.
The distributed collaboration between the two organizations is now complete.
First, in ArcGIS Online (the host organization), you created the distributed collaboration, including a workspace that you configured to share copies and support two-way sharing. You generated an invite file. Then, in ArcGIS Enterprise (the guest organization), you accepted the invite file and generated a response file. Back in ArcGIS Online, you accepted the response file. This back-and-forth workflow between the two organizations ensures a secure collaboration that is approved by the administrators of both organizations.
Finally, in ArcGIS Enterprise, you joined the collaboration workspace by creating another new group and setting up the sync schedule. You're now ready to share content between the two organizations.
Note:
ArcGIS Enterprise organizations can only collaborate with one ArcGIS Online organization at a time. If you need to share content from ArcGIS Enterprise to multiple ArcGIS Online organizations, you can create a distributed collaboration with one of them and a partnered collaboration between it and the other ArcGIS Online organizations.
Share data as a copy
Next, you'll add an item to the workspace from ArcGIS Enterprise and confirm that it is accessible from ArcGIS Online. The item you'll use as your test is a feature layer representing reported potholes. This layer is owned by ArcGIS Enterprise, but you want to share it with ArcGIS Online so it can be shared with the public. Additionally, you want the public to use this layer to report new potholes. You'll test this workflow to ensure that the collaboration workspace is configured properly for your needs.
Publish a hosted feature layer
You already have a few pothole features reported by the public by email, which you've recorded in a shapefile. Next, in ArcGIS Enterprise, you'll add the shapefile as a hosted feature layer.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025, using ArcGIS Enterprise 11.5.
- Download the Potholes .zip file.
This .zip file contains a shapefile.
- In ArcGIS Enterprise, on the ribbon, click the Content tab.
- Click New item.
- Click Your device.
- Choose the Potholes.zip file that you just downloaded.
- For How would you like to add this file, choose Add Potholes.zip and create a hosted feature layer.
- Click Next. Click Save. Wait for the layer's item page to appear and finish loading.
Share the hosted feature layer
The potholes data now exists as a hosted feature layer in ArcGIS Enterprise. Next, you'll share it with your organization and enable editing so other people in ArcGIS Enterprise can access and edit it. You'll also share it with the distributed collaboration workspace and enable syncing so people in ArcGIS Online can access it.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025, using ArcGIS Enterprise 11.5.
- In ArcGIS Enterprise, on the blue ribbon, click the Settings tab.
- Under Feature layer (hosted), check the box for Enable editing.
This setting will allow other members of your ArcGIS Enterprise organization to edit the data.
- Check the Enable Sync box.
If you don't turn on this setting, the layer will be shared to ArcGIS Online as a reference instead of a copy, and users in ArcGIS Online will be prompted to sign in to ArcGIS Enterprise.
- Click Save.
Tip:
If you receive an error message that saving wasn't successful, refresh the page and try again.
- On the blue ribbon, click the Overview tab. Click Share.
- In the Share window, for Set sharing level, choose Organization.
This setting will allow other people in your ArcGIS Enterprise organization to access the layer.
- Click Edit group sharing.
If your organization has many groups, you can filter to only view the ones linked to a distributed collaboration.
- In the Group sharing window, under Filters, expand Special groups and click Distributed.
- In the filtered list, click the Copies with two-way editing group to select it.
The group also has an icon indicating its status as a distributed group.
- Click OK.
This setting will allow people in the ArcGIS Online organization to access the layer.
- Click Save.
The layer is now shared with the distributed collaboration; however, it won't be visible in ArcGIS Online until after the workspace has synced.
- On the ribbon, click the Organization tab.
- On the blue ribbon, click the Settings tab. On the side menu, click Collaborations. Click the City of Moncton collaboration.
- Next to the Copies with two-way editing workspace, click the Actions button and click Edit Workspace.
- In the Edit Workspace window, scroll until you find two sync settings.
The second setting, Feature Layer And View Sync Settings, is set to sync every 24 hours at midnight. This is the schedule that you defined earlier when you joined the workspace. This schedule only applies to data edits.
The first setting, Sync Settings, is set to Sync immediately. This setting applies to non-data changes, including item updates and adding new content to the workspace. This means that when you shared the Potholes layer with the workspace, a sync was automatically triggered. Next, you'll check if the sync has completed yet.
- Close the Edit Workspace window.
- Click the Copies with two-way editing workspace.
