Find answers to common questions about network diagrams.
Also, see the following topics for additional frequently asked questions:
Network diagrams
- Why is the New command unavailable in the Diagram group? Why can I no longer apply a layout to my open diagrams?
- What are some troubleshooting tips for problems with storing, appending to, and extending a network diagram?
- Do network diagrams support the new nonspatial objects included with Utility Network version 4?
- Do network diagrams support the new trace network included with ArcGIS Pro 2.6?
- Can I generate network diagrams from trace network services?
- Can I rename a network diagram?
- How are subnetwork system diagrams managed?
- When working with a utility network or a trace network service, what happens to network diagrams when reconciling and posting versions?
- How can I customize the columns of the diagrams list in the Find Diagrams pane?
- After running the layout tool on my open diagram, why do I not see any changes?
- What do the consistency icons represent for a network diagram layer in the Contents pane, and how are they refreshed?
- When working with a utility network or trace network service, what operations are supported for accessing network diagrams using a historical moment?
- Why are there missing diagram features (holes) in the diagram view?
- I have disconnected graphs in most of the diagrams I generated with my new diagram templates. Why?
- Why is the diagram view empty?
- What are the operations I can run when working with a utility network or trace network in a file or mobile geodatabase or a database connection to a utility network in an enterprise geodatabase, or when consuming a utility network service? What can be done by the standard user or network owner?
- Is there a way to copy a network diagram? Is there a way to preview a network diagram after an update without processing the update?
- Is there a way to perform a trace analysis inside a diagram?
Diagram templates and diagram layer definition
- What are some tips to consider when configuring diagram template rules?
- While consuming a utility network or trace network service and generating a diagram based on a newly created diagram template, I receive an error saying the diagram template is not found. How can I solve this?
- How can I set definitions for the layers under my network diagram layers?
- How do I troubleshoot the following error when running a diagram template geoprocessing model in ModelBuilder: Rules that add elements cannot be set up after rules that can create aggregated elements?
- How can I remove existing sublayers under my diagram layers, add and configure new labels or change symbols on some sublayers, and make these changes to my diagram template?
- Is it possible to add new diagram sublayers or overwrite settings on some existing diagram sublayers while preserving others?
Network diagrams
Why is the New command unavailable in the Diagram group? Why can I no longer apply a layout to my open diagrams?
There may be an active edit session. Review the disabling conditions in the command's ScreenTip. See Utility Network tab for more information.
What are some troubleshooting tips for problems with storing, appending to, and extending a network diagram?
Verify the template name your diagram is based on. To do this, right-click the diagram layer in the Contents pane, click Properties, click the Diagram Properties tab, and verify the name specified for Diagram Template.
Then review the properties for that diagram template's name. To do this, right-click a utility network or trace network layer in the Contents pane and click Properties. On the network Layer Properties dialog box that appears, click the Network Diagrams tab and expand the Diagram Templates section. Identify the diagram template item in the list and verify the following:
- Diagram Storage—If it is set to Disabled, you cannot store diagrams based on this template.
- Diagram Extent—If it is set to Disabled, you cannot extend or append features to diagrams based on this template.
Also verify whether the All Layers mode is turned on or off for the diagram layer. Starting with ArcGIS Pro 2.6, the Dynamic On/Off, Extend, Overwrite, and Append buttons are unavailable when the All Layers mode is turned off.
Yes. Starting with Utility Network version 4, a network diagram can represent both spatial features and nonspatial objects of a network.
Learn more about junction and edge objects in network diagrams
Yes. The network diagram elementary build process and the diagram rules have been updated to support trace network features. You can create your own diagram templates to generate diagrams from trace network features. You can configure diagram rules to use on these templates to build content for your diagrams. For example, you can configure templates to automate network tracing from a single or multiple input network features, automate the process of adding or discarding network features, reduce them, and so on.
Yes. You can rename any publicly stored network diagram using the Alter Diagram Properties geoprocessing tool. When working with a utility network, the utility network owner has full rights on all diagrams related to the network, whether these diagrams are public, private, or protected. The only exceptions are subnetwork system diagram names, which are managed by the update subnetwork process and cannot be changed.
When working with a utility network or a trace network service, what happens to network diagrams when reconciling and posting versions?
The single-user model does not support versioned editing. In an enterprise geodatabase, however, the model is multiuser and branch versioned.
With branch versioning, user versions are reconciled with and posted to the default version.
There is no conflict management when reconciling network diagrams with the default version. All diagrams existing in the default and edited versions since the version was created are merged in the reconciled version.
Once reconcile completes, changes made to the reconciled network may result in dirty areas and cause some diagrams to appear inconsistent with the network editing space in the version. Some diagrams may be consistent with the network editing space but disjoined from their own diagram features or statistics. Before posting the version, it is recommended that you update all the reconciled diagrams. This ensures that the diagram statistics and feature geometries are up to date in the version before posting it. In addition, once that version is posted, there is limited impact to the default version when updating the diagrams.
