Get started with workspace reservations

Available with the ArcGIS Indoors Spaces extension.

Managing available spaces helps organizations reduce costs and promote productivity by allowing employees to have a flexible schedule and encouraging them to work collaboratively when needed. For example, your organization may want to allocate certain areas for shared use that employees can reserve for a few hours, such as meeting rooms to collaborate with others, or a few days, such as office hotels for personal use while visiting an office or for specific tasks. Indoors allows users to interactively find and book available rooms based on their needs. Administrators can enable recurring bookings for office hotels if your organization has hybrid employees who are on-site for specific days of a week. Administrators can also make certain spaces unreservable to meet social distancing guidelines set by the organization. For example, you can make every other unit unreservable and avoid crowding if spaces are in close proximity.

You can configure meeting rooms and office hotels and how they can be booked in the app. In Indoors mobile apps or the Indoor Viewer, users can find available workspaces interactively on the map or search for them based on time, duration, capacity, location, and available equipment. Users can also make recurring bookings for office hotels and meeting rooms for specific days of the week, and update individual occurrences or the entire series as needed.

You can configure reservations for office hotels and meeting rooms using Microsoft 365, the Reservations layer, or a combination of both. For example, if your organization uses Microsoft 365 for meeting room bookings, you can use Microsoft 365 for office hotel bookings or use the Reservations layer instead. Choose the configuration that best suits your organization's needs.

Workspace reservation capabilities

The following tables list the capabilities available when configuring workspace reservations for office hotels and meeting rooms using Microsoft 365 and the Indoors Reservations layer, as well as the capabilities available to reservation managers when using the Reservations layer. A check mark () in a column means that the specified capability is available with the indicated configuration method.

Office hotels

Capability	Microsoft 365	Indoors Reservations layer
Create, edit, and cancel bookings
Create, edit, and cancel recurring bookings
Check in and check out
Add and remove bookings from calendar	(automatically in Outlook)	(any calendar app)
Configure scheduling limits
Filter by equipment
Visualize room availability on the map
Assign reservation managers to book for others

Meeting rooms

Capability	Microsoft 365	Indoors Reservations layer
Create, edit, and cancel bookings
Create, edit, and cancel recurring bookings
Check in and check out		(optional configuration)
Add and remove bookings from calendar	(automatically in Outlook)	(any calendar app)
Configure scheduling limits
Filter by equipment
Visualize room availability on the map

Note:

The user's Microsoft account must be added to the Google Calendar app on the Android device to manage reservations. If reservations are canceled, users must remove the corresponding events that exist in the Google Calendar app.

Configure workspace reservations using Microsoft 365

Indoors apps support integration with Microsoft 365 to configure workspace reservations. If your organization manages room bookings through room or workspace mailboxes and allows users to book rooms using apps such as Microsoft Outlook, you can allow them to book rooms using the Indoors web and mobile apps. The Indoors apps also integrate with the calendar so that when a booking request is confirmed, an event is added to the calendar and the room location can be visualized on the indoor map in the Indoors app.

Note:

Only integration with Microsoft 365 is supported. Microsoft Exchange Server is not supported. If your organization uses Microsoft Intune for mobile application management (MAM), your users must install the Indoors for Intune mobile app.

Configuring reservations using Microsoft 365 is supported for office hotels and meeting rooms in Indoors Mobile. You can configure them by adding the resource mailbox email address to the indoor data.

To enable office hotel booking when using Microsoft 365, you must include the Areas table, the Units layer, and the Occupants layer. The table and layers must include the following fields:

• Areas table—AREA_ID, AREA_NAME, and AREA_TYPE

  Note:

  If you do not include an Areas table in the web map, but an Areas table exists in the same hosted feature layer as the Occupants layer, the Indoors mobile app accesses the table from the hosted feature layer.

• Units layer—SCHEDULE_EMAIL
• Occupants layer—EMAIL and KNOWNAS

Configure workspace reservations using the Reservations layer

The Indoors apps support managing workspace reservations using the Reservations layer, which can be included in a mobile map package.

This configuration provides the following benefits:

• Visualize room availability on the map by creating color-coded symbology for the Reservations layer.
• Perform analytics on reservation data to make informed space management decisions.
• Check in and check out of office hotels and meeting rooms for real-time status of reservations.
• Schedule and manage recurring bookings for regularly used office hotels and meeting rooms.
• Remove dependency on external systems for managing reservations.
• Integrate with third-party calendar apps such as Apple, Outlook, and Google.