More details about the workspace appear, including its sync schedule and status. Under Immediate Syncs, the Status value will read as Succeeded when it is complete. The sync will take a few minutes to complete. You may need to refresh the page to see the status update.
Access and share the layer in ArcGIS Online
You can now see the potholes layer in ArcGIS Online. You'll update its sharing settings in ArcGIS Online to ensure that the public can also see and edit the layer.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025.
- Return to ArcGIS Online. On the ribbon, click the Content tab.
- Under Folders, click City of Moncton.
This folder was created when you created the distributed collaboration. Any content shared from ArcGIS Enterprise through the collaboration will appear here. The Potholes feature layer is already visible in the folder. It can also be found in the Copies with two-way editing group.
- Click the Potholes layer to open its item page.
This layer is a copy of the one in ArcGIS Enterprise.
Note:
The layer's item ID (the long string at the end of the URL) is the same as the Potholes layer in ArcGIS Enterprise. This can make searching for and identifying the layer easier.
The purpose of sharing this layer with ArcGIS Online is so the public can use it to report new potholes. To make this possible, you must approve public data collection, enable editing, and share the layer with everyone.
- On the blue ribbon, click the Settings tab.
- Under Public data collection, turn on Approve this layer to be shared with the public when editing is enabled.
- Scroll down to the Feature layer (hosted) section. Under Editing options, ensure that Enable editing is turned on.
This setting is enabled by default because it was enabled on the source item in ArcGIS Enterprise.
- On the blue ribbon, click the Overview tab. Click the Share button.
- In the Share window, choose Everyone (public).
- Click Save.
A warning appears, asking if you are sure that you want to share your editable layer with the public. In this scenario, you do want to share the layer this way. However, for future cases, you might consider sharing a feature layer view instead of the original hosted feature layer.
- In the warning window, click Update.
- Click Open in Map Viewer.
The layer appears on a map.
Test editing the data
You can access the potholes layer in ArcGIS Online, but you are signed in with an administrator account. Next, you'll test if people without ArcGIS accounts will be able to access and edit it. One way to test this is to view the layer using a private browser window.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025.
- From the address bar above the map, copy the URL.
- Open a private window in your internet browser:
- In Google Chrome, click the menu button and choose New Incognito window.
- In Safari, click File and choose New Private Window.
- In Microsoft Edge, click the menu button and choose New InPrivate Window.
- In Mozilla Firefox, click the menu button and choose New private window.
- In the address bar, paste the URL and press Enter.
The map appears. You are not signed in.
- On the Settings (light) toolbar, click the Edit button.
- In the Editor pane, under Create features, click Potholes.
- Click anywhere on the map to add a feature.
- In the Create features pane, for Comment, type Test. For Status, type Active.
Note:
To configure the Potholes layer so the Status field contains a list of options—such as Active and Fixed—you can define an attribute list. Read the help topic Define attribute lists and ranges to learn how.
- Click Create.
You have successfully edited the layer and added a feature, without being signed in with an ArcGIS account. Later (not in this tutorial), you'll create an app from this layer in ArcGIS Online to make it easier for the public to report potholes.
- Close the private browser window.
- In ArcGIS Online, refresh the page and confirm that the new feature appears on the map.
View layer edits in ArcGIS Enterprise
Next, you'll confirm that the edits you made to the Potholes layer are visible in ArcGIS Enterprise. They won't be visible until after the layer is synced. To do so, you must manually sync the workspace again.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025, using ArcGIS Enterprise 11.5.
- Return to ArcGIS Enterprise.
You should still be viewing the details of the Copies with two-way editing workspace.
Note:
If you are not, on the ribbon, click the Organization tab. On the blue ribbon, click the Settings tab. On the side menu, click Collaborations and open the City of Moncton collaboration. Skip the next step.
- Click City of Moncton: Workspaces.
- Next to the Copies with two-way editing workspace, click the Actions button and click Sync Workspace.
- Click Sync Workspace.
- Click the Copies with two-way editing workspace. Under Scheduled Syncs, check the Status.
- When the sync has succeeded, on the ribbon, click the Content tab.
The Potholes layer should be at the top of the content list, since it was recently created.
- Next to the Potholes feature layer, click the options button and choose Open in Map Viewer.
The map appears. The new pothole feature is visible.
- On the browser window, click the back button to return to the content page.
You can edit the data in both ArcGIS Enterprise and ArcGIS Online because you turned on the Allow two-way editing setting in the workspace configuration. However, this setting only applies to the data (the service) and not the item. Item updates can only be made at the source, not the destination, regardless of workspace settings.
