ArcGIS Hub provides file downloads for several item types that are added to a site’s content catalog. Downloading is a process in which someone requests a complete or filtered file for a content item. Various file formats are available depending on the type of item and whether services are hosted or non-hosted.
The following recommendations and workflows can help you optimize data downloads and related processes. See Explore and download data and documents for related information.
Recommendations
Review these recommended configurations and limitations when making items available for download.
- Migrate data from map services to feature services.
- Publish data as feature services (as individual layers if applicable).
- Publish data through hosted services (in ArcGIS Online), especially large files with many records or complex geometry, or frequently updated content. See Publish hosted feature layers and Upload content as a file or using a URL.
- For hosted services, enable the Export data setting in ArcGIS Online or in Hub to have more download formats and improved performance. See Allow data exports to learn more.
- Upload .csv files as hosted table layers in ArcGIS Online. Filtered downloads of .csv files are not supported.
- Schedule content updates if the data is updated on a regular basis, and especially if using the default download system (Export data setting not turned on).
- Enable editor tracking for hosted and non-hosted services (feature services only) to ensure that dates displayed on the content view are accurate. Hub uses the last edit date on a service to know when a service’s data was updated and if a cached file is out of date. For more information, see editor tracking.
Available download formats
Various download formats are available depending on published data formats and whether services are hosted or non-hosted.
Feature services hosted in ArcGIS Online
For ArcGIS Online-hosted services with the Export data setting turned on in ArcGIS Online or in Hub, feature services only (feature layers, table layers) can be downloaded.
Available download formats are: CSV, Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML, SQLite, GeoPackage, File Geodatabase, Feature Collection, and Excel. See Allow data exports to learn more.
Feature and map services in all other configurations
For all other configurations including those below, feature services and map services can be downloaded as: CSV, Shapefile, GeoJSON, and KML.
- ArcGIS Online-hosted services without Export data setting turned on in ArcGIS Online or in Hub
- Non-hosted services (for example, self-hosted, on-premises servers)
- Enterprise-hosted services
Note:
Additionally, File Geodatabase can be downloaded for non-hosted and Enterprise-hosted services with the Export data setting turned on for both.
Image services in all configurations
Download formats available for image services in all configurations depend on the ArcGIS Server version used.
- For all configurations, image services with ArcGIS Server versions greater than 10.2, image services can be downloaded as: JPEG, PNG, PNG8, PNG24, and PNG32.
- For all configurations with ArcGIS Server versions less than 10.2, image services can be downloaded as: JPEG, PNG, PNG8, and PNG24.
Note:
Other specific item types can be downloaded in their native format (for example, a GeoJSON item can be downloaded as .geojson).
Note:
Hub allows authenticated users to search for and download data and documents that have been shared privately with them through a group or with the organization. Private feature services can be downloaded if the Export data setting is enabled. Private feature services and private image services have the same formats available as their public counterparts. Private map services cannot be downloaded.
Enable downloads for hosted services
The Export data setting allows Hub to use a different method to generate download files. This has many benefits and some known limitations: it is better at handling large items with many records or complex geometry, and it is recommended for public data to hasten the download process. Hosted feature services that you enable for download, will be available in additional formats.
To make a hosted feature services item available for download using its supported file formats, an administrator or user with the Create items privilege must turn on the Export data setting for the item. Enabling the Export data setting in Hub turns on the ArcGIS Online Export data setting. You can also turn on the Export data setting in ArcGIS Online, which enables the Hub Export data setting. See Allow data exports to learn more.
To enable the Export data setting from Hub, complete the following steps:
- Sign in to ArcGIS Hub.
- In your user workspace, select the Content pane.
Note:
If needed, select your user profile and select View workspace to open your user workspace.
- Select the Manage
button next to an item to go to the workspace.Note:
Alternatively, on an item's full details page or explore page (content views), select the Manage content
button. - Select Settings and select the General pane. Under Downloads and Download system, select the Export data setting (recommended).
- Under Formats, select which formats to make available and the order of display.
- Select Save.
Note:
Downloads from hosted services are automatically given a file name ("LayerName_GlobalUID#"); you cannot specify a custom file name. Download files use the service's spatial reference instead of 4326 (except KML and GeoJSON which are only supported in 4326). For KML downloads from hosted services, geometry filters are not supported (attribute filters are supported). The KML file extension is KMZ (a compressed version of KML).
Note:
Downloads (hosted and non-hosted) may take longer depending on server configuration, version, allocated resources, geographic location, number of records, and complexity of geometry. Some services have the database configured in such a way that paging takes exponentially longer in the later pages of data. Downloads may be slower for non-hosted (self-hosted) services located outside of the US, due to the location of Hub infrastructure.
Note:
An organization's default URL shows all content in the organization accessible to the viewing user, even content not shared in sites within the organization. You can turn off download formats for map services and feature services that are single layers. However, turning off downloads for public multi-layer services (even with Export data turned off) is not supported.Cached files are served
Hub will always serve cached files (if they exist). If a cached file is not available, one will be generated with a version cached for every available format. When someone requests a download for an item, one of the following occurs:
- If a cached file is present, it is downloaded.
- If no cached file is present, Hub will automatically generate a cache and download it when ready.
If Hub is unable to confirm that the cache is up-to-date, the user may request to regenerate the cached files.
Note:
Generating updated cached files (and updating the search index) may take some time.
Schedule content updates
ArcGIS Hub will automatically try to identify the best time to update content. However, you can set an update frequency for public content, metadata, and cached download files (if applicable) on hosted and non-hosted services. Hub will always serve cached files (if they exist) and content editors can schedule an update cycle as needed. Scheduling content updates is done on a per item basis.
New or updated schedules result in all cache files being refreshed immediately and then according to the schedule configured. Save any changes made on each pane before browsing to a different pane.
To schedule content updates, complete the following steps:
- Sign in to ArcGIS Hub.
- In your user workspace, select the Content pane.
Note:
If needed, select your user profile and select View workspace to open your user workspace.
- Select the Manage button next to an item to go to the workspace.
Note:
Alternatively, on an item's full details page or explore page (content views), select the Manage content
button. - Select Settings and select the General pane to set up Scheduled updates (public content only). Choose a Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly update frequency (content, metadata, and applicable cached download files). To set up an update
frequency and also update your data immediately, select Force
update.
Note:
With the Automated by Hub frequency, Hub checks the search index (approximately daily) to update server and layer information. With the Manual frequency, server and layer information is not updated daily, and cached files are only generated by manual user requests (and not automatically). The Manual frequency is appropriate for content that is not updated very often. For both settings, item information is updated in the Hub index when ArcGIS Online sends a notification of changes, and the download cache is updated if a user manually requests it or a content manager requests Force update.
- Select Save.
Additional download formats
Content editors can provide links that reference files or documents that are not supported natively in ArcGIS Online (not supported by feature services), such as CAD files, PDF files, and so on. To add an additional resource, open the item's details page in ArcGIS Online. Select Edit metadata, All metadata, Distribution, Digital transfer options, and Online distribution.
Tip:
If the Edit metadata button is hidden, an ArcGIS Online administrator must enable metadata.
Provide a URL, name, and set the function to Download. Additional resource links appear on the item's content view on the side panel (at bottom) when selecting the Download button 
.
Note:
Currently, additional resources are only supported for downloadable feature services or map services. For details, refer to Edit metadata for an item.