To enable workspace reservations when using the Reservations layer, you must include the Areas table, Units layer, and Occupants layer. The table and layers must include the following fields:

• Areas table—AREA_ID, AREA_NAME, and  AREA_TYPE

  Note:

  If you do not include an Areas table in the web map, but an Areas table exists in the same feature layer as the Occupants layer, the Indoors mobile app accesses the table from the feature layer.

• Units layer—RESERVATION_METHOD
• Occupants layer—EMAIL  and KNOWNAS

Note:

Recurring bookings require the RECURRENCE_ID and RECURRENCE_CONFIG fields to be present in the Reservations layer.

To enable meeting room bookings using the Reservations layer, you must include the Units layer, and the Units layer must include the RESERVATION_METHOD field.

The Reservations layer can also be added to maps other than an Indoors map and shared with groups in an organization for use in apps such as ArcGIS Dashboards to create charts for usage analytics on reservable spaces.

Configuring workspace reservations using the Reservations layer requires the following high-level steps:

1. Create the Reservations feature class.
2. Publish the Reservations layer to your ArcGIS organization and share it with organization users.
3. Configure editing, security, and time settings for the hosted feature layer.
4. Add the Reservations layer to a map for use in Indoors web and mobile apps.

These steps are detailed in the sections below.

Create the Reservations feature class

If you create an Indoors geodatabase using the Create Indoors Database tool at ArcGIS Pro 2.9 or later, the Reservations feature class is added to the Indoors dataset automatically.

Starting at ArcGIS Pro 3.0, the Create Indoors Database tool creates the Reservations feature class with a constraint attribute rule that provides added security in workspace reservation workflows when reservations are changed outside the Indoors web and mobile apps.

Note:

Attribute rules are not supported in ArcGIS Online.

The Upgrade Indoors Database tool creates the Reservations feature class if it does not already exist, and automatically adds or upgrades the constraint attribute rule according to the latest ArcGIS Indoors Information Model while updating an existing Indoors database.

When an Enterprise portal user attempts to edit or delete a reservation that was made for someone else, the attribute rule does not allow the change to be committed unless the user is a reservation manager for the reserved unit's area, the user is assigned to the portal's Administrator role, or the user is the user for whom the reservation was made.

Share the Reservations layer

You must include the Reservations feature layer in an indoor map and share it with your ArcGIS organization members to allow users access to workspace reservation capabilities in the Indoors apps. Once the Reservations layer is shared to your organization, users can access the latest room availability information and book workspaces.

When you share the Reservations layer from ArcGIS Pro 3.0 or later, it is shared as an Indoors Spaces feature layer if your ArcGIS organization includes the Indoors Spaces license. Indoors Spaces feature layers can be edited by members of your ArcGIS organization with user types associated with a default role of Viewer or higher (including users with the Indoors User user type when using the Indoor Viewer and Indoor Space Planner apps), allowing these users to access workspace reservation capabilities.

To publish the Reservations layer as a web feature layer and share it with members of your ArcGIS organization, complete the following steps:

1. Open an Indoors map in ArcGIS Pro.
2. Add the Reservations feature class to the Indoors map.

   The Reservations feature class is created when you use the Create Indoors Database tool at ArcGIS Pro 2.9 and later. If you have an Indoors geodatabase that was created in ArcGIS Pro 2.8 or earlier, run the Upgrade Indoors Database tool to upgrade the Indoors geodatabase schema to the latest Indoors model. This tool creates any missing schema items required for workspace reservations automatically in the Indoors geodatabase during the upgrade process.

3. Configure the Reservations layer as floor aware.
4. Right-click the Reservations layer and click Sharing > Share As Web Layer.

   The Share As Web Layer pane appears.

5. Set the sharing parameters as necessary.

   If you are sharing to ArcGIS Online, choose the Feature option for the Layer Type parameter to share a hosted feature layer.

   If you are sharing to ArcGIS Enterprise, choose the Map Image option and check the Feature check box under Reference registered data for the Data and Layer Type parameter. This configuration is required to use the Reservations security attribute rule.

6. Configure settings for the Reservations web feature layer by doing the following:
   1. Click the Configuration tab, and click the Configure Layers tab below it if necessary.
   2. Under Layer(s), next to Feature, click the Configure Web Layer Properties button .
   3. Check the Enable editing and allow editors to check box and check the Add, Delete, and Update check boxes to enable web feature layer editing.
   4. Check the Enable Sync and Export Data check boxes.
   5. At the top of the pane, click the Back button to return to the list of layers.