The Potholes source item is in ArcGIS Enterprise. This means that if you want to make item updates, for example, editing the item description, or changing its style, these changes must be made in ArcGIS Enterprise. They will appear in ArcGIS Online after the next sync. Item updates made in ArcGIS Online will be overwritten after the next sync.
You have now shared a feature layer from ArcGIS Enterprise to ArcGIS Online using distributed collaboration. You configured settings for the layer in both organizations to ensure that the layer will be visible and editable in ArcGIS Enterprise, and by the public, through ArcGIS Online. Finally, you used a private browser window and manual sync to test the layer.
Later, you can use the same workspace to share other layers with the public. If you want the public to be able to view a layer but not make edits, do not enable public data collection on the layer's settings in ArcGIS Online.
Share data as a reference
Next, you'll create a second workspace within your collaboration and configure it to share references instead of copies. Data that is shared as a reference is not copied to the receiving organization. Rather an item is created that refers back to the source data stored in the sending organization. Since you are viewing the original data, rather than a copy of it, changes are visible immediately, without the need to sync.
The drawback to sharing content as references is that users in the receiving organization will be prompted to sign in to the sending organization before they can view the content. To prevent this, the content must be shared with Everyone. In many cases, this degree of sharing is not advisable or acceptable.
Note:
For distributed collaborations between two ArcGIS Enterprise organizations, you can store credentials to prevent the need to sign in. Read the blog article Saving Credentials in Collaboration to learn how. Thanks to this capability, sharing layers as references is more common in ArcGIS Enterprise-only collaborations.
Many item types can only be shared as references, including imagery layers and vector tiles. Feature layers and feature layer views are the only item types where you can choose between sharing as copies or references. The main advantage of sharing as copies is avoiding the need to sign-in. Copies shared to ArcGIS Online also have greater scalability. The main advantage of sharing as references is that the same data is accessed by everyone, meaning that edits appear immediately without syncing. This advantage may cause you to choose to share feature layers as references in the following cases:
- When you want to share real-time data edits, rather than relying on a sync schedule.
- When you are unwilling to pay credits for the storage of extra items in ArcGIS Online.
- When a feature layer is very large. Feature layers larger than the size limit will only share as references. If you think a layer may soon reach this size, consider sharing it as a reference now to avoid confusion later.
In this scenario, you want to share a feature layer for tracking emergency response team deployments from ArcGIS Online to ArcGIS Enterprise. Since this layer will be used to aid in emergencies, you want everyone editing the layer to have immediate access, without having to wait for syncing. You'll create a new workspace to share this layer, and configure it to share feature layers as references.
Add a second workspace
You can add many workspaces to a collaboration, allowing you to share items in different ways. For example, you may want multiple workspaces to facilitate different sync schedules, or to control who has access to different items through group membership.
Note:
You can read more about workspace management in the article Getting the most out of distributed collaboration in ArcGIS Enterprise.
In this tutorial, you'll create a second workspace to share feature layers and views as references, instead of copies.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025.
- Return to ArcGIS Online.
You should be viewing the map of potholes.
Note:
If you do not see the map, on the ribbon, click the Organization tab. Skip the next two steps.
- Above the Content toolbar, click the menu button.
- Click Organization. If a window appears asking if you want to leave the site, click Leave.
- On the blue ribbon, click the Settings tab. On the side menu, click Collaborations.
- In the Distributed section, click the City of Moncton collaboration. Click Create Workspace.
- For Workspace Name, type Reference layers for ArcGIS Enterprise. For Workspace Description, type To share data as references from ArcGIS Online to ArcGIS Enterprise.
- Click Next.
- For New Group, type Reference layers for ArcGIS Enterprise. Click Next.
- For Feature layers and views in my portal are sent as, choose References.
- Click Next.
Next, you'll set the guest's workspace access. You don't plan to share reference content from ArcGIS Enterprise to ArcGIS Online, so you'll configure the workspace so ArcGIS Enterprise can receive content but not send it.
- For Your ArcGIS Enterprise, choose Receive Content.
- Click Save.
- In the Notice window that appears, click OK.
You don't need to send another invite file. This is only necessary for the distributed collaboration, not for the workspaces you create within it.
Publish and share a hosted feature layer
Next, you'll add the shapefile to ArcGIS Online as a hosted feature layer and share it to the new workspace.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025.
- Download the ResponseTeamDeployments .zip file.
