Frequently asked question

Is it possible to undo an append operation performed on a feature layer in ArcGIS Online?

Last Published: August 11, 2021

Answer

No. In ArcGIS Online, it is not possible to undo an append operation performed on a feature layer. However, as a workaround, it is possible to edit the ArcGIS Online feature layer in ArcGIS Pro to remove the appended data. The workflow below involves downloading the .pitemx file from ArcGIS Online and editing the attribute table of the feature layer in ArcGIS Pro.

Note:
In ArcGIS Pro, the option to undo an append operation is available when running the Append tool with the Enable Undo option enabled. Refer to ArcGIS Pro: Undo geoprocessing tools for more information.
  1. In ArcGIS Online, navigate to Content > My Content, and click the feature layer to access the item details page.
  2. On the item details page, click Open in ArcGIS Desktop > Open in ArcGIS Pro.
The option located on the sidebar of the item details page to open an ArcGIS Online feature layer in ArcGIS Pro.
  1. Save the .pitemx file to the computer, and click the file to launch it in ArcGIS Pro.
  2. In ArcGIS Pro, in the Contents pane, right-click the feature layer, and select Attribute Table.
Access the table view of the data by right-clicking the layer and selecting Attribute Table in the Contents pane.
  1. In the table view, identify the date and time of the append operation from the data of the CreationDate field. In this example, the last known date before the append operation is '7/21/2021', while the append operation occurs on '7/26/2021'.
The CreationDate field in the attribute table of the feature layer viewed in ArcGIS Pro. The date and time of feature creation is recorded automatically in the field.
  1. Click Select By Attributes.
The Select By Attribute button in the table view.
  1. In the Select By Attributes window, click New expression to open the query builder.
The 'New expression' option in the Select By Attribute window to open the query builder.
  1. Fill in the three preformatted boxes in the query builder.
    1. In the first box, click the drop-down arrow, and select CreationDate.
    2. In the second box, click the drop-down arrow, and select is after.
    3. In the third box, insert a date and time before the append operation is performed. In this example, '7/21/2021 11:59:00 PM' is entered in the query as the append operation occurs after this date.
    4. Click Apply. The appended data is selected.
Configure the query builder in the Select By Attribute window to select the appended data based on the date and time listed in the CreationDate field.
  1. In the table view, click Delete to delete the features selected. The appended data is now deleted.
The Delete button in the table view.
  1. On the ArcGIS Pro ribbon, click the Edit tab. In the Manage Edits group, click Save.
Access the Save button by navigating to the Edit tab on the ArcGIS Pro ribbon.

The appended data is now removed from the feature layer in ArcGIS Online.

The table of the feature layer data in ArcGIS Online after the appended data is deleted using ArcGIS Pro.

Article ID: 000025661

Software:
  • ArcGIS Online

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