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Frequently Asked Questions in Support (August Edition)

  • September 4, 2026
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shirleychan
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Happy Friday, FME’ers! Welcome back to the TGIF FAQ Series: August edition.

Summer might be winding down, but the questions certainly aren’t. This month, we’ve rounded up five questions for FME Flow and seven for FME Form, covering everything from workspaces that run fine locally but fail in FME Flow, to OAuth token troubleshooting and the quirks of dynamic workflows. Let’s dive in!

FME Flow — FAQs

1. Why does my workspace run successfully in FME Form but fail when run in FME Flow? 

The most common causes are: version mismatch between FME Form and FME Flow (they should match builds), file paths using mapped drives (FME Flow runs as a service and can't see drive mappings — use UNC paths), missing web or database connections on the server, or differences in the service account's permissions.

2. Why are my FME Flow Automations failing to complete without an error message? 

Check that port 7071 is open between the Automation Writer and the FME Core. If workspace parameters have changed since the Automation was created, open the workspace action and click "Refresh Parameters," then stop and restart the Automation. Also verify the service account has access to any directories the Automation references.

3. Why is FME Flow's Tomcat service not starting after an upgrade? 

Check that there are no port conflicts on 8080/443/7082. Review the Tomcat logs in <FMEFlowInstall>/Utilities/tomcat/logs/. Common causes post-upgrade include SSL certificate mismatches or database connection failures on startup.

4. How do I connect FME Flow to Microsoft Fabric / Oracle / third-party data sources? 

Connections are managed via the Web Connections section in the FME Flow Web UI. For database connections (Oracle, SQL Server, etc.), ensure the JDBC driver is available to the FME Flow service. Web connections using OAuth may require proxy configuration if behind a firewall.

5. How do I set up or troubleshoot OAuth / refresh token authentication with GCP or Azure AD in FME Flow? 

FME Flow supports OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code flows. Tokens are stored in FME and refreshed automatically — the authorization token lasts 30 minutes, then the refresh token is used. Ensure the redirect URI is HTTPS and exactly matches what's registered in your identity provider. Network complexity (proxies, firewalls) is the most common cause of token failures. FME 2025.2+ supports external browser authentication with Proxy Redirect.

 FME Form — FAQs

1. How do I connect to ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise Portal using FME's OAuth 2.0 web connections?  

Register your Application-type Content Item in ArcGIS Online or Enterprise Portal to get a Client ID and Secret. In FME, create a new ArcGIS Online or Portal web connection using OAuth 2.0, entering the matching redirect URI. As of FME 2025.2, use the external browser authentication with Proxy Redirect option for best compatibility.

2. Why has the DateTimeConverter transformer changed behaviour between FME versions? 

Date/time handling can vary depending on the format's underlying data type. Use the DateTimeConverter to explicitly convert to ISO format before passing to a writer. Check the DateTimes FAQ article for known version-specific behaviour changes.

3. How do I handle dynamic feature types and get columns back into the stream after a generic read? 

Use a SchemaScanner to produce the schema from incoming features and feed it into a dynamic writer. For getting columns back after a generic/dynamic read, the AttributeManager and FeatureReader are your main tools.

4. Why is FME Form significantly slower in FME 2025 compared to earlier versions? 

Performance regressions with dynamic workflows are a known area of investigation. Check the Known Issues page for your specific build. General tuning advice: ensure attributes in WHERE clauses are indexed, review the Writers and Performance article, and consider whether feature caching is enabled during development (disable it for production runs).

5. How do I configure floating license timeouts in FME Form? 

Floating licenses are managed through FlexLM (lmgrd.exe + safe.exe). Timeout and idle settings are configured in the .lic file and via FlexLM options files. Ensure both the lmgrd and safe.exe ports are open through the firewall. Use the FlexNet Troubleshoot batch file if you're having persistent issues.

6. Why is WorkspaceRunner behaving inconsistently between interactive and programmatic runs?

This is often caused by parameter differences, service account permission issues, or environment variables not being set in the non-interactive context. Try the Debugging Guide for Workspaces to systematically isolate the issue.

7. How do I convert [specific format] to [specific format] in FME Form? 

The FME Support Centre has format-specific articles and tutorials for many common conversions. The FME Community is also a strong resource for format-specific questions. Start with the format's documentation page in the FME Readers and Writers reference.

 

That’s all for the August FAQ Edition! We hope this saves you some valuable troubleshooting time.

Got a question you’d like to see answered? Leave a comment and it might feature in next month’s edition. Happy FMEing, and enjoy the weekend!


 

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