- In ArcGIS Online, on the ribbon, click the Content tab. Click New item.
- Click Your device and choose the ResponseTeamDeployments.zip file that you just downloaded.
- For How would you like to add this file, choose Add ResponseTeamDeployments.zip and create a hosted feature layer.
- Click Next. Click Save. Wait for the layer's item page to appear and finish loading.
Next, you'll share the layer with the new workspace.
- Click the Share button.
- In the Share window, click Edit group sharing.
- If necessary, in the Group sharing window, under Filters, expand Special groups and click Distributed.
- Choose the Reference layers for ArcGIS Enterprise group.
- Click Apply.
Next, you'll set the sharing level. When you share data as a copy, the sharing level for the source item doesn't affect the destination item. But when you share data as a references, it does. That's because when users access the destination layer in ArcGIS Enterprise, they'll actually be accessing the service in ArcGIS Online, rather than a synced copy of it.
Currently, the sharing level is set to Owner. You are the only one who can view this layer. If you choose Everyone, users in ArcGIS Enterprise will be able to view the layer without signing in. However, so will anyone else on the internet. In this scenario, you're not comfortable sharing this layer so widely.
- In the Share window, choose Organization.
Now, the layer will be available to everyone in your ArcGIS Online organization. It will also be available in ArcGIS Enterprise, but only to users who also have an ArcGIS Online account. For this layer, this limitation is acceptable. It will allow some people in ArcGIS Enterprise to use this layer alongside others in their web maps and analyses, instead of having to compare two different maps in two different organizations.
- Click Save.
Join the workspace
Next, you'll join the workspace in ArcGIS Enterprise.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025, using ArcGIS Enterprise 11.5.
- Return to ArcGIS Enterprise. On the ribbon, click the Organization tab. On the blue ribbon, click the Settings tab.
- On the side menu, click Collaborations. Click the City of Moncton collaboration.
The new workspace, Reference layers for ArcGIS Enterprise, may not be listed yet. The list of workspaces refreshes on a 15-minute cycle, so you may need to wait up to 15 minutes before you can continue with the tutorial.
Tip:
If the workspace is not available yet, wait a few minutes, refresh the page and click the City of Moncton collaboration again to check for the workspace.
- When the Reference layers for ArcGIS Enterprise workspace appears, next to it, click the Actions button and choose Join Workspace.
As before, to join the workspace, you must connect it to a group.
- For New Group, type Reference layers from ArcGIS Online. Click Join Workspace.
There are fewer steps to join the workspace than last time. You don't need to choose between references and copies because the workspace is configured so ArcGIS Enterprise can only receive content, not send it. You don't need to set a sync schedule because referenced data is not synced.
- Click Join Workspace.
- In the Notice window, click OK.
Even though you are not asked to set a sync schedule when joining the workspace, the workspace still has sync settings. These are important for item updates (which are separate from data edits). Next, you'll review the sync schedule.
- Next to the Reference layers for ArcGIS Enterprise workspace, click the Actions button and choose Edit Workspace.
The sync schedule is set to every 24 hours by default.
Because this workspace shares feature layers as references, the sync schedule will only affect item updates (not data updates) and when new items become visible after being added to the workspace.
Note:
For workspaces where ArcGIS Enterprise has Send access, the Sync immediately setting (real-time syncing) is enabled by default, meaning that a sync will be triggered whenever an item update occurs. You used this setting earlier in the tutorial. Real-time syncing only applies to items shared from ArcGIS Enterprise. Items shared from ArcGIS Online will continue to use the default 24 hour schedule.
- Close the Edit Workspace window.
View and edit data in ArcGIS Enterprise
Next, you'll test that the item shared as a reference is accessible in ArcGIS Enterprise. You can navigate to the workspace's group through the Collaborations page.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025, using ArcGIS Enterprise 11.5.
- Click the Reference layers for ArcGIS Enterprise workspace.
Details about the workspace appear.
- Next to Group, click the Reference layers from ArcGIS Online link.
The group appears in a new browser tab. The ResponseTeamDeployment layer is listed under the Recently added content heading.
Note:
This item appeared automatically because it was already in the workspace when you joined the workspace. If you share other items to the workspace after joining, you must manually sync the workspace before they will appear in the group.
The card for your item may appear different.
- Click the card for the layer.
A Sign In window appears, prompting you to sign in to ArcGIS Online.
- Click OK.
A window may appear briefly, then disappear, signing you in automatically. This is because ArcGIS Enterprise has detected that you are already signed in to ArcGIS Online in a different browser window.