      Learn more about configuring web feature layer properties

7. Click Analyze and address any errors.
8. Click Publish.

   The Reservations layer is published as an Indoors Spaces feature layer to your ArcGIS organization.

9. Click the Manage the web layer option that appears in the Share as Web Layer pane.

   The item page for the Reservation layer appears in a web browser.

10. Click the Share button and choose an option:
    • Organization—Share the layer with all members of your organization.
    • Edit Group Sharing—Add the groups that must have access to the layer.
11. Click Save.

    The Reservations web feature layer is shared to the ArcGIS organization members you chose. You can configure the layer settings to use for workspace reservations in the Indoors apps.

Configure editing settings

The Indoors apps require editing capabilities set on the Reservations layer to create or update reservations features when users reserve spaces in the Indoors apps. If the Reservations layer is in a hosted feature layer, you can configure the editing settings in your ArcGIS organization.

Note:

If the Reservations layer is a web layer that references registered data on ArcGIS Enterprise, you can configure editing settings before you share the web layer. If you share a web feature layer that references registered data, editing operations cannot be modified through the website for your ArcGIS organization; use ArcGIS Server Manager to edit service properties instead.

To configure the required editing settings for the layer in your ArcGIS organization, complete the following steps:

1. Click My Contents and click the hosted feature layer.
2. Click the Settings tab.
3. In the Feature Layer (hosted) section, under Editing, check the Enable editing check box.
4. In the What kind of editing is allowed section, configure the editing options as follows:
   1. Check the Add check box.
   2. Check the Delete check box.
   3. Check the Update check box.
   4. Choose the Attributes and geometry option.
5. Click Save.

Configure security settings

If you are using ArcGIS Enterprise and shared the Reservations layer using the reference registered data option, you can manage security settings using attribute rules. Starting at ArcGIS Pro 3.0, the Create Indoors Database tool creates the Reservations feature class with a constraint attribute rule that ensures office hotel reservations can only be edited by reservation managers, portal administrators, and the user for whom the reservation was made, even when reservations are edited outside the Indoors web and mobile apps. You can use the Upgrade Indoors Database tool in ArcGIS Pro to update an Indoors geodatabase with the latest security attribute rules if the Indoors database does not have them.

Note:

To gain added security provided by the constraint attribute rule, the Reservations layer must be published to ArcGIS Enterprise as a feature service that references registered data. Attribute rules are not available in hosted feature layers in ArcGIS Online.

If you published the Reservations layer as a hosted web layer using the Copy all data option, you can use advanced editing settings to track edits, protect the data from unwanted changes, and prevent users from editing features that they did not create.

For added security in ArcGIS Online, complete the following steps:For added security in an Enterprise portal, complete the following steps:

1. Click My Contents and click the hosted feature layer.
2. Click the Settings tab.
3. Optionally, check the Prevent this item from being accidentally deleted check box in the Delete Protection section for added protection.
4. In the Editing section, configure the following:
   1. Check the Enable editing check box.
   2. Check the Keep track of who edited the data (editor name, date and time). check box.
   3. For What kind of editing is allowed, check the Add, Delete, and Update check boxes and choose the Attributes and geometry option.
   4. For What features can editors edit, choose the Editors can edit all features or Editors can only edit their own features (requires tracking) option.

      If you choose Editors can only edit their own features (requires tracking), when reservations are made by a reservation manager, the options to edit, check in, check out, or cancel a reservation are only available to the reservation manager. If you choose Editors can edit all features, these options are available to both the reservation manager and the person for whom the booking was made. The constraint attribute rule provides added security by preventing anyone else from making edits to the reservation records outside the Indoors web and mobile apps.

   Caution:

   Do not choose the Editors can only see their own features (requires tracking) option for What features can editors see. If you choose this option, app users will not have access to accurate room availability.

You can add this layer to an indoor map to enable workspace reservations and manage them in the Indoors apps.

Configure time settings

You can configure time settings for the Reservations layer. Making it a temporal layer allows you to visualize reservations over time.

The Indoors for Android app supports displaying the time-enabled Reservations layer in real time. If you have a duration filter set for a future date and time, the Indoors for Android app displays the reservations during the specified duration on the map. This allows you to visualize office hotel and meeting room availability and review rooms booked by others for the same time so you can find available rooms nearby if you want to collaborate.

