Troubleshooting data packaging limitations
There are a number of things to be aware of when packaging published maps, ranging from data conversion incompatibilities to unsupported functionality in the map. It is important to keep in mind that all the parts of one data type may not be interchangeable with the parts of another data type. The loss or modification of some cartographic functionality may occur. The following types of limitations do not cause error messages or warnings.
Packaging attribute fields
Be aware of the following limitations that do not cause packaging errors but may cause unexpected symbol rendering in the map. If a layer is symbolized on a field that is modified, the layer symbology will display with default symbols. The following situations may cause the field name to change.
Field name character length
Shapefiles are limited to 10 characters for a field name. Geodatabases have a 31-character limit (30 in geodatabases in Oracle or DB2). If you package data to a format that supports a shorter character length, the fields will be truncated. If you view the map in ArcReader, field truncation may not be evident, because the Identify tool displays the field alias.
Unique field names
All fields must be unique. If field truncation occurs and causes field names to be the same, the last character will be replaced with a number.
Reserved field names and characters
Some data formats support field names that contain characters or names that are not supported in another data format. In these cases, an underscore is used to replace the reserved character or is added to the reserved name.
For example, LANDCOV# is converted to LANDCOV_ when packaged as a shapefile.
Packaging raster layers with the clip setting
Colors can shift when rasters are clipped. Some renderers stretch colors across the minimum and maximum values of the raster. Clipping the raster could change the minimum and maximum values and cause all the colors to shift.
Packaging layers with file-based hyperlinks
If you are using hyperlinks that reference files, the files will have to be copied into the data package manually. The hyperlinks will also need to be updated to reflect the file location in the data package. You could also create hyperlink paths prior to publishing that are specific to the data package you plan to create.
If your hyperlink attribute contains the file name, you can place the file in the same directory with the published map. If no path is present, the ArcReader Identify and Hyperlink tools will look for the hyperlink file in the published map's folder.
Packaging inserted picture elements
When you publish the map, the picture will be embedded in the published map.
Pictures inserted into a map document that reference the file on disk will not be packaged; however, if you save the picture as part of the document, it will be packaged.
- Right-click the picture in ArcMap and point to Properties.
- Click the Picture tab.
- Check the Save Picture as Part of Document check box and click OK.
Packaging CAD layers
Computer-aided design (CAD) layers are always copied into the data package, and they will not be converted to the chosen format.
Packaging layers with ArcMap joins and relates
Joins and relates are created for layers in ArcMap by right-clicking a layer in the ArcMap table of contents, pointing at Joins and Relates, then clicking Join or Relate. The information for the join or relate is stored in the map and in the published map when it is created. When you package the published map, joins and relates are not maintained in the data package.
Packaging layers with relationship classes
Published maps with relationship classes can be packaged with the copy setting. If the Intersect or Include All setting is used, the relationship class will not be packaged.
Packaging layers with definition queries
Packaging published maps that contain layers with a definition query is not recommended. A definition query's WHERE clause may not be valid for the chosen data package format. A query that works for a shapefile will not work for a geodatabase.
The following is a shapefile query:
"NAME" = 'California'
The following is a geodatabase query:
[NAME] = 'California'
The field name declaration is not interchangeable. If a shapefile layer with a definition query is packaged to a geodatabase, the resulting published map will not display any features, as the definition query will not return any features.
Packaging selection layers
Creating data packages for published maps that contain selection layers may alter the result of the selection layer.
Selection layers persist by using the feature's ObjectID. When you create a data package, there is no guarantee that the data-packaged feature's ObjectID will match the source feature's ObjectID. This is particularly true if the data package only includes features that intersect the data frame.