- If you are not signed in automatically, sign in with your ArcGIS Online credentials.
Next, you'll ensure that other members of your ArcGIS Enterprise organization can also access the layer.
- Click Share.
- For Set sharing level, choose Organization. Click Save.
Note:
Alternatively, you could have left the sharing level set to Owner and added selected users to the Reference layers from ArcGIS Online group.
Regardless of the sharing level, ArcGIS Enterprise users will still also need to sign in to ArcGIS Online.
Next, you'll test if you can edit the data in ArcGIS Enterprise.
- Click Open in Map Viewer.
A map appears, zoomed to Moncton and showing the data.
This layer is intended to track where and when different response teams have been deployed during emergencies. The two existing features are fictional and intended to allow you to test working with the layer before using it in real emergencies.
Because this layer is shared as a reference layer, you can perform real-time edits to the data in either organization without having to sync the workspace.
- On the Settings toolbar, click the Edit button.
- In the Editor pane, click New Feature.
- Draw a new feature anywhere on the map.
- In the Create features pane, for TaskNumber, type 3.
- Click Create.
View data edits in ArcGIS Online
Because the ResponseTeamDeployments layer is shared as a reference, instead of a copy, your edits should be immediately visible in ArcGIS Online. No sync is necessary.
Note:
This video was recorded in 2025.
- Return to ArcGIS Online.
You should be viewing the item page for the ResponseTeamDeployments layer.
Note:
If you do not see the item page, on the ribbon, click the Content tab. Under Folders, click All my content. Click the ResponseTeamDeployments feature layer.
- Click Open in Map Viewer.
The map appears, and the edits you made in ArcGIS Enterprise are visible. This is because in ArcGIS Enterprise, you were editing the service directly, rather than a copy of the data that needed to be synced.
- Optionally, make an edit to the map in ArcGIS Online and refresh the map in ArcGIS Enterprise.
These edits too will appear immediately in ArcGIS Enterprise.
If you want to make item updates, for example to filter the layer or edit its terms of use, these must be made to the layer in ArcGIS Online, since it is the source item. Item updates, unlike data edits, won't appear in ArcGIS Enterprise until after the workspace is synced. You can manually sync the workspace in ArcGIS Enterprise, or wait for the next scheduled sync.
You have now created a second workspace and shared a layer from ArcGIS Online to ArcGIS Enterprise as a reference. You also set the sharing level to Organization in both organizations, to ensure that those users in ArcGIS Enterprise who also have an account in ArcGIS Online can access the layer in ArcGIS Enterprise.
You have achieved your goal of connecting the city's ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise organizations. You made two workspaces, one that shares feature layers as synced copies in either direction, and one that shares feature layers as references from ArcGIS Online to ArcGIS Enterprise. Next, you can add more content to the workspaces or create more workspaces to suit other needs.
In this tutorial, you've encountered three types of changes that can be made to shared feature layers in a distributed collaboration. Each type has different rules to determine which organization can make changes.
Who can add items to the workspace? | This is determined by the workspace access settings. When it is set to Send and Receive Content, both organizations can add content. Otherwise, only one of them can add content. The other organization can add content to their group, but it will not sync. |
Who can edit the data? | For feature layers shared as references, there is only one version of the data (one service), so both organizations can edit it in real time. This is the only change that doesn't require a workspace sync. For feature layers shared as copies, the data can be edited by both organizations if the workspace access is set to Send and Receive Content, and the Allow two-way sharing workspace setting is enabled. Otherwise, only the source data edits will be synced. |
Who can make changes to the item? | Item updates include changes made to the item page or layer properties. Item changes are only shared from the source to the destination. Any changes made to the destination item will be overwritten at the next sync. |
The diagram below summarizes how these three types of changes work in the two workspaces that you created in this tutorial. Drawing a similar diagram for any future workspaces that you create may help you with data management and troubleshooting.
Delete a collaboration
In this tutorial, you created a distributed collaboration, two workspaces, four groups, two content folders, and two hosted feature layers. These testing items may clutter your organizations and cause confusion when you later set up collaborations for your own purposes. The remaining steps in the tutorial are optional. They will show you how to delete the collaboration and the related items that were created in this tutorial.
Clean up ArcGIS Enterprise
In ArcGIS Enterprise, you'll leave the collaboration, delete two groups, delete the Potholes feature layer and shapefile, and delete the City of Moncton content folder.
