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As many of our users may have already noticed, ESRI has recently revamped the way that we initiate support incidents via email with our users. These changes have been made to enable you to better access and communicate with our Support Analysts in situations where an email may be better to describe an issue.
By utilizing the new Support Request Web Form located on ESRI’s Support Center Web site, our aim is to enable you access to the appropriate Support Analyst more quickly, so they may begin troubleshooting procedures with a clear picture of the behavior you are encountering and the environment in which you are working.
With your assistance, this may be accomplished with a detailed and comprehensive snapshot of your issue: 
In addition to a descriptive recap of what you are encountering within the ‘Assessment Panel' (shown above) of the Web form, the ‘Product Support’ portion (shown below) ensures that your inquiry is routed to an ESRI Support Analyst best suited for your situation.
We understand that it can be frustrating to answer the same group of configuration questions every time you call a technical support analyst.
Don’t you wish you could just pass all of your configuration information to an ESRI Support Analyst and get to the meat of your issue much faster?
Well, with the new ESRI Support Request Form’s ability to create and save System Configuration Profiles, you can!
What operating system are you working on? Just set it and forget it.
What programming language are you developing with? Just set it and forget it.
Which RDBMS are you using? Just set it and forget it.
Which Web Server are you …well, you get the picture.  The above example displays a local utilities profile for their development machine which they have named “Springfield Dev”
We encourage our users to create as many profiles as are needed to communicate the various environments you work within every day. This way, when an incident is logged using the Web form, you can simply select the Profile Name that applies to your current situation to help Support Analysts begin assisting you immediately.
Finally, the ability to attach screenshots, error logs, word documents, as well as sample datasets in a ZIP file may all be included for immediate action on your issue. This enables you to upload up to 70 MB of data so that we are able to more closely identify with your issue. 
It is our hope here at ESRI Support Services that you take advantage of these new methods of incident logging, so we are better able to support you in your work and, as a result, help you to be more productive and successful.
- Jon D., Geodata Support Analyst, ESRI Support Services
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With ArcGIS 9.3.1 SP2 scheduled to be available in June 2010, there is a targeted list of issues that are planned to be addressed in SP2. This list is subject to change at any time, and ESRI will continue to add additional items. The following link is to the PDF file that contains the detailed list of the issues that are planned to be addressed in ArcGIS 9.3.1 SP2: ArcGIS 9.3.1 Service Pack 2 Announcement. This same information can also be accessed via the ArcGIS 9.3.1 SP2 Announcement page on the ESRI Support Center Web site.
Mike H., Program Manager
User Advocacy Group, ESRI Support Services
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mikehogan
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We are pleased to announce that the latest release of ArcGIS Explorer is available for download. Among the many improvements and fixes introduced with this release are a new Analysis Gallery that allows easy access to geoprocessing services from ArcGIS Explorer, improved basemaps provide the latest updates from ArcGIS Online, and Symbol Management is now easier with the Symbol Gallery. These are just some of the great new features and functions in this latest release. Check out the ArcGIS Explorer blog for more details about these improvements and others.
Here are a few tips from ESRI Support Services for a successful installation:
- Remember to uninstall version 900 before installing version 1200.
- Visit the system requirements page to make sure your desktop can run the software.
- If you have ArcIMS, ArcGIS Server, or ArcGIS Server Image extension on your machine, stop these programs and services before installing ArcGIS Explorer.
- Internet Explorer 7.0 or higher is required to install ArcGIS Explorer.
As always we wish you happy mapping and appreciate all your feedback.
- Andrew S., Server Development Tech Lead - User Advocacy Group, ESRI Support Services
- Emeline R., Support Analyst - ArcGIS Server Group, ESRI Support Services
- Collin W., SCN Blog Content Manager, ESRI Support Services
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This is Jon D. with ESRI Support Services Geodata Unit. I have a question for you: What version of ArcSDE are you using? The question seems simple enough; however, you may be surprised how often the answer is incorrect or unknown.
ArcSDE can be thought of as two separate entities:
- The repository that is created within your database during the post installation process
- The ArcSDE binaries that are located on the machine that ArcSDE is installed on and that are located in %SDEHOME% - this is also the portion of the installation that enables SDE command line scripts to be run and that contains the DLL files necessary for application service connections.
