We have been running into an issue when using the new Esri ArcGIS Feature Service [Writer] (from the new Esri ArcGIS Connector v3.13.2 package) to write to a Hosted Feature Layer on ArcGIS Online. The Hosted feature layer is created by Survey 123.
Previously we used the old Esri ArcGIS Online (AGOL) Feature Service [Writer], since this won't be supported anymore in 2026 we started experimenting with the new one.
When we try to update the hosted Feature layer with FME using the old one, all goes well, data gets written as expected and the geometry is visible.
But when using the new one from the package we get a few warnings and no error's. The process tells us it's succesfull, we see the new records appearing in AGOL and the attributes seems to be as expected. The geometry is not visible either. When we try to zoom to a record nothing happens. When i open the layer in ArcGIS Pro nothing happens either when i try to zoom to layer/or zoom to selection. It's like there is no geometry.
We've tried multiple settings without any result.
When we try importing the same geometries into a newly created hosted feature layer in ArcGIS Online (through the New item button on the Content page) and using the new Esri ArcGIS Feature Service [Writer] everything goes fine. So it only seems to happen when it is a Hosted feature layer made through Survey123.
Has anyone seen this behaviour before? Are we overlooking a setting in the new Writer maybe? Any help would be appreciated. I've added the log of the run to the new Writer below.
Thx, and have a nice weekend!
Best answer by davechoi
Hi @jeroen_hack
I suspect the following writer behavior is causing your geometry issue: At the moment, it appears that the Esri ArcGIS Feature Service writer does not honor the Spatial Reference (WKID) set in the Feature Service's Schema Definition. As a result, the writer currently uses the "Target WKID" configuration on the Esri ArcGIS Feature Service writer parameter and this Target WKID must match your Feature Service's Spatial Reference (see screenshot of Esri ArcGIS Feature Service writer's parameter; and see screenshot of Feature Service FeatureServer Spatial Reference). (This issue is internally tracked as FMEENGINE-88607)
For the GlobalID behavior: When "Use GlobalIDs" is set to no, our current version of the writer still expects a value for the GlobalID field. This is because on the Feature Service (FeatureServer; as seen in ArcGIS REST Service Directory), GlobalID field type is not-nullable (described as "nullable: false" on the Feature Service (FeatureServer) Schema Definition). As such, if there is no value for GlobalID field (such as removing this attribute) this will raise ArcGISFeatureServiceWriter: The field 'globalid' has a NotNull constraint, but it is NULL, missing, or empty. Skipping feature… error.
This configuration ("Use GlobalIDs: No") will still use ObjectID for matching to perform Feature Operations (such as Update and Delete), but you MUST supply a value for the GlobalID field, such as supplying a dummy value. Note that when inserting features, the Feature Service will automatically generate new GlobalIDs even if you supply dummy values. (This issue is internally tracked as FMEENGINE-88396)
Please let me know if this resolves your issue and clarifies the current behavior of Esri ArcGIS Feature Service writer. If not, please submit a support ticket so we can investigate further.
Thanks for posting your question in the FME Community. I’m sorry to hear you’ve been running into issues with the new Esri ArcGIS Feature Service Writer.
From the log, I notice the following warning:
Attribute ‘globalid’ on feature type ‘TaxRapport_Klein_Test_V2’ has type ‘esriFieldTypeString’, but the type on the server is ‘esriFieldTypeGlobalID’.
This suggests that the writer is sending a globalid field to the server, even though it’s a server-managed field. Could you try removing the globalid attribute? You can do this either by:
Adding an AttributeRemover transformer before the writer, or
Editing the Writer Feature Type → User Attributes → set to Manual, then remove the globalid field.
ArcGIS should automatically generate the GlobalID values for new features, so you don’t need to provide them during inserts.
Please give that a try and let me know if it helps! If not, I’d be happy to continue troubleshooting this with you.
Thx for your reply. We already tried this, but the new ESRI ArcGIS Feature service writer gives the following message if you try to insert new features into a HFL without adding a globalid
2025-11-21 15:19:43| 2.2| 0.0|WARN |ArcGISFeatureServiceWriter: The field 'globalid' has a NotNull constraint, but it is NULL, missing, or empty. Skipping feature... 2025-11-21 15:19:43| 2.2| 0.0|WARN |... Last line repeated 4 times …
I suspect the following writer behavior is causing your geometry issue: At the moment, it appears that the Esri ArcGIS Feature Service writer does not honor the Spatial Reference (WKID) set in the Feature Service's Schema Definition. As a result, the writer currently uses the "Target WKID" configuration on the Esri ArcGIS Feature Service writer parameter and this Target WKID must match your Feature Service's Spatial Reference (see screenshot of Esri ArcGIS Feature Service writer's parameter; and see screenshot of Feature Service FeatureServer Spatial Reference). (This issue is internally tracked as FMEENGINE-88607)
For the GlobalID behavior: When "Use GlobalIDs" is set to no, our current version of the writer still expects a value for the GlobalID field. This is because on the Feature Service (FeatureServer; as seen in ArcGIS REST Service Directory), GlobalID field type is not-nullable (described as "nullable: false" on the Feature Service (FeatureServer) Schema Definition). As such, if there is no value for GlobalID field (such as removing this attribute) this will raise ArcGISFeatureServiceWriter: The field 'globalid' has a NotNull constraint, but it is NULL, missing, or empty. Skipping feature… error.
This configuration ("Use GlobalIDs: No") will still use ObjectID for matching to perform Feature Operations (such as Update and Delete), but you MUST supply a value for the GlobalID field, such as supplying a dummy value. Note that when inserting features, the Feature Service will automatically generate new GlobalIDs even if you supply dummy values. (This issue is internally tracked as FMEENGINE-88396)
Please let me know if this resolves your issue and clarifies the current behavior of Esri ArcGIS Feature Service writer. If not, please submit a support ticket so we can investigate further.