- Return to ArcGIS Enterprise.
You should be viewing a map.
Note:
If you do not see the map, on the ribbon, click the Organization tab. Skip the next step.
- Above the Content toolbar, click the menu button and choose Organization. If a window appears asking if you want to leave the site, click Leave.
- On the blue ribbon, click the Settings tab. On the side menu, click Collaborations.
- Next to the City of Moncton collaboration, click the Actions button and choose Leave Collaboration.
After you leave the collaboration, the items that you shared to ArcGIS Online will remain accessible there. For future collaborations that you create, you can configure what happens to items after you leave the collaboration.
- Click Leave Collaboration. In the Notice window, click OK.
Next, you'll delete the two groups you created to connect to the two workspaces.
- On the ribbon, click the Groups tab. If necessary, under Filters, expand Special groups and click Distributed.
- Click the Copies with two-way editing group.
- On the group's page, click the Settings tab.
Groups that participate in a distributed collaboration are protected and can't be directly deleted. You need to turn off delete protection first.
- In the Delete protection section, turn off Prevent this group from being accidentally deleted.
- Click Delete group. In the Delete group window, click Yes.
- Also delete the Reference layers from ArcGIS Online group.
Next, you'll delete the content folder that was created for the collaboration.
- On the ribbon, click the Content tab.
- In the Folders list, find and click the City of Moncton folder.
Any items that were shared with ArcGIS Enterprise through the distributed collaboration (in this case, the ResponseTeamDeployments feature layer) appear in this folder. Even though you left the collaboration, the item remains in ArcGIS Enterprise, and still links to the service in ArcGIS Online. You'll delete both the item and the folder.
- In the Folders list, point to the City of Moncton folder. Click the options button and choose Delete folder.
- In the Delete item window, click the Delete button.
Next, you'll delete the Potholes layer. It wasn't included in the City of Moncton folder, because you uploaded it to ArcGIS Enterprise directly, instead of accessing it through the distributed collaboration.
- In the content list, check the boxes next to the Potholes feature layer and shapefile items.
- On the menu above the content list, click the Delete button.
Tip:
You may need to click the More button to find the Delete option.
- In the Delete items window, click Delete.
Clean up ArcGIS Online
In ArcGIS Online, you'll delete the collaboration, two groups, two items, and a content folder.
- Return to ArcGIS Online.
You should be viewing a map.
Note:
If you do not see the map, on the ribbon, click the Organization tab. Skip the next step.
- Above the Content toolbar, click the menu button and choose Organization. If a window appears asking if you want to leave the site, click Leave.
- On the ribbon, click the Organization tab. On the blue ribbon, click the Settings tab.
- On the side menu, click Collaborations and scroll down to the Distributed section.
- Next to the City of Moncton collaboration, click the Actions button and choose Delete Collaboration.
- Click Delete Collaboration. In the Notice window, click OK.
Next, you'll delete the two groups that were created for the collaboration.
- On the ribbon, click the Groups tab. If necessary, under Filters, expand Special groups and click Distributed.
- Click the Copies with two-way editing group.
- Click the Settings tab. In the Delete management section, turn off Prevent this group from being accidentally deleted.
- Click Delete group. In the Delete group window, click Yes.
- Also delete the Reference layers for ArcGIS Enterprise group.
Next, you'll delete the Potholes layer shared from ArcGIS Enterprise and the content folder that holds it.
- On the ribbon, click the Content tab.
- In the Folders list, find and click the City of Moncton folder.
The folder contains one item, the Potholes feature layer.
Even though you recently deleted the Potholes layer in ArcGIS Enterprise, its copy still exists in ArcGIS Online as a hosted feature layer. However, it will no longer receive synced updates.
- In the Folders list, point to the City of Moncton folder.
- Click the options button and choose Delete folder.
In the Permanently delete window, you are warned that if you delete the folder, the Potholes feature layer will also be deleted.
- Click Permanently delete.
Finally, you'll delete the ResponseTeamDeployments layer that you uploaded to ArcGIS Online.
- In the content list, check the boxes next to the ResponseTeamDeployments feature layer and shapefile items.
- On the menu above the content list, click the Delete button.
Tip:
You may need to click the More button to find the Delete option.
- In the Delete items window, click Delete.
In this tutorial, you created a distributed collaboration between ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise. You created two workspaces and tested sharing content through them. Finally, you deleted the collaboration and removed all of the items created in the tutorial.
You can find more tutorials in the tutorial gallery.