Learn more about reconciling diagram edits and posting changes to the default version
In the diagram table list, click a column header and use the pop-up dialog box that appears to choose the columns you want to display or hide. Then use the up and down arrows on the right side to reorder the columns, and click OK. To sort diagram items by a particular column value, click the column header. On the pop-up dialog box that appears, choose Sort A to Z or Sort Z to A, and click OK.
What do the consistency icons represent for a network diagram layer in the Contents pane, and how are they refreshed?
If you expect a consistency icon to appear next to your network diagram layer in the Contents pane and it doesn't, collapse and expand the diagram layer and increase the width of the Contents pane.
- A red warning icon indicates that the diagram is inconsistent with the network editing space. In this case, you must validate the network topology, save the edits, and update the diagram.
- An orange warning icon indicates that the diagram may be inconsistent with either the network topology space or its diagram template definition. In this situation, update the diagram.
- A gray warning icon informs you about a diagram with inconsistent layers. You can either update the diagram so its network diagram layers are properly reinitialized, or for a stored diagram, close and reopen it.
When working with a utility network or trace network service, what operations are supported for accessing network diagrams using a historical moment?
When you are connected to a historical moment, you can only do the following:
- Generate temporary diagrams representing the network as it was at that moment.
- Search for stored diagrams that existed at that moment and open them.
No other operations are supported on these diagrams.
Learn more about working with diagrams at historical moments
This issue is related to the diagram layer definition set up on the related diagram template and can be one of the following two situations:
- Situation A—There are missing layers under the network diagram layer that prevent diagram features from being represented.
- Situation B—All the expected layers under the network diagram layer exist but with specific scales or display filters that prevent some diagram features from being visible at any scale.
To identify your situation, do the following:
- When working with a utility network or trace network in an enterprise geodatabase, sign in to your ArcGIS Enterprise portal using the credentials of the portal utility network owner or portal trace network owner.
- Depending on the geodatabase you want to work with, do one of the following:
- When working with a utility network or trace network in a file or mobile geodatabase, add the file or mobile geodatabase to the project.
- When working with a utility network or trace network in an enterprise geodatabase, add the database connection file to the project or create one.
Caution:
Make sure the network is registered as branch versioned and you are connecting using the credentials of the database utility network owner or database trace network owner.
- Run Export Diagram Template Definitions to export your diagram template rule and layout definitions.
- Run Add Diagram Template to create a test temporary diagram template using the .ndbd file you exported in the previous step.
- Generate the diagram twice: once based on the diagram template with which you noted issues, DiagramWithBadLayerDef, and once with the new temporary diagram template you created above, DiagramWithDefaultLayerDef.
- Compare the contents of the two diagrams to identify the features that are missing in DiagramWithBadLayerDef and should be represented in DiagramWithDefaultLayerDef, even if they appear with basic default appearance settings.
- If layers are missing under the DiagramWithBadLayerDef network diagram layer, you are in Situation A. You must completely reinitialize the diagram layer definition for your diagram template.
- If no layers are missing under the DiagramWithBadLayerDef network diagram layer, you are in Situation B. You must work directly from the network diagram layer and run the following steps:
- Loop on each layer without the diagram features and change the settings so the following conditions exist:
- Then do the following:
- Run Export Diagram Layer Definition with the network diagram layer you just modified as input. This allows you to export this network diagram layer definition to a .ndld file.
- Run Import Diagram Template Definitions on your template with the resulting .ndld file so the new network diagram layer definition applies to all diagrams based on that template.
Tip:
Starting with ArcGIS Pro 3.0, there is another workflow to quickly identify Situation A. Click Consistency on the Network Diagram tab. A gray warning icon 
appears next to the network diagram layer in the Contents pane, indicating that the diagram has inconsistent layers.
When generating a diagram after you've selected network features in the geographic map using a selection tool, the result may be a set of network features that are all fully connected. This is true when your map references layers with display scales. In this case, run network traces and generate diagrams from the resulting traced features. However, the best way to generate diagrams is to use diagram templates configured to automatically run a trace rule at each diagram generation and update.
This occurs when a diagram template is configured to focus on particular network features and you didn't provide the expected features as input for the diagram generation. Review the template description under the Diagram Templates section on the Network Diagrams tab of the network Layer Properties dialog box. The network owner may have provided details in this table that can help you understand how each diagram template works. Otherwise, talk to the network owner who designed the diagram template.
What are the operations I can run when working with a utility network or trace network in a file or mobile geodatabase or a database connection to a utility network in an enterprise geodatabase, or when consuming a utility network service? What can be done by the standard user or network owner?
Network diagram configuration and management tasks are dependent on many factors, including the type of workspace connection and its permission level, the diagram type, the capabilities enabled on the diagram templates, and the connected database or portal account. The conditions and requirements you must meet when running diagram operations are detailed in Network diagram management tasks.
Is there a way to copy a network diagram? Is there a way to preview a network diagram after an update without processing the update?
