Preserve editor tracking information in the source when appending data to a target feature class

Summary

When editor tracking is enabled in ArcGIS Pro on a dataset in a file, mobile, or enterprise geodatabase, the attribute table is updated to include fields designated to track editing information.

Whenever data is inserted or updated in the feature class—regardless of the method used, including appending—editor tracking automatically captures the username of the person who performed the edit, along with the exact time it occurred.

However, there may be scenarios where a user would like to append records from a source feature class to a target feature class and retain the editor-tracking records in the source feature class.

Procedure

To append the data and preserve the editor tracking information from the source feature class when the data is appended to a target feature class, follow these steps:

1. Disable editor tracking on the target feature class. In the Feature Class Properties window, under Manage, uncheck Editor tracking, as shown in the next image.
   The editor tracking fields will remain in the feature class, but the functionality to track further edits will be temporarily disabled.

2. Run the Append tool to add the features from the source to the target feature class. Ensure the field mappings are set if required, as shown in the next image.

3. Enable Editor tracking again on the target feature class, using the existing editor tracking fields, as shown in the next image..