To configure time settings for the Reservations layer, complete the following steps:

1. Click My Contents and click the hosted feature layer.
2. In the Layers section, click the Reservations polygon layer.
3. Click the Edit button under Time Settings.

   The Time Settings window appears.

4. Check the Enable time check box.
5. Choose the time ranges with a start and end time option, set Start time field to Start Time, and set End time field to End Time.
6. Click OK.

The Reservations layer is time enabled. In Map Viewer, set the Reservations layer to refresh periodically so it displays up-to-date information in the app.

Add the web feature layer to an Indoors map

Once you publish, share, and configure the Reservations layer in your ArcGIS organization, you can add it to Indoors maps in ArcGIS Pro for use in the Indoors web and mobile apps.

To source the Reservations layer from a web feature layer, complete the following steps:

1. Open the Indoors map to which you added the Reservations layer in ArcGIS Pro.
2. In the Contents pane, right-click the Reservations layer and click Properties.

   The Layer Properties pane appears.

3. Click the Source tab and click Set Data Source.
4. Browse to the web feature layer in the Portal section and click OK.
The Reservations layer in the Indoors map is sourced from the web feature layer. When you share the web map, it will publish as an editable feature layer regardless of how you configure the rest of the layers in the map.

The Reservations layer must be sourced from the same web layer in the web map for the Viewer app and mobile map package for the Indoors mobile apps so they access the same underlying data and can show up-to-date booking and occupancy information in all apps simultaneously. You can add the Reservations layer to additional maps using the Add Data dialog box in ArcGIS Pro.

Configure using a combination of the Indoors Reservations layer and Microsoft 365

Depending on the needs of your organization, you can configure workspace reservations with either the Indoors Reservations layer or Microsoft 365. However, you don't need to use the same method for both office hotel and meeting room reservations. Indoors mobile supports a combination of reservation methods.

For example, if your organization has existing Microsoft 365 room mailboxes for meeting room reservations and you don't want to create room mailboxes for office hotel reservations because of the overhead and maintenance, you can configure office hotel reservations to use the Indoors Reservations layer instead. Both methods can be configured in the same mobile map.

To configure booking for office hotels using the Indoors Reservations layer and meeting rooms using Microsoft 365, complete the following steps:

1. Open the project that contains the Indoors mobile map in ArcGIS Pro.

   Note:

   The Reservations layer must exist in the map. Additionally, units must be configured as office hotels, and room mailboxes must have been added to the SCHEDULE_EMAIL field for any units configured as meeting rooms to book them using Microsoft 365.

2. Add the IndoorsConfig table to the map and open it.
3. Add the following Config Key and Config Value values to the table:
   • Config Key—Use OFFICE_HOTEL_M365 to configure bookings for office hotels; use MEETING_ROOM_M365 to configure bookings for meeting rooms.
   • Config Value—1.
4. On the Edit tab, in the Manage Edits group, click Save .
5. Share the mobile map.

You can now use a combination of the reservation methods for office hotels and meeting rooms in the Indoors mobile app based on your configuration.

Configure custom names for Hotel and Meeting buttons

You can customize the names of the Hotel and Meeting buttons that appear when office hotels and meeting rooms are configured for workspace reservations. This allows you to use names that are familiar and suitable for your organization.

To configure custom names for the Hotel or Meeting buttons, complete the following steps:

1. Open the project that contains the Indoors  mobile map in ArcGIS Pro.
2. Add the IndoorsConfig table to the map and open it if necessary.
3. In the IndoorsConfig table, click the Click to add new row option to configure a custom name for office hotel or meeting rooms.
   • To configure a custom name for office hotels, provide the following values:
     • Type OFFICE_HOTEL_LABEL in the Config Key field.
     • Provide a name for the Hotel button in the Config Value field.

     For example, you can use Shared Workspaces in place of Hotel.

   • To configure a custom name for meeting rooms, provide the following values:
     • Type MEETING_ROOM_LABEL in the Config Key field.
     • Provide a name for the Meeting button in the Config Value field.

     For example, you can use Conference Rooms in place of Meeting.

   It is recommended to limit the number of characters to 20 and the number of words to 2 so that the names fully appear on all types of mobile devices.

4. On the  Edit tab, in the Manage Edits group, click Save .
5. Share the mobile map.

The custom labels for the hotels and meeting rooms appear in the Indoors mobile app.