The initial installation of ArcSDE creates the SDEHOME, which houses the SDE binaries and DLL files on your machine. The post install is necessary to set up or upgrade your geodatabase to the release that has been installed. This process may be run through the command line or the Post Install Wizard any time a new release or service pack is installed on your server. When in doubt of whether or not you have upgraded your geodatabase, there are a few ways to determine which version of ArcSDE is being used:
- Within your ArcSDE respository is a table named “VERSION” that contains the major and minor release and the build of the ArcSDE repository in which you are working. An ESRI Support Analyst can work with you to determine which release of the software you are using with the information stated above.
- You can query which version is being used within your geodatabase by using the following: “Select * from sde.version; (or sde.sde_version if using SQL Server”.
- The Patchfinder utility can help to determine which releases, service packs, and patches you have installed. This will indicate the version of ArcSDE you have installed, which you can then compare with the release your geodatabase is using.
Keep in mind it can never hurt to re-run the Post Install Wizard if you are unsure as to whether the geodatabase has been upgraded. (Just be sure that no users are connected at the time.) This action will automatically apply the latest releases of the software installed.
We always want you to have the most up-to-date functionality available! Also, ESRI Support Services is always here to help you in figuring out the version of software you are using or for any other issues you many run into when using our software.
I encourage you to ask questions or leave comments in the comments section. NOTE: You must be logged into your ESRI Global Account to leave comments.
- Jon D., Geodata Support Analyst, ESRI Support Services
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Hello, this is Cassandra with tips on removing or saving characters in label expressions. I recently helped a customer who wanted to label his points without the first two characters in each value. For example, his data looked like this: 
But he wanted the labels to look like this: 
To skip the first two characters in each label string, we used the VBScript operator 'Mid': Mid ([field], <#_to_skip>, <#_of_total_string_length>).
So for this example where I'm labeling WELL_IDS, the label expression would look like this: Mid ([WELLS_ID], 3, 100).
We need to set the number of characters to skip to 3 instead of 2, due to how the Mid operator works. Also, because the total number of characters after the 'CL' changes, we can set the total string length to a value larger than any of the strings in the field.
Likewise, you can also use the Left or Right operators to set which characters display. For example, you might want to display the first two characters on one line and the remaining characters on a second line. Using my example values above, the label expression would look like this: Left ([WELLS_ID], 2) &vbcrlf& Mid ([WELLS_ID], 3, 100).
Or if the string values have a fixed total character length of 7, for example, you could use: Left ([WELLS_ID], 2) &vbcrlf& Right ([WELLS_ID], 5).
See the ArcGIS Desktop Web Help topic About building label expressions for more information.
-Cassandra L., Desktop Support Analyst, ESRI Support Services
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Hello GIS World – Monte back again from a little blogging hiatus!
What does ESRI Support Services do with all of the comments in eSurveys? How does taking the time to fill out the eSurvey help me as a user? These may be a couple of the questions that come to mind as you are contemplating whether or not to fill out the eSurvey that is sent to you at the conclusion of your Support incident. My hope is to answer these questions for you, let you know more about eSurveys, and also how our response to the eSurveys will be changing in the future.
 To obtain a better understanding of eSurveys and possible trends in the comments section, ESRI Support Services (ESS) recently completed a project where we analyzed 3,300 surveys, with comments from you, since the implementation of the new eSurvey back in September 2008. Survey comments were placed into two categories. The first category focused on your experience with ESRI Support Services and was separated into values that were generally positive, negative, or not applicable. We interpreted negative comments as not purely negative, but instead, areas for opportunity or improvement; we will talk more about that in a bit. The second category that the comments were placed into consisted of values including general Support feedback, analyst feedback, products, documentation, communication, solution, responsiveness, Support engagement, and scope of support.
Now to the numbers: of the ~3,300 comments received, about 2,200 contained overwhelmingly positive feedback about the support provided to you, our customers. Focusing on areas for opportunity, product feedback received the most comments, making up 33% of this feedback. This information is invaluable to us, as it helps our development team to address customer issues and concerns regarding our products. Other categories where we will use feedback to make improvements include analyst feedback and communication. We can reflect on the feedback provided by you to make changes and approach situations differently in the future – these efforts are geared to helping you achieve success with our software, as we are always looking to exceed your expectations in the support that we provide.
Overall, the results of this project reflect your perception of the quality of service provided to you based on your feedback. Most of the time the feedback is very positive; although, we sometimes receive feedback that’s tough to swallow, but that is exactly the reason why we send out surveys. While it is great to hear reinforcing and positive feedback, we are a service-based organization and need to understand your needs and seek your feedback to achieve the highest possible standards of customer service. We appreciate customers taking the time to provide feedback on the support we provide. To ensure that it is clear that we value your dedication to our continuous improvement, we will be responding to your feedback. As part of our overall customer centric vision, one of our new upcoming workflows will involve ESS actively contacting individuals based on the results of their surveys. This will give us the opportunity to better understand what we can do to improve the overall customer experience. Thank you for filling out your eSurvey, and we look forward to communicating with you more in the future.
