Re-exporting a republished feature service as a file geodatabase returns an error

Description

Republishing a feature class to ArcGIS Online, including the GDB_ServiceItems table, and exporting the republished feature service as a file geodatabase (FGDB, or filegdb) returns the following error:

Error:   
Error exporting data to filegdb format

Cause

This is a known issue. When downloading a FGDB from ArcGIS Online, a table named GDB_ServiceItems is included in the downloaded FGDB as the database is created within runtime. When the feature class in the FGDB is brought to ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro, the GDB_ServiceItems table is included in the dataset. The error occurs due to the duplicate naming convention for the GDB_ServiceItems table, as the table already exists in the republished feature service.

The GDB_ServiceItems table is listed in the Tables section on the item details page of the republished feature service.

Solution or Workaround

Use one of the options available below to solve this error.

Option 1: Remove or delete the GDB_ServiceItems table in ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro before republishing to ArcGIS Online

Removing or deleting the GDB_ServiceItems table permanently in ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro before republishing the feature layer avoids the duplication of the GDB_ServiceItems table when exporting the republished feature service to the FGDB format for the second time.

To remove the GDB_ServiceItems table, open the downloaded FGDB in ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro, and remove the table from the Table Of Contents window in ArcMap (the Contents window in ArcGIS Pro.)

To delete the GDB_ServiceItems table from the downloaded FGDB in ArcMap, use the following workflow:

1. Click the Catalog icon to open the Catalog window.
2. Navigate to and expand the FGDB downloaded from ArcGIS Online.
3. Right-click the GDB_ServiceItems table in the FGDB content list.
4. Click Delete.
5. Click Yes in the Confirm Delete dialog box.

To delete the GDB_ServiceItems table from the downloaded FGDB in ArcGIS Pro, use the following workflow:

1. Create a new project.
2. Add the downloaded FGDB to the project.
3. Navigate to and expand the FGDB.
4. Right-click the GDB_ServiceItems table in the FGDB content list.
5. Click Delete.
6. Click Yes in the Delete dialog box.

Option 2: Rename the GDB_ServiceItems table at the REST endpoint

The name for the GDB_ServiceItems table is created by default when exporting a feature service to the FGDB format. Renaming the existing table at the REST endpoint to a name other than the default name prevents a new table with the same default name to be created when exporting the feature service to the FGDB format.

Once the feature service is republished to ArcGIS Online, use the following workflow to rename the GDB_ServiceItems table in the REST page.

1. On the item details page of the republished feature service, scroll down to the Tables section, and click the Service URL link for the GDB_ServiceItems table.
2. Go to the admin page of the table. Refer to the following document on how to access the REST admin page: How to Update Your Hosted Feature Service Schemas in ArcGIS Online.
3. Click the Update Definition operation, and find the line for "name".
4. Change the name of the table to a name other than the default, (for example, "name" : "Rename" , ). 

5. Click Update Layer Definition to apply the changes.

Option 3: Export the feature service from the ArcGIS Online FGDB to a FGDB feature class in ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro

Add the feature service from the ArcGIS Online FGDB directly in ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro without the GDB_ServiceItems table, and export the feature service to a new FGDB before editing and republishing it to ArcGIS Online.

Use the workflow in the following document to export the feature service to a FGDB feature class in ArcMap: How To: Export a feature service to a file geodatabase feature class in ArcMap.

Use the following workflow to export the feature service to a FGDB feature class in ArcGIS Pro:

1. In ArcGIS Pro, create a new project.
2. Click the Insert tab, and click New Map in the Project Group.
3. On the Map tab, click Add Data > Data from the Layer group, and navigate to Portal > My Content in the Add Data dialog box.

   Note:
   Users must be signed in to ArcGIS Online to access the data.

4. Select the feature service to add to the map, and click OK.
5. Right-click the feature service in the Contents window > Data > Export Features.
6. In the Geoprocessing window, click the Browse icon for Output Feature Class, browse for the FGDB, and set a name for the output feature class.

   Note:
   An ArcGIS Pro project has a default geodatabase that stores the data in the project. The default geodatabase can also be used to store the exported feature classes.

7. Click Save, and run the geoprocessing tool.