There is no command to copy a network diagram. However, starting with ArcGIS Pro 3.0, you can re-create another network diagram that looks like the one you want to copy by running the following steps:
- Ensure that at least one map, among the maps currently open in your project, references the utility network or trace network associated with the diagram you want to copy.
- If the diagram is related to a particular data source version, switch this map data source to the same data source version.
- Activate the map referencing the source network diagram; that is, the one you want to copy.
- In the Contents pane, right-click the network diagram layer and click Properties.
- On the Layer Properties dialog box that opens with the Diagram Properties tab as the active tab, retain the Diagram template property among the properties exposed under the General section.
- Close the Layer Properties dialog box.
- Click the Search for Initial Diagram Features
in Network Map
drop-down arrow
and choose the network map in
which the initial diagram features will be located and
selected. - Make this network map the active map. The initial diagram features are selected in it.
- Click the Utility Network or Trace Network tab in the ribbon.
- Click the New drop-down arrow in the Diagram group, and click the template item corresponding to the name you retained in step 4 in the drop-down list. A new diagram is created from the same initial diagram feature set.
- If the source diagram exists with a specific layout, click the Copy Layout drop-down arrow in the Layout group, and click the diagram map referencing this source diagram so its layout is imported to the newly created diagram.
Note:
If the source diagram is consistent when you run this workflow, the newly created diagram should look like a copy of that source diagram.
If the source diagram is inconsistent, the newly created diagram allows you to preview the update to the source diagram.
From a network diagram, you can use the following trace and analysis tools:
- The Select Connected Diagram Features command
starts from diagram features that are currently selected in the diagram, retrieves any diagram features that directly connect those that are currently selected, and adds them to the current selection. Clicking this command several times allows you to isolate subsets of connected diagram features in dense areas. - The Select Related Contents command
allows you to visually check containment relations from diagram containers. In particular, it allows you to quickly analyze container hierarchy, isolate the set of diagram features that are related contents of specific diagram containers, and so on.
Note:
Select Connected Diagram Features and Select Related Content are commands available with ArcGIS Pro 3.0 and later.
Diagram templates and diagram layer definition
The recommendations and warnings that you must always consider when configuring diagram rules on a diagram template are listed at the bottom of Diagram rules.
There are also specific recommendations for subnetwork diagram templates.
While consuming a utility network or trace network service and generating a diagram based on a newly created diagram template, I receive an error saying the diagram template is not found. How can I solve this?
This is because the new template is not fully recognized on the server side. To solve this issue, restart the related network service. Even though the new template item appears in the New drop-down list in the Diagram group on the utility network ribbon, the related service must be restarted before using it from a network service layer.
Initializing a diagram layer definition for your diagrams occurs at the diagram template level when running the Create Diagram Layer Definition geoprocessing tool. This tool expects a network diagram layer as input from an active network map in which all layers are set up to connect the network source classes using a database connection.
See Initialize a custom diagram layer definition on a template for details.
How do I troubleshoot the following error when running a diagram template geoprocessing model in ModelBuilder: Rules that add elements cannot be set up after rules that can create aggregated elements?
Ensure that there are no rules to reduce or collapse elements before rules that add elements. Verify that the Alter Diagram Template tool you set up at the beginning of the model is configured with the Remove the diagram template rule and layout definitions box checked.
Also, before running the model, select the first tool in the sequence, click Validate on the ModelBuilder tab, and click Run to be sure you start the sequence from the beginning.
How can I remove existing sublayers under my diagram layers, add and configure new labels or change symbols on some sublayers, and make these changes to my diagram template?
This workflow starts with a test diagram that you generate or open using a database connection to your utility network in an enterprise geodatabase, or a utility network or trace network in a file or mobile geodatabase; that is, the open diagram cannot be created or opened from a utility network service. Then, from each layer under the network diagram layer, set the appearance and labeling settings in the same way you do when working with GIS layers. You can also remove any unnecessary layers. Then complete the following steps:
- Run Export Diagram Layer Definition with the network diagram layer you just modified as input. This allows you to export this new network diagram layer definition into an .ndld file.
- Run Import Diagram Template Definitions on your template with the .ndld file obtained after step 1, so this new network diagram layer definition applies to all diagrams based on that template.
See Remove existing diagram sublayers or customize settings on existing diagram sublayers.
Is it possible to add new diagram sublayers or overwrite settings on some existing diagram sublayers while preserving others?
Yes. Starting with ArcGIS Pro 2.7, you can meet more needs and expectations when refining your diagram layer definition. Here are some examples:
- Report the appearance changes that happened on one layer in your network map to your network diagrams.
- Add new layers to represent the junction or edge objects in your network diagrams since such objects are now part of your network.
- Include an additional point layer to represent the network container polygons that you've just configured to be collapsed now in your network diagrams.
- Switch from standard layer to subtype group layer—or vice versa—on some of the additional sublayers you have under your network diagram layers.
Such changes are available when you run the Create Diagram Layer Definition geoprocessing tool with the Overwrite all layers option unchecked.
See Add new diagram sublayers or overwrite settings on existing diagram sublayers.