As always, I encourage you to ask questions or leave comments in the comments section. NOTE: You must be logged into your ESRI Global Account to leave comments.
- Monte, Server Unit Manager, Support Services, ESRI
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I know how frustrating it can be when ArcMap or ArcCatalog crashes. A few years ago, I wrote a Knowledge Base article with different methods to resolve these crashes, as well as known issues that may cause a crash. In an effort to resolve these crash issues, ESRI Software Development implemented the crash reporting system. You might have seen this little window pop up the last time the application crashed: 
You may ask yourself, where exactly do these reports go? Why don’t they write me back using the e-mail address I provided?
The error reports you submit are very useful for improving the product’s stability. When an error report is submitted, a server reviews the report to determine what component of the software caused the program to crash. If the behavior has been encountered before, the report is added to the defect report for that issue. But if the behavior is not recognized by the system, then a new defect report is generated to examine that issue. When a defect report is associated with multiple error reports, our product engineers make every effort to resolve the issue for the next service pack.
If you can identify a reproducible set of steps or a particular action that causes ArcMap or ArcCatalog to crash, please check my Knowledge Base article for a known issue in the Related Articles section. If you don’t see your scenario here, please submit your steps to reproduce to ESRI Support Services, and we would be happy to review your issue.
You can find more information about this system in the ArcGIS Desktop Help topics Error reporting for ArcGIS software crash data and Frequently asked questions about error reporting.
Happy Mapping!
- Emeline R., Support Analyst, ArcGIS Server group, ESRI Support Services
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Have you subscribed to the Support Center News blog RSS or Atom feed? Do you know what a Web feed is and how to use them to your advantage? I hope to answer the second question for you, which in turn will help you to answer the first question with a resounding ‘YES’.
RSS and Atom feeds are two different, yet similar, types of Web feeds. Web feeds are used for delivering regularly changing Web content to the people who want to read it.
Here are some advantages to subscribing to Web feeds:
- Retrieves the latest content from the Web site you are interested in, so you can stay easily informed
- Ensures your privacy by not needing to subscribe to Web sites’ newsletters or other ways they might keep you informed via email
- All the content that you want to read can be located and read from one place that you designate
Feed Reader or News Aggregator software is what allows you to subscribe to RSS and Atom feeds from various Web sites and display them for you to read and use. There are a variety of feed readers out there: Amphetadesk, FeedReader, NewsGator, Bloglines, Google Reader, and My Yahoo (to name a few). There are numerous other feed readers available.
If you are ever on a Web site and wonder whether or not they have a Web feed available, look for the following icon:  . This icon lets you know that a Web feed is available for that Web site or content. You can click on the icon to set up your Web feed.
The Support Center News blog has both RSS and Atom feeds. Subscribe today and keep yourself up-to-date on all the Support Center news that is fit to blog!
- Collin W., Support Center News blog Content Manager, ESRI Support Services
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Hello, my name is Denise, and I am the Mobile GIS Support Specialist in ESRI Support Services, working out of the East Coast - Charlotte office. Many of you contacting ESRI Support Services for help or information of a technical nature are already aware of the GoToAssist utility. The GoToAssist utility allows ESRI Support Analysts to provide what is commonly referred to as ‘desktop streaming’. We blogged on this topic back in April 2009 to help inform ESRI’s user community on how GoToAssist allows our support analysts to remotely and securely connect to our customers’ computers: allowing for faster, more accurate diagnosis of many kinds of problems – especially when the problem involves a map.
The GoToAssist application works great for those using desktop, laptop, and tablet PCs, but what about the popular and ever growing mobile device world? The current Mobile GIS technologies offered by ESRI are ArcPad, ArcGIS Mobile, and ArcLogistics Navigator. All three software applications run as WIN32 applications in addition to Windows Mobile applications. GoToAssist is ideal if the issue you are reporting is occurring on a desktop, laptop, or tablet PC; however, it is more common in the Mobile GIS world to get contacted by mobile users reporting the experienced behavior that is only occurring on the mobile device. This is where GoToAssist gets assistance from a utility called My Mobiler.
