About adding new services

ArcGIS Server offers the following service types: map, geocode, geodata, geometry, geoprocessing, globe, and image. Before you can create a service, you must create the GIS resource that it will access. For example, a map service uses a map document, so you must create the map document before creating the service.

This chart summarizes the GIS resource required for each type of service.

Service type	Required GIS resource
Map service	Map document (.mxd, .pmf) or map service definition (.msd)
Geocode service	Address locator (.loc, .mxs, SDE batch locator)
Geodata service	Database connection file (.sde) or personal geodatabase or file geodatabase or map document with a layer that references data from a versioned geodatabase
Geometry service	Does not require a GIS resource
Geoprocessing service	Map document with a tool layer or toolbox (.tbx)
Globe service	Globe document (.3dd, .pmf)
Image service	Raster dataset or layer file referencing a raster dataset or mosaic dataset or compiled image service definition (.iscdef)

Choosing how you will publish the service

There are two ways to create services in ArcGIS Server. In Manager, these options are Publish a GIS Resource and Add New Service. Choosing Add New Service allows you to set all the service properties at the time you create the service. In contrast, Publish a GIS Resource only prompts you for the minimum required information.

When you choose Add New Service, you can only create one type of service at a time. For example, if you have a map document with a tool layer that you want to use to publish both a map service and a geoprocessing service, you must create the services individually if you use Add New Service. If you choose Publish a GIS Resource, you have the option to create the two services at the same time.

The instructions in this Help section explain how to use the Add New Service option. For help with using Publish a GIS Resource, see About publishing GIS resources to the server.

Note: When you choose Publish a map, globe, or other GIS resource as a service on the Home tab in Manager, this opens the Publish a GIS Resource wizard.