Happy Friday, FME’ers! Welcome to the June edition of the TGIF FAQ Series, a roundup of the most common questions our Support team fields from the FME community.
Periodically, we will pull together the questions we’ve been hearing most from users like you, with clear answers and links to dive deeper. This month, we’ve got six questions each for FME Flow and FME Form, covering everything from stuck jobs and SSO headaches to ArcGIS licensing quirks and SSL certificate renewals. Let’s get into it!
FME Flow — FAQs
1. Why is my FME Flow job stuck in a "running" state and blocking the queue?
The most common causes are: no engines assigned to the queue, all engines occupied, the FME Flow Engines Windows service not running, or a permissions issue on the queue folder in the System Share. Check Engine Management in the Web UI to confirm at least one engine is assigned and available. Also check whether it's a known issue with jobs submitted from Automations specifically.
- FME Flow Jobs go straight into 'Queued' state and never run
- FME Flow Troubleshooting: FME Flow Engines
- Known Issue: Job Submitted from Automation is Stuck Running and Cannot be Cancelled
- FME Flow Debugging Toolbox: Troubleshooting with Logs
2. How do I do an in place upgrade for FME Flow without breaking my deployment?
All FME Flow upgrades require a full uninstall and reinstall. Back up your configuration and FME Flow instance before starting. Also be sure to download the encryption key associated with your server and backup file, as this will be required to restore the backup on the new install.
- Best Practices for Upgrading FME Flow
- Before Upgrading: Things to Consider
- Full FME Flow Upgrade
- Upgrading In Place, On the Same Machine
- FME Flow Troubleshooting: Upgrading
3. How do I configure FME Flow to use an external SQL Server as the Flow database?
FME Flow supports SQL Server 2016 or later (plus PostgreSQL and Oracle) as an external database. The installer prompts you to choose your database provider; the fmeDatabaseConfig.txt file controls the JDBC connection. FME Flow ships with the necessary SQL Server JDBC driver.
- Configure the FME Flow Database on a Separate Database Server
- Changing the Database Provider for the FME Flow Database
- fmeDatabaseConfig.txt Reference
4. Why is SSO not working in FME Flow?
SSO will not work if you are testing from the machine where FME Flow is installed — always test from a different machine. Check the fmedirectoryserver.log and fmeserver.log for Active Directory or SSO messages. For SAML-based SSO (Azure AD, Okta), verify that the redirect URI starts with https.
- FME Flow Troubleshooting: Integrated Windows Authentication or Single Sign On
- FME Flow Troubleshooting: SAML
- Configuring FME Flow for Azure AD SAML Authentication
- Configuring FME Flow for OKTA SAML Authentication
- FME Flow Troubleshooting: Windows Active Directory
5. Why is my FME Flow job failing with "unable to perform any licensing-related tasks"?
This error often means FME Flow is trying to use an ArcGIS format but the ArcGIS license isn't available to the FME Flow service account. To read and write from Esri Geodatabase formats, like ArcSDE and File Geodatabase, FME Flow requires that ArcGIS Server software be installed and licensed on the same machine (with an exception for the File Geodatabase Open API Reader/Writer). If you are receiving this error, it means that either the correct license is not installed, or the service account running FME Flow is not able to access it correctly.
- ArcGIS Licensing Error: Unable to Perform Licensing Related Tasks
- Using FME Flow with Esri ArcGIS Software
6. How do I renew or replace an SSL certificate in FME Flow using a .PFX file?
FME Flow 2025.1+ includes a script to update an expired PFX certificate. For earlier versions, you need to manually edit server.xml to point to the new .pfx file. Multiple certificate formats are supported (PFX/P12, CRT/CER, self-signed, Windows Certificate Store). On Linux, SSL is configured on the NGINX reverse proxy rather than Tomcat.
- Configuring FME Flow for HTTPS: Updating an expired Certificate
- Configuring FME Flow for HTTPS: Using a PFX or P12 Certificate
- FME Flow Troubleshooting: Configuring for HTTPS/SSL
- Configuring FME Flow for HTTPS (general)
FME Form — FAQs
1. Why is my ArcGIS/ArcSDE Geodatabase reader or writer failing, or returning a coordinate system error?
FME requires an ArcGIS license (ArcGIS Pro or ArcGIS Server) installed on the same machine to read/write ArcSDE/Enterprise Geodatabase formats. The SDE connection file is created using Esri software, not FME. Coordinate system errors often stem from the spatial reference not being recognized or selected — check the FME and Esri ArcGIS Troubleshooting Guide first.
- FME and Esri ArcGIS Troubleshooting Guide
- How to Create and Manage Esri Geodatabase (ArcSDE) Connections in FME
- Using ArcGIS Pro with FME Form
- ArcGIS Data Type Changed After Writing to Esri Enterprise Geodatabase (ArcSDE)
2. How do I connect FME Form to ArcGIS Online or Enterprise Portal?
Create an OAuth 2.0 web connection in FME using a registered app in ArcGIS Online or Enterprise Portal. The redirect URI must exactly match what's in your app registration. For Portal, use the Enterprise Portal-specific connection guide. Note that as of FME 2025.2, external browser authentication with Proxy Redirect is the recommended approach.
- How to Create an ArcGIS Online Web Connection (OAuth 2.0)
- How to Create an ArcGIS Enterprise Portal Web Connection (OAuth 2.0)
- ArcGIS Online Web Connection Troubleshooting
- ArcGIS Online frequently asked questions
3. Where can I download an older version of FME Form?
Older versions are available on the Safe Software downloads page within the last three major versions. Click the dropdown arrow next to the current version to access past versions. Note that some older patch builds may have been removed to ensure customers use the most stable version. Please contact Support if you need a specific build not listed.
- Safe Software Downloads Page
- Build Numbers for FME Versions
- FME Versions and Workspace Compatibility
- Installing Multiple Versions of FME Form
4. Is [legacy format / OS version] still supported in the latest FME Form?
Check the FME Platform Technical Specifications page for current OS support. For formats, check the FME Deprecations article to see what has been removed or flagged for removal. Legacy technical specs for older FME versions are also available.
5. Why is FME Workbench crashing frequently?
This will depend on whether the crash is happening on startup vs. while running a translation. Crashes while running a translation are most often caused by a reader, writer, or transformer not handling a specific feature correctly. Crashes on startup tend to point to environment-specific issues (e.g. the graphics card, CPU). For translation-related crashes, providing the Support team with the workspace, as well as logs is key to starting the investigation process. For startup-related crashes, Windows Event Logs can be helpful when contacting Support.
- Debugging FME Workbench Has Stopped Working Error
- Troubleshooting an fme.exe crash
- FME Workbench crashes unexpectedly on Citrix
- Known Issues in FME
6. Is FME Form/Flow affected by [CVE number] and what should I do?
Safe Software integrates security requirements from the first stages of software development, ensuring your protection is our foundational principle. We run regular scans and release updates as often as possible. If you are uncertain whether FME is impacted by a CVE, the best recommendation is to submit a ticket to Safe Support including the CVE number(s), and which product you are inquiring about (Form or Flow). In some cases, we may ask for more details, but this is usually enough for our team to investigate and get back to you as soon as possible. Please note that based on our security policy, most fixes require an upgrade to FME, while critical issues are patched at our discretion.
And that’s a wrap on the June FAQ Edition! We hope these answers save you some time and frustration next time you hit a snag.
Got a question that didn’t make the list? Drop it in the comments below and it might just show up in a future edition. Happy FMEing, and have a great weekend!