My Mobiler is a freeware application that provides ESRI Support Analysts the ability to view and/or control the processes performed on a connected mobile device from a desktop PC. Used in conjunction with GoToAssist, ESRI Support Analysts can troubleshoot and diagnose reported behaviors on a mobile device, visually confirm that mobile device users are performing the proper instructions in their work flow procedures, and assist in any user training of ESRI software mobile applications (ArcPad, ArcGIS Mobile, and ArcLogistics Navigator).
Disclaimer: My Mobiler is a free third-party utility. This application is not endorsed or supported by ESRI, nor can ESRI be held responsible for any damages resulting from inappropriate use of this application.
My Mobiler v1.25 - FREEWARE
- View a mobile screen on your desktop
- Control a mobile device by using desktop keyboard and mouse
- Copy/Cut/Paste text between mobile and desktop
- Capture mobile screen
- Drag and drop files to a mobile device
- Support ActiveSync / IP Connection
- Support Mobile Explorer (File Browse)
This application allows the viewing and control of a mobile device from a desktop PC.
Additional information for downloading, installing, and the use of My Mobiler can be found at the following link: http://mymobiler.com/.
- Denise K., Mobile GIS Support Specialist, ESRI Support Services
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Check out the new main page of wiki.GIS.com! The main page now has a dynamic Featured Page, a Featured Map that will change from time to time, an exciting new tag cloud, and a section that will contain everything from 'How to Help' to 'Tips and Tricks'. 
While you are hanging out in wiki.GIS.com, create an account, read about how you can help, or peruse through the many links on the left hand navigation bar as well as the wiki pages themselves.
Wiki.GIS.com has started moving up on the Google search engine results page (SERP). So, your contributions are making an impact!
-Collin W., SCN Blog Content Manager, ESRI Support Services
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During ESRI’s annual User Conference in July ‘09, ESRI Support Services demonstrated the new Online Incident Management (OIM) tool to our International Distributors and received very positive responses. The tool provides International Distributors visibility into their logged incidents as well as the means to manage them at various stages of the support process: they can track their incidents, review and add notes to them, request associated hot fixes, and generate reports on the Support metrics. After using the OIM tool for a couple months, the International Distributors are reporting better incident visibility, reduced resolution time, and improved efficiency in their workflows.
Having received such great responses from the International Distributors, we're already working on phase-2 for OIM: extending some of its functionality and, therefore, its benefits to our domestic clientele. OIM phase-2 will include more enhancements for International Distributors too, including profile-based access and customized reporting.
Keep an eye out for the OIM tool! It should be available to you in the near future.
- Sanjay L., Program Manager - Online Support Resources, ESRI Support Services
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Along with ESRI’s maps, you can also use a couple of different third party map services, Bing Maps and Google Maps, in your Web application.
To access the Bing Map services, you have to use one of the tokens provided by ESRI. The tokens can be downloaded from the following Web page: Bing Tokens.
These tokens were not originally developed to work through a proxy, so in order to access the Bing Map service through a proxy, you have to edit the token request page and supply it with the proper proxy credential. The new token request page can be accessed through the following downloadable ZIP file: DotNet.zip.
For more information on map services and reasons for using map services, refer to the following Web Help article: Common reasons for using map services.
- Thang Le, ESRI Support Analyst, ESRI Support Services - SDK Unit
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Hello, this is Sigmund Frodo…er…Jim W., Geodata Analyst at ESRI Support Services in Charlotte, NC with some thoughts that might help to ‘enlighten’ you on the inner life of your relational database management system (RDBMS). Just as some humans will visit a psychiatrist to help them understand the inner workings of their minds, databases have been known to benefit from the help of a qualified professional practitioner who can give meaning to the vast number of disassociated bits and bytes that swirl around deep within their digital brains. Regular ‘analysis’ of a database can be a good thing and can help to maintain an optimum level of equilibrium necessary for quickly answering the ‘BIG’ queries of life, such as, “Where can I find a good burger?”
Now, geodatabases have been known to have a ‘spatial’ complex, and periodically analyzing them will keep them grounded in reality, thereby improving overall performance. But first, we digress with a brief interlude into the realm of statistics…
Analyzing a database involves collecting statistics that help us to get a handle on the nature of the data that is contained within the database. These statistical facts about objects such as tables, columns, and indexes are then stored internally within the RDBMS’s data dictionary tables. They help the database optimizer to determine the optimum path to data, ensuring the fastest response time for queries, while at the same time minimizing the cost of database resources. For example, getting a count of how many rows of data are contained in each table may help the database optimizer determine whether or not to use an index, or how best to join two tables when selecting the best execution plan for a given SQL statement.
What kinds of statistics are gathered? Analyzing a table can retrieve and store metadata such as the number of rows in each table, the average row length in bytes, the average column length, the minimum and maximum values contained in each column, and the number of null values in a column. Other statistics can describe the data by looking at the number of distinct values contained in a column (known as its cardinality), as well as by constructing histograms that give an idea of how the data is distributed (whether the data is evenly distributed throughout its range, or is it clumped together with a large number of rows containing similar values). Clinical terms such as platykurtosis, leptokurtosis, and skewness come fondly to mind, but that’s another story for another time…
So, you may ask, "Just how are statistics collected?" It can be as simple as pointing and clicking on an individual feature class in ArcCatalog and then analyzing. You could also use an ArcSDE command line tool called sdetable, or the Analyze geoprocessing tool available in ArcToolbox. Or, you might even want to set up an automated scheduled task using the tools to gather statistics provided by the specific RDBMS that you’re using.
For a more in-depth look at analyzing a geodatabase and collecting statistics, most of what you’ll need to get started is located at: About updating geodatabase statistics.
Just remember, since data can be dynamic and ever changing, it’s a good idea to frequently analyze in order to pick up any changes that may occur in the database. In a healthy geodatabase, where numerous edits may occur on a daily basis, it could be wise to schedule frequent analysis sessions. Regular analysis can help improve the display time of versioned feature classes, as well as speed up other edit processes where fast query response times are required to keep you from waiting. And best of all, there’s no charge!
- Jim W., Support Analyst - Geodata Unit, ESRI Support Services, Charlotte, NC.
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In a previous blog post, we stated that several users were calling into ESRI reporting an issue that Raster Catalogs and Feature Classes with Raster Fields stored in ArcSDE for SQL Server do not display after applying the 9.3.1 Service Pack 1.
There is now a patch available that resolves this issue: ArcSDE 9.3.1 SP1 SQL Server Raster Catalog and Raster Field Patch.
This patch fixes the following bugs:
· NIM052174 - Raster Catalogs and Feature Classes with raster fields stored in ArcSDE for SQL Server do not display after applying the 9.3.1 Service Pack 1.
ESRI apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused you. If you have any issues installing the patch, please contact ESRI Support Services.
-Eric R., Development Tech Lead – UAG, ESRI Support Services
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Viewership on the Support Center News (SCN) blog has steadily increased over the past year. I wanted to take a moment to say "Thank You" for coming to the SCN blog for whatever reason you may be visiting or browsing.
Remember that you can always subscribe to the RSS or Atom feeds. Those are available on the right hand side of the blog in the Syndication navigation pane.
Last year, an ESRI Support Analyst, Emeline R., wrote a humorous piece associated with GIS and the holiday spirit. I wanted to share that post with everyone again this year with the hope that those of you who might have read it last year will, once again, find the humor in it, and those of you who are new to the SCN blog can enjoy it for the first time.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ESRI SUPPORT SERVICES!
- Collin W., SCN blog content manager, ESRI Support Services
Navigation Woes
Working in Support Services here at ESRI, we never know what kinds of incidents may come our way. With the Holidays approaching, we received an incident that we thought you, our users, might find interesting:
We go into production December 24th and our Mobile Applications still won’t work! We made a map using our North_Pole.ttf font on joined parcel data filtered by “LANDUSE=’Residential’”, and symbolized by the YOUVEBEEN field. We are using the Streets Network Dataset from the ESRI Data & Maps CDs to create the optimal route between these features. Using a domain STOPLENGTH and the subtype YOUVEBEEN field (because Coal only requires a three second stop), we finally got the Route all set up in ArcMap. But as soon as we publish to ArcGIS Server, we lose the special symbols from the North_pole.ttf file. Organizational policies restrict us to use only this font to symbolize our maps!
We’ve got the mobile service uploaded to our Trimble Bells 500x, but we can’t get the network data to respond to the GPS on the device. Bill Donner and Rosie Blitzen, our IT admins, won’t grant me administrative rights and Don Comet & Ella Cupid insist that nothing will replace a good old fashioned nose!
If you can get this fixed, there’s some cookies and milk in it for you!
Signed,
Rudolph T. R. N. Reindeer
GIS Manager
NorthPole, Inc.
90* 00’ 00” N We, at ESRI Support Services wish you a wonderful holiday season! And we hope that our help allowed Rudolph and Santa to get to you and make all your holiday wishes come true!
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