Updated Data Is Not Appearing in an ArcGIS Enterprise Cached Map Service

Description

After updating data in a cached map service or map image layer, the published changes are not visible to users. Although the service is running correctly, the application continues to display outdated map content.

This behavior is expected when the service uses a tile cache. Since the cache stores pre-rendered map tiles, changes made to the source data are not automatically reflected until the affected cache tiles are rebuilt.

Cause

Cached map services improve rendering performance by serving pre-generated tiles instead of dynamically drawing map content for each request. As a result, edits made to the underlying datasets do not automatically update the existing cache.

To synchronize the cache with the latest data, the cache tiles must be regenerated using the Manage Map Server Cache Tiles geoprocessing tool. Depending on the selected update mode, the tool can:

• Create missing tiles.
• Rebuild existing tiles.
• Delete existing cache tiles.
• Update only a specific Area of Interest.

This approach minimizes processing time and allows administrators to refresh only the portions of the cache that have changed instead of rebuilding the entire cache.

Solution or Workaround

Use the Manage Map Server Cache Tiles tool in ArcGIS Pro to update the cache associated with the published map service.

The recommended update mode depends on the maintenance scenario:

• Recreate Empty Tiles – Generates only missing cache tiles while preserving existing ones.
• Recreate All Tiles – Rebuilds all existing tiles, ensuring the cache reflects the latest source data.
• Delete Tiles – Removes tiles from the cache without deleting the cache structure itself.

Procedure

1. Open the Manage Map Server Cache Tiles tool:
   1. Open ArcGIS Pro.
   2. Navigate to Analysis > Tools.
   3. Search for Manage Map Server Cache Tiles.

2. Configure the tool parameters.
   Specify the following parameters:
   • Input Service – Select the cached Map Image Layer or Map Service.
   • Scales – Select the cache scales that need to be updated.
   • Update Mode – Choose one of the following:
     • Recreate Empty Tiles
     • Recreate All Tiles
     • Delete Tiles
   • Number of Caching Service Instances (optional) – Specify how many instances of the System/CachingTools service will be used during cache generation. Using more instances can reduce processing time but increases server resource consumption.
   • Area of Interest (optional) – Limit cache generation to a specific geographic area.
   • Update Extent (optional) – Restrict the cache update to a defined extent.
3. Click Run to start the cache update.

4. Verify the cache update.
   After the tool completes successfully:
   1. Open the web map or application that consumes the cached service.
   2. Refresh the browser cache if necessary.
   3. Verify that the